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5 September 2025
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The flaw in global indexes, uneven playing field payroll tax, identifying good risk culture, the implications of second mortgages, how anchoring messes with investing and a summary of our latest Reader Survey.
Some global index calculations understate the performance of the portfolio, making it easier for fund managers to outperform. Investors should know this and manage the consequences.
The current review of Australia’s tax system should also address the inequity of payroll tax, which for some businesses, discourages job growth and stifles the ability to compete on a level playing field.
Good risk culture is not about reporting numbers and ticking boxes. It’s only when disaster strikes that the need for better soft skills and judgement is recognised as best practice.
Second mortgages are far more common than is recognised, often in the form of expensive debt. These 'silent seconds' may sit unnoticed until market conditions deteriorate and payments cannot be met.
Anchoring refers to a common human tendency to make judgements based on the first piece of information received. In relation to investing, it makes us focus on irrelevant factors when making decisions to buy or sell equities.
The Cuffelinks team would like to thank you for your time in responding to our latest Reader Survey - your feedback is most encouraging. It gives us valuable insights into how our newsletter and website are being received.
Each generation believes its economic challenges were uniquely tough - but what does the data say? A closer look reveals a more nuanced, complex story behind the generational hardship debate.
Australia could unlock smarter investment and greater equity by reforming housing tax concessions. Rethinking exemptions on the family home could benefit most Australians, especially renters and owners of modest homes.
This goes through the different options including shares, property and business ownership and declares a winner, as well as outlining the mindset needed to earn enough to never have to work again.
Everyone has a theory as to why housing in Australia is so expensive. There are a lot of different factors at play, from skewed migration patterns to banking trends and housing's status as a national obsession.
The creator of the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals, Bill Bengen, has written a new book outlining fresh strategies to outlive your money, including holding fewer stocks in early retirement before increasing allocations.
China's steel production, equivalent to building one Sydney Harbour Bridge every 10 minutes, has driven Australia's economic growth. With China's slowdown, what does this mean for Australia's economy and investments?