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21 August 2026

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Edition 20

  •   21 June 2013
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Welcome from Chris Cuffe

Brian McNamee is stepping down after 23 years as Chief Executive of biotechnology company, CSL. He delivered the highest annualised shareholder returns of any Australian CEO during his tenure, turning a $23 million company into a global leader worth $28 billion. He recently told the AFR, "As the mining boom wears off, we must return to a competitive, productivity-focused economy and complement that with innovation or else ultimately we’ll have declining living standards. High-end manufacturing has to be where you migrate to."

This point is made in Ashley Owen's article with some fascinating insights that dispel the popular misconceptions about Australia as an exporting nation. Unfortunately, success stories like CSL are rare.

Term deposits are seen by most investors as almost riskless, a good way to generate income with certainty. But Warren Bird points out that the majority of investors had a 'short duration' position which is now causing them a significant loss of income, and leaving them looking for alternatives.

A new charity regulator was established a few months ago, and thousands of directors and trustees of foundations and not-for-profits need to understand the implications, as explained by David Ward. And Scott Fitzpatrick believes a financial plan should not be only about the dollars but also prioritising the important things in life.

Russell Investments has provided some interesting research on the characteristics of retirees that every financial planner and product provider should read. The needs of retirees change compared with the accumulation phase, and it pays to know what they want.

And a recent article in Cuffelinks on spending guidelines for retirees was very popular, receiving almost 1,000 views and many comments. We have attached it as a PDF here for you to pass around.

Chris

Latest posts from Cuffelinks, 21 Jun 2013, Edition 20

  • What export boom? Ashley Owen
  • Term deposit investors did not understand the risk Warren Bird
  • What does the new charity regulator mean for trustees? David Ward
  • The characteristics of Australian retirees Russell Investments
  • Work life balance is about planning your priorities Scott Fitzpatrick

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  •   21 June 2013
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