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Home / Author: Noel Whittaker

Noel Whittaker

Ensure your children are insured

Serious illness is something we think will happen to somebody else and insurance, like making a will, is easy to put off. It’s only when the problems start that we realise it’s too late to do anything about it.

Do you plan to be a ‘have’ or a ‘have not’?

Regardless of age, there's always something that can improve your preparation for retirement, especially given doubts about the sustainability of Australia’s tax and welfare systems.

FoFA is not in anyone’s best interests now

Government plans to amend FoFA are in tatters, due mainly to ill-informed comments about the nature of financial advice. 'Best interests duty' goes way beyond 'duty of care' used in other professions.

Set yourself to benefit from compounding

If you get onto the compounding bandwagon from a young age, the balance of your superannuation, as well as other savings, come retirement will astound you. It's a shame more people aren't maximising the opportunity.

Does your will treat your super fairly?

When writing your will, take care to understand the tax consequences of the benefits paid to your beneficiaries, especially when a life policy is involved. Your estate could be left with a hefty tax bill.

There’s more than one way to fund a retirement

If you’re 40 or under you won’t have access to the age pension, and perhaps even your super, until you are 70. Unless you’re prepared to work until then, you'll need enough money outside super to live on.

Latest Updates

SMSF strategies

Meg on SMSFs: How wide is the ban on LRBAs?

The government's recent deal with the Greens has put SMSF property borrowing on the chopping block. The change raises tricky questions about timing, exceptions and what SMSFs will still be able to buy.

Shares

Why Australian shares are falling behind the world

Australia’s market boasts a long record of outperformance, but recent results tell a different story. Is the ASX’s lagging performance a temporary setback or evidence that structural forces will keep global markets ahead?

Taxation

The strange effect of the 30% minimum capital gains tax

The 30% minimum tax on capital gains sits at the heart of the budget's proposed reforms. Yet the mechanics reveal anomalies that introduce unexpected distortions that raise questions about its design.

Shares

The next phase of Australian equity leadership

For years, banks have powered Australian sharemarket returns. But changing economic conditions, stretched valuations and global trends suggest the next generation of winners may not be found in familiar domestic sectors.

Economy

Global market growth hinges on Iran War and AI rollout

Global growth is facing mounting pressure from war, higher oil prices, inflation and trade tensions. But a wave of AI-related investment may prove powerful enough to support economic activity and reshape the outlook for markets.

Retirement

The retirees who can't spend

Why do so many retirees pass away with their wealth intact? Conventional wisdom blames pension rules for the reluctance to spend, but a case study from New Zealand shows that the answer may not be as predictable.

Investment strategies

Here’s my investment philosophy. What’s yours?

Investors often hear they need an “investment philosophy,” yet few know what that really means. Beneath the jargon sits a simple idea: a handful of core beliefs that shape every financial decision, for better or worse.

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