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5 August 2025
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Hamson on how imputation policy affects all super funds. Small caps, bonds, diversifying, choosing ETFs, Asia tech, parent finance, retirement age.
Labor's franking proposal could affect many more super funds than expected, not only SMSFs, depending on the allocation to Australian shares, their franking and the percentage of assets in pension phase.
Assessing the barriers to entry, formal and informal, is always relevant in investing, but particularly for small cap stocks, where forecast growth can only occur if such barriers persist and grow.
Bonds have performed well for most of the last 30 years with a tailwind of easing liquidity, but the current high prices makes them vulnerable to losing their protective qualities.
An efficient diversified portfolio might include unfamiliar assets with short-term volatility. It's important to focus on a comfort level to attain the long-term benefits of diversification in a portfolio.
Most portfolios will benefit from a mix of passive and active strategies, as there are market conditions where one might do better than the other. ETFs now cover a wide range of structures, not only indexing.
Are the costs of accommodating and financing your adult children at home adversely affecting your retirement savings? Supporting family is important, but so is setting up your own comfortable retirement.
Technological innovation is transforming industry. Asia is where much of it is happening. But traditional portfolio approaches need amending to take full advantage of opportunities in the tech-enabled sector.
The proposal to increase eligibility for the age pension to 70 was driven by budget austerity, but it overlooked the vulnerable people who could not wait that long.
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.
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.
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.
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.