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21 October 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.
LICs are continuing to struggle with large discounts and frustrated investors are wondering whether it’s worth holding onto them. This explains why the next 6-12 months will be make or break for many LICs.
Younger Australians think they’ll need $100k a year in retirement - nearly double what current retirees spend. Expectations are rising fast, but are they realistic or just another case of lifestyle inflation?
Retirement can be daunting for Australians facing financial uncertainty. Understand your goals, longevity challenges, inflation impacts, market risks, and components of retirement income with these crucial charts.
In any year since 1875, if you'd invested in the ASX, turned away and come back eight years later, your average return would be 120% with no negative periods. It's just one of the must-have stats that all investors should know.
Five mega trends point to risks of a more inflation prone and lower growth environment. This, along with rich market valuations, should constrain medium term superannuation returns to around 5% per annum.
With rising home prices and falling affordability, political leaders preach reform. But asset disclosures show many are heavily invested in property - raising doubts about whose interests housing policy really protects.