16 October 2026

Recently trending

It’s time for LICs to die Testamentary trusts survived the trust tax. The drafting battle has just begun.Is it time to bail on Australian stocks?The new capital gains tax trap for your portfolio How the typical Australian Family could save $844,350 in taxes

John Pearce, Chief Investment Officer, Unisuper: "Out of the (many many) investmentrelated emails I get, Cuffelinks is one that I always open."

Scott Pape, author of The Barefoot Investor: "I'm an avid reader of Cuffelinks. Thanks for the wonderful resource you have here, it really is first class."

John Egan, Egan Associates: "My heartiest congratulations. Your panel of contributors is very impressive and keep your readers fully informed."

Don Stammer, leading Australian economist: "Congratulations to all associated. It deserves the good following it has."

Steve: "The best that comes into our world each week. This is the only one that is never, ever canned before fully being reviewed by yours truly."

Ian Kelly, CFP, BTACS Financial Services: "Probably the best source of commentary and information I have seen over the past 20 years."

Andrew Buchan, Partner, HLB Mann Judd: "I have told you a thousand times it's the best newsletter."

Eleanor Dartnall, AFA Adviser of the Year, 2014: "Our clients love your newsletter. Your articles are avidly read by advisers and they learn a great deal."

Reader: "Best innovation I have seen whilst an investor for 25 years. The writers are brilliant. A great publication which I look forward to."

Reader: "Keep it up - the independence is refreshing and is demonstrated by the variety of well credentialed commentators."

Reader: "I can quickly sort the items that I am interested in, then research them more fully. It is also a regular reminder that I need to do this."

Rob Henshaw: "When I open my computer each day it's the first link I click - a really great read."

Reader: "Is one of very few places an investor can go and not have product rammed down their throat. Love your work!"

Reader: "I subscribe to two newsletters. This is my first read of the week. Thank you. Excellent and please keep up the good work!"

Reader: "Carry on as you are - well done. The average investor/SMSF trustee needs all the help they can get."

Reader: "Congratulations on a great focussed news source. Australia has a dearth of good quality unbiased financial and wealth management news."

David Goldschmidt, Chartered Accountant: "I find this a really excellent newsletter. The best I get. Keep up the good work!"

Reader: "Love it, just keep doing what you are doing. It is the right length too, any longer and it might become a bit overwhelming."

Reader: " Finding a truly independent and interesting read has been magical for me. Please keep it up and don't change!"

Reader: "An island of professionalism in an ocean of shallow self-interest. Well done!"

Reader: "The BEST in the game because of diversity and not aligned to financial products. Stands above all the noise."

Ian Silk, CEO, AustralianSuper: "It has become part of my required reading: quality thinking, and (mercifully) to the point."

Reader: "Great resource. Cuffelinks is STILL the one and only weekly newsletter I regularly read."

Reader: "It's excellent so please don't pollute the content with boring mainstream financial 'waffle' and adverts for stuff we don't want!"

Professor Robert Deutsch: "This has got to be the best set of articles on economic and financial matters. Always something worthwhile reading in Firstlinks. Thankyou"

Noel Whittaker, author and financial adviser: "A fabulous weekly newsletter that is packed full of independent financial advice."

Jonathan Hoyle, CEO, Stanford Brown: "A fabulous publication. The only must-read weekly publication for the Australian wealth management industry."

Home / Author: Warren Bird

Warren Bird

Briefly, on the role of government bonds

We like a good debate, and when two opposing views argued about the role of government bonds in a diversified portfolio, a veteran of 30 years in fixed interest stepped in as referee.

Warren Bird
20 March 2019
1

Summer Series Guest Editor, Warren Bird

Guest Editor, Warren Bird, worked with Chris Cuffe at Colonial First State, and he brings clarity to the complex world of fixed interest, bonds and investing. Here are his favourite articles from the past six years.

Warren Bird
26 December 2018
2

Zero tax rate on pensions is right and fair

Claims that zero tax rates on superannuation pension funds are a rort are misinformed because they ignore the taxes paid to put money into super, and the social contract that super was designed for.

Warren Bird
18 September 2018
23

Personal reflections on the history of CFS

In the week that marks 30 years since Chris Cuffe joined what became Colonial First State, a former colleague reflects on what makes a business successful, and what may have been lost from those early days.

Warren Bird
23 August 2018
13

Back to basics shows franking credit refunds are fair

The current system is fundamentally fair as domestic shareholders pay tax on fully franked dividends at their own tax rate. This is what imputation should achieve and why we need franking credits refunded.

Warren Bird
21 March 2018
74

Unpacking the '30-year bull market' in bonds

The reality of investing in a bond is that regardless of whether we have experienced a massive bull market, the most a bond is worth at maturity is the face value.

Warren Bird
27 April 2017
1

Firstlinks is sponsored by:

Latest Updates

Retirement

The retirement scorecard: how many of these questions can you answer?

From the maths of retirement, estimating spending and picking the right asset allocation to survive a poor decade, here are the questions every retiree – current or future – should be able to answer for themselves.

Mark LaMonica CFA
14 October 2026
12

2026 is not 1999

The US market looks eerily similar to the dot-com era with soaring AI spending and tech giants dominating returns. But one difference separates today’s boom from the dot-com bubble and it could determine what happens next.

Jason Teh
14 October 2026
2

Planning

Taxing time for trusts

Trusts are facing a shake-up, but an overhaul may not be necessary. Families can explore restructuring strategies that preserve succession and the asset protection benefits that have made these structures valuable.

Anne-Marie Tassoni
14 October 2026
4

Economy

Why the US economy is stronger than you might think

War, inflation and higher rates were expected to derail America. But has the market got it wrong? Three forces are driving the economy beyond expectations, revealing implications for stock prices and portfolio positioning.

Jared Franz
14 October 2026

Gold

How much trust is in your portfolio?

Everyone talks about diversifying assets. Far fewer think about diversifying trust. As inflation, debt and market assumptions collide, the question is whether portfolios need greater protection from unexpected outcomes.

Shaokai Fan
14 October 2026

Retirement

Retirement in reality - 7 months in

Seven months into retirement, I'm still uncovering surprises. This month was spent reflecting on the slow pace of health change, the myth of neatly scheduled part-time work and the unexpected persistence of retirement guilt.

Dr Joanne Earl
14 October 2026
10

The new geography of technology leadership

The next chapter of technology may not belong to the companies or business models many expect. As the landscape shifts, some opportunities are emerging in places that remain surprisingly overlooked by global markets.

Archie Hart, Varun Laijawalla
14 October 2026

Register here to receive the Firstlinks newsletter for free

Alliances

Site Map

About Firstlinks

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.