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Home / Author: Duncan Burns

Duncan Burns

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.

Duncan Burns
13 August 2025
8

Blending active and passive into a winning portfolio

When looking at long-term equity index charts, it’s easy to forget the individual stocks underpinning the indices don’t move as a unified block. This has important implications for how you try to extract returns from markets.

Duncan Burns
6 December 2023
5

Does currency hedging provide an edge?

A growing number of Australians are choosing to hedge their international equity exposures. Currency movements are difficult to predict so investors should treat currency hedging as a way to manage risk, not to add return.

Duncan Burns
4 October 2023
2

Five reasons to hold your investment nerve

Financial markets have been volatile of late, and it's tempting for investors to seek shelter in cash for some or all of their nest egg. While that may seem a sensible strategy, it can also be a costly one.

Duncan Burns
21 June 2023
2

What happens when an index is rebalanced?

An index rebalance occurs when the composition of an index changes. Fund managers must buy and sell stocks to match the rebalanced index and to achieve their index-tracking objective, but there are consequences.

Duncan Burns
28 September 2022
5

Choosing an index fund is more than just the expense ratio

Popular belief is that all index funds are the same, but it pays to follow this framework, which shows there is more to consider than the cheapest management cost. Replicating an index is not easy.

Duncan Burns
3 June 2020
6

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Superannuation

Do super funds need a massive wake up call?

UK retirement expert, Guy Opperman, believes super funds are failing at supporting members in deaccumulation. Here is what Australia should do about it.

Kaye Fallick
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Sequencing risk resurfaces for retirees

A retirement strategy must consider how both the timing of cash flows and the sequence of returns impact the final dollar outcome from which a retirement is funded.

Harry Chemay
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Nick Maggiulli
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As the budget approaches debate continues about the need and method for addressing wealth inequality. Could reinstating wealth transfer taxes be the answer?

Chris Evans, Peter Mellor, Richard Krever
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The biggest oil shock in history. Why isn't the price higher?

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Rachael Rofe
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