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1 August 2025
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Exclusive interview with Burton Malkiel, Phil Ruthven on retiring with dignity, Chris Cuffe on managing money, and a surprising Towers Watson quick quiz.
Burton Malkiel is author of the classic A Random Walk Down Wall Street, now in its 10th edition since 1973, and eight other books on investing. Here's a summary of his views on markets and valuing stocks.
"I would not buy a bond index fund today, because I think they’re going to get killed. I don’t like lifecycle funds, they’re putting 80% into the securities that are going to give people an enormous amount of trouble."
Cuffelinks does not promote specific investment products, but in recognition of its five year track record, here's an explanation of how Chris Cuffe manages the Third Link Growth Fund. It's generated almost $2 million for charity.
Retiring is coming later and later in life, and given that most jobs are now cerebral rather than physical, the only way to wear the brain out is to stop using it! Retiring closer to 80 years of age in 2100 will probably be the norm.
We are often warned by investment managers that past performance is not an indicator of future returns, but Towers Watson goes even further: past returns are not even a reliable indicator of past returns.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers aims to tackle tax reform but faces challenges. Previous reviews struggled due to political sensitivities, highlighting the need for comprehensive and politically feasible change.
With Div. 296 looming, is there a smarter way to tax superannuation? This proposes a fairer, income-linked alternative that respects compounding, ensures predictability, and avoids taxing unrealised capital gains.
The Labor government is talking up tax reform to lift Australia’s ailing economic growth. Before any changes are made, it’s important to know who pays tax, who owns assets, and how much people have in their super for retirement.
There are many ways to invest in stocks, but some strategies are more effective than others. Here are nine tried and tested investment approaches - choosing one of these can improve your chances of reaching your financial goals.
In selling the super tax, Labor has repeated Treasury claims of there being $50 billion in super tax concessions annually, mostly flowing to high-income earners. This figure is vastly overstated.
Markets have weathered geopolitical turmoil, hitting near record highs. Investors face tough decisions on valuations, asset concentration, and strategic portfolio rebalancing for risk control and future returns.