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Home / Author: Robin Bowerman

Robin Bowerman

Interactive: where will your goals take you?

This excellent Interactive Index Chart shows market performance of various asset classes since 1970, and allows readers to compare the growth of $10,000 invested in these asset classes over historical periods.

Robin Bowerman
16 August 2018
2

Some trustees should self-manage out of SMSFs

Although over one million Australians are trustees of SMSFs, ASIC reports that many do not have the expertise or time to take responsibility to manage their own superannuation.

Robin Bowerman
26 July 2018
8

When no decision is the right one for super

Superannuation funds strive for increased engagement from their members, but is there merit in the decision not to choose? Evidence shows default options perform well compared with the 'choose your own' path.

Robin Bowerman
22 June 2017

The value of Adviser's Alpha explained

The main benefit a financial adviser can give clients is not in stock picking or selecting an outperforming manager, but acting as a wealth coach and helping to control emotions.

Robin Bowerman
15 June 2017
1

You get what you don’t pay for

While there is a role for both active and passive investments in portfolios, the impact of relatively small reductions in management fees can compound to large amounts over a lifetime of saving.

Robin Bowerman
23 March 2017
3

Preparing for the ups-and-downs of 2017

When markets deliver lower returns, investors need to save more, learn about investments and stay the course to achieve their retirement goals. Diversification is an effective way to weather uncertain times.

Robin Bowerman
16 February 2017
2

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Latest Updates

Retirement

Why it’s time to ditch the retirement journey

Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".

Kaye Fallick
19 November 2025
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Financial planning

How much does it really cost to raise a child?

With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.

Ben Phillips
19 November 2025
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Exchange traded products

Passive ETF investors may be in for a rude shock

Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.

Greg Canavan
19 November 2025
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Bank reporting season scorecard November 2025

The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective.

Hugh Dive
19 November 2025
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Investment strategies

The real winners from the AI rush

AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.

Brad Livingstone-Foggo
19 November 2025
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Economy

Why economic forecasts are rarely right (but we still need them)

Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.

Jackson Hrbek
19 November 2025
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Strategy

13 reflections on wealth and philanthropy

Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.

Peter Winneke
19 November 2025
4

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