11 November 2026

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It’s time for LICs to die Division 296: the initial moves to make before the windows close The retirement scorecard: how many of these questions can you answer?Testamentary trusts: Treasury has picked the wrong reading Superannuation’s structural failings

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Home / Author: Rick Cosier

Rick Cosier

Grandfathered commissions: what’s it about?

Financial advice commissions and grandfathering have become among the more contentious issues at the Royal Commission. Here's everything you need to know about where they came from but were afraid to ask.

Rick Cosier
22 November 2018
16

Home ownership struggles will drive changes

Home ownership for Australians aged between 25 and 34 has fallen from 39% to 29% in the last 20 years, and government policies are doing little to make first home buying easier. What are the attitudes of younger clients?

Rick Cosier
27 October 2016
3

Compulsory super not enough to avoid full pension

Australia's economy will struggle under an increasing age pension burden because the current level of compulsory super is inadequate to fund a comfortable retirement for most.

Rick Cosier
15 September 2016
6

Real client experiences often differ from the headlines

In the financial and economic world, we use medians and averages to assess our position and make decisions about the future. But as each individual is different, aggregated statistics aren't always useful.

Rick Cosier
8 November 2013
3

China beyond the myths and stereotypes

China is so complex and varied that few people can understand the whole picture, but on a third visit over two decades, it's possible to see changes, many of which are for the better.

Rick Cosier
3 October 2013

Education not just legislation

Australians should be creating a comprehensive financial plan to live within their means. It may turn out badly unless we teach skills at an early age and incorporate financial planning into our education system.

Rick Cosier
2 August 2013
2

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Latest Updates

Superannuation

Superannuation’s structural failings

Politicians are fighting over access to super, but they may be arguing about the wrong thing. The system’s three fundamental flaws have been hiding in plain sight for decades, costing Australians far more than they realise.

Ron Bird
4 November 2026
45

Planning

The great wealth transfer myth

Why do some families preserve wealth for generations while others struggle to? As the great wealth transfer unfolds, the determining factor is often not the structure of the estate, but the preparation of those who will inherit it.

Peter Roach
4 November 2026
3

Investment strategies

What comes after bank hybrids?

For years, bank hybrids have been a cornerstone of portfolio income. With tens of billions of dollars now disappearing from the market, investors face a critical question: what comes next, and are the obvious replacements enough?

Kanish Chugh
4 November 2026
5

Investment insights from the US

What happens when knowledge becomes a commodity? The latest themes emerging from the US tech sector suggest AI could reshape company moats, disrupt incumbents and create winners and losers in unexpected places.

Emma Fisher
4 November 2026

Investing

Can Berkshire thrive without Buffett?

Warren Buffett's departure marks the end of an era. But the more important question for investors is whether Berkshire's culture, discipline and capital allocation framework can survive without the man who built them.

Jason Pohl
4 November 2026
2

Retirement

The Bengen 4% Rule: Lost in translation

For years, retirees have been told to focus on withdrawal rates. But the real question is far simpler: how many dollars can you safely spend? The answer may be very different from what conventional retirement wisdom suggests.

Jeremy Duffield, Mikhail Walden
4 November 2026
11

Interest rates

Super low interest rates came with side effects

For more than a decade, investors lived through an era of near-zero interest rates. With bond yields now surging, it's worth asking whether cheap money solved economic problems, or introduced a much larger set of risks.

Michael Collins
4 November 2026
1

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