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Noel Whittaker

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.

The richest man in Babylon also lives in Australia

One of the greatest books on accumulating wealth ever written uses the basic premise that part of all you earn is yours to keep. Australia's compulsory superannuation system is helping you.

How much money do you need to retire?

It's the most common question asked by potential retirees. Working an extra couple of years, having a zest for life or retiring early might affect both savings balances and lifespans.

Beware of the curse of liquidity

Shares are an excellent long-term investment, but the ease with which they can be bought and sold can be both a blessing and a curse. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

My 8 rules for both wealth and health

The same strategies we use to keep our bodies in shape can also be applied to building our finances. These eight simple principles can set you on a path to achieve better health and wealth.

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Retirement

Supercharging the ‘4% rule’ to ensure a richer retirement

The creator of the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals, Bill Bengen, has written a new book outlining fresh strategies to outlive your money, including holding fewer stocks in early retirement before increasing allocations.

Shares

Are franking credits worth pursuing?

Are franking credits factored into share prices? The data suggests they're probably not, and there are certain types of stocks that offer higher franking credits as well as the prospect for higher returns.

Retirement

Inflation cruels a comfortable retirement

ASFA’s latest estimates reveal that home-owning couples need at least $690,000 in super for a ‘comfortable’ retirement, yet only around 30% of people meet these thresholds, and the shortfall may deepen.

Australia’s sleepwalk into a damaged society

The role of family and community as foundations of a healthy society have been allowed to weaken. This has brought about Australia's spiritual decline and a thirst for dopamine that explains our high debt levels.

Investment strategies

The simplicity of this investing method hides its power

Despite the perception that successful investors nimbly navigate each zig and zag in the market, the evidence suggests otherwise. This approach can help an investor avoid self-harming their returns.

Investment strategies

Four ways that global investors are reshaping their US exposure

It wasn't long ago that investors were asking if US exceptionalism could continue. They now appear to be diversifying away from dollar assets and shifting to a more active US equity allocation.

Investment strategies

The case for high yield bonds

This is a primer on high yield bonds - their risk and returns compared to investment grade securities, diversification benefits, and strategies for selecting high yield investments for enhanced portfolio yields.

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