Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Home / 275

Cuffelinks Newsletter Special Edition 275

  •   12 October 2018
  •      
  •   

This week, we have a change of pace from our usual new articles on many different subjects. We are focussing on one topic in this edition, and it's also a chance to catch up on some of the 2,000 articles archived on our website.

It's rare that I read a book which makes me think differently. Hans Rosling's Factfulness has a subtitle, "Ten reasons we're wrong about the world - and why things are better than you think."

It was recently longlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.

Bill Gates said of this book: "One of the most important books I've ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world."

The book starts with a quiz to test yourself about the world and how you understand it. We have recreated the test so we can compare Cuffelinks readers with worldwide and Australian results. Please take a few minutes to do the test before reading my article on the book. 

While I encourage you to buy the book for a better understanding (and note we have no commercial interest in you doing so), my article will give a flavour of Hans Rosling's analysis.

Many of you will know Rosling from the extraordinary visualisation he created in 2010 on '200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats'. Viewed some 8.5 million times, in only four minutes, he takes us through how life expectancy and income changed around the world over 200 years. The Youtube link is here.   

Remember, it's also a chance to catch up on those Cuffelinks articles you meant to revisit but never found time. You can also:

  • Use the search box in the top right of our home page to research any financial subject.
  • Check the 'About Us' section of the menu bar at the top of the home page to look for any of over 600 authors under the 'Find Writers' Articles' tab.
  • The menu bar also includes the six Special Ebooks we have produced over the years.
  • The Education Centre on the menu is chock full of reports on LICs, ETFs and White Papers.
  • The content written by all our sponsors is collected in their own section, if you want to find out more about their insights and whether you should invest with or use them.

But most important this week is the Factfulness quiz. After completing it, check the slides provided by Gapminder to explain the answers better.

The Additional Features section below includes the latest reports on ETFs, LICs and listed securities. Normal service on exclusive new articles will resume next week.

Graham Hand, Managing Editor

For a PDF version of this week’s newsletter articles, click here.

 

  •   12 October 2018
  •      
  •   

 

Leave a Comment:

banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

It’s time for LICs to die

A high-profile dividend cut and a prominent fund manager’s apology have reignited a long-running debate. If investors can access similar exposures more cheaply and efficiently elsewhere, what exactly is keeping LICs alive?

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.

Testamentary trusts: Treasury has picked the wrong reading

A decades-old estate planning tool has survived one tax crackdown only to be caught by another. The surprise isn't who the reform is targeting, but who could end up paying the price for drafting choices made years ago.

How the typical Australian Family could save $844,350 in taxes

The value of a testamentary trust is not determined by wealth alone. Depending on circumstances, it can reduce the tax burden on inherited income, create efficiencies and help build intergenerational wealth.

The housing slide could become a crash

House prices are sliding across Australia, yet the most dangerous ingredient for a housing crash is still missing. If job losses surge amid growing economic risks, today's correction could become a historic property downturn.

Will investors be better or worse off under new housing tax changes?

Housing tax reforms have sparked warnings of market turmoil and promises of greater fairness. But after modelling nearly two decades of property data, the results suggest winners and losers may not be who many investors expect.

Latest Updates

SMSF strategies

Division 296: the initial moves to make before the windows close

What if the best superannuation strategy isn't about earning more, but acting before your options disappear? Several overlooked planning windows are narrowing, with consequences that can last for decades.

Planning

Avoid unnecessary CGT with this estate planning clause

A simple estate plan can create a ticking time bomb. One overlooked clause can pit spouses against children, delay inheritances, and potentially leave a family facing an unexpected tax bill worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Exchange traded products

The hidden trade-off in fixed income ETFs

Some investment trade-offs are immediately visible. Others are embedded in the way a portfolio is constructed. Understanding the difference may explain why similar-looking investments can produce surprisingly different results.

Retirement

The mortgage free retirement is fading

What happens when a generation reaches retirement carrying obligations previous generations largely avoided? New research suggests we may need to rethink both how much we need in retirement and what life could look like.

Retirement

The key question to inspire a confident and purposeful retirement

Most people spend decades planning for retirement. Far fewer plan for what happens when they get there. The difference may explain why so many find the transition harder and less fulfilling than expected, despite careful preparation.

Latest from Morningstar

Making the case for a 'good enough' portfolio

Some investors spend years chasing the perfect strategy. Others choose a path that’s simply good enough and move on. Which approach is more likely to deliver both better outcomes and a happier financial life over the long run?

Investment strategies

Is the US market as expensive as CAPE says?

Many investing ideas survive for decades. But that does not make them right. A famous valuation measure implies that US shares are dangerously expensive, but the evidence may point to a very different conclusion.

Sponsors

Alliances

  • ASA-Logo-RGB-ActiveGreen-web.png

© 2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

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.