Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Home / 3

Edition 3

  •   22 February 2013
  •      
  •   

Welcome from Chris Cuffe

Two weeks after the publication of the first Cuffelinks newsletter, we have about 1,700 subscribers and over 25,000 page views on our website. Thanks for your interest and for passing it around to your friends and colleagues.

We mark this edition by calling out two big SMSF milestones: $500 billion in total assets and 500,000 SMSFs in operation, based on the ATO’s estimate of December 2012 and the strong markets of 2013. It’s ironic that Graham Hand writes about a service which may be preferable for many SMSF trustees, the lesser-known ‘super wraps’.

We’ve been asked whether articles from Cuffelinks can be republished without requesting our permission. We want to share ideas, opinions and comments with as wide an audience as possible, and as long as Cuffelinks (name and website address) and the author are acknowledged as the source, you are free to put our material on your website or wherever, and forward articles to other people.

It was pleasing this week to read useful feedback on my article about what financial planning is worth paying for, with some of the comments attached to last week’s article. Informative alternative approaches to strategic advice.

Elsewhere in this edition, we have the third and final article by Paul Keating, this one on the need to defend dividend imputation; Andrew Bloore of SuperIQ gives his views on the value of super; David Bell provides a timely critique of APRA’s Standard Risk Measure; Rick Cosier writes a primer on insurance, as valuable in a financial plan as investing; and Aaron Minney explains why you need to know the difference between arithmetic and geometric returns. Chris

Top articles from Cuffelinks, 22 February 2013, Edition 3

  • Dividend imputation and super are worth fighting for P J Keating
  • Is APRA’s Standard Risk Measure helpful? David Bell
  • Do we really need superannuation? Andrew Bloore
  • Self managed super’s best kept secret Graham Hand
  • The insurance essentials Rick Cosier
  • Understanding arithmetic and geometric returns Aaron Minney

View email | Download PDF

 

  •   22 February 2013
  •      
  •   

 

Leave a Comment:

banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

The strange effect of the 30% minimum capital gains tax

The 30% minimum tax on capital gains sits at the heart of the budget's proposed reforms. Yet the mechanics reveal anomalies that introduce unexpected distortions that raise questions about its design.

Does your will qualify for the discretionary testamentary trust exemption?

Treasury has confirmed the exemption many families were hoping for. But buried in the fine print are two conditions that could leave some wills on the wrong side of the exemption, despite years of careful planning.

Ranking three common retirement strategies

The defining challenge of retirement isn't just about building wealth, it's about converting your lifetime savings into sustainable income. A holistic understanding of different strategies can improve long-term outcomes.

Are you making these SMSF mistakes?

After four decades advising investors, there are a few common mistakes I've seen SMSF investors make. From holding too much cash and chasing yield to overtrading and trusting tips. Are these errors costing you?

Why Australian shares are falling behind the world

Australia’s market boasts a long record of outperformance, but recent results tell a different story. Is the ASX’s lagging performance a temporary setback or evidence that structural forces will keep global markets ahead?

Australia has saved $4.5 trillion for retirement. Here's what matters more

Most Australians approaching retirement can tell you the exact dollar value of their super account. But success depends on more than a sizeable balance. Here's four key questions to ask yourself at the start of the financial year. 

Latest Updates

Economy

Why have Australian living standards 'fallen' and how do we fix it?

For the last few years there has been much talk of a 'cost-of-living' crisis in Australia and of 'falling living standards'. Lately this has flared up again with the pickup in inflation resulting in a renewed fall in real wages.

Latest from Morningstar

Four options for an income investor’s next dollar

What if Australia’s golden age of dividends is ending? Rather than overhaul your portfolio, it may be worth considering where new capital can work harder. I discuss four income strategies and the trade-offs behind each.

Taxation

Completing the reform of CGT: tax real losses like real gains

Recent CGT reforms tax real gains by indexing capital gains to inflation. However, the reform fails to index losses, leading to higher tax on assets that do not keep pace with inflation, creating inefficiencies in the tax system.

Investment strategies

Blockbuster AI debt issuance coming to a bond market near you

With Australia likely to attract a growing share of AI-related issuance, investors should prepare for increasing influence from AI funding demands, evolving credit fundamentals and changing valuation dynamics.

Investment strategies

Active managers: Bringing a gun to the gunfight

When data arrived, basketball abandoned the mid-range shot, Formula 1 reinvented the pit stop and chess embraced humans working with machines. Active managers confronting today's markets may learn from the same path.

Retirement

What Australian super funds can learn from the UK

Most people want answers to three retirement questions: What have I got? Is it enough? What can I do with it? A leading UK pension innovator shares his lessons on helping members better understand and prepare for retirement.

Investment strategies

What the market may be missing in FY27

We asked ten fund managers the same question following FY26. While their investment styles differ dramatically, their answers revealed several surprising areas of agreement about where markets may be heading next.

Sponsors

Alliances

© 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.