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18 October 2026

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Edition 12

  •   26 April 2013
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Welcome from Chris Cuffe

Cuffelinks has its fair share of technical articles aimed at experienced investors and advisers, which might stretch the interest of some of our readers, but this week is something of a ‘back to basics’ edition.

It’s easy to become caught up in the day to day movements of equity markets, especially when the numbers are splashed into every update in our 24 hour news cycle. I take a look at the other extreme, 140 years of Australian stockmarket returns since 1875. With most people now expected to spend at least 30 years in retirement, long-term investors would do better to look beyond short-term movements.

Roger Montgomery has written a three-part series on capital allocation and return on equity, and in the first, he explains why a company with rising profits and increasing equity may not be rewarding shareholders properly.

Rick Cosier is a financial planner, and he takes a practical look at some of last week’s more theoretical articles. He notes, for example, that many people do not have the choice when they retire, and may be facing living off their savings from a far younger age than hoped.

Melda Donnelly has spent many years organising meetings of professional trustees, and she wants institutional owners to take an active role in the management of their assets. And Graham Hand reminds us that compounding returns and that old favourite, the Rule of 72, should never be too far from our investment thoughts. A return of 7% a year may not sound much but a doubling of your money in 10 years is not a bad outcome. 

Chris

Latest posts from Cuffelinks, 26 Apr 2013, Edition 12

  • Look towards your investment horizon Chris Cuffe
  • Ownership requires taking action Melda Donnelly
  • Not all growth is good Roger Montgomery
  • There’s no such thing as an average investor Rick Cosier
  • Let’s talk more about compounding and the Rule of 72 Graham Hand

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  •   26 April 2013
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