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Why spending more in early retirement can improve lifetime income It’s time for LICs to die Is it time to bail on Australian stocks?Testamentary trusts survived the trust tax. The drafting battle has just begun.The new capital gains tax trap for your portfolio

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Edition: 394

1-8 out of 8 results.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 394

11 February 2021

At any time in the investing cycle, a strong case can be made for both buying and selling equities. There are no absolutes. Even as markets look overvalued at the end of a bull run, the optimism could play out for years to come. The added complication for investors at the moment is the unlimited liquidity the central banks are pumping into the system. The TINA trade is real.

$100 billion! Five reasons investors are flocking to ETFs

Graham Hand
10 February 2021
8

It's not official, but Australian ETFs are clicking over $100 billion right now. It's a remarkable rise, leaving the traditional rivals, the Listed Investment Companies, in their dust. Why are they so popular?

Guess what? It may actually be different this time

Christine Benz
10 February 2021
6

Retirees or those close to retirement are courting risk by standing pat with too-aggressive portfolios. In a volatile market, tune out the pundits and take a look in the mirror. Are you happy with your exposure?

Should equity investors fear higher bond yields?

Andrew Mitchell
10 February 2021
4

Lower bond yields have been used to justify higher share market valuations for much of the last decade. Now bond rates are rising and there is an inflation threat, what determines whether equities will be hit?

The attacking defender: position for downturns with private debt

Simon Petris Ph D
10 February 2021
2

In investing, income and capital gains are akin to scoring goals, but successful teams must also stop the other side from scoring. Most portfolios need a manager preserving capital and reducing drawdowns.

Taxing the ‘rich’: the potential tax consequences of inequality

Rodney Brown
10 February 2021
55

At some point, politicians will debate how to reduce the national debt and implement measures aimed at simultaneously easing budget pressures while reducing the gap between rich and poor. Investors should be ready.

Germany will do the minimum to support the euro ... and Europe

Michael Collins
10 February 2021
1

Germany benefits from the European currency union that makes the country an export dynamo, but there are at least five reasons why it is reluctant to force the economic and fiscal union the continent really needs.

The challenge of completing our retirement income system

Andrew Podger AO
3 February 2021
9

The Government should fix the problems in the pension phase that are leaving gaps for vulnerable groups. Unless these problems are resolved, 9.5% will not deliver adequate retirement incomes.

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Why spending more in early retirement can improve lifetime income

Conventional wisdom encourages retirees to preserve superannuation. But if those likely to qualify for the Age Pension later in life spend a little more today, it may deliver higher lifetime income and a more stable retirement.

David Knox
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It’s time for LICs to die

A high-profile dividend cut and a prominent fund manager’s apology have reignited a long-running debate. If investors can access similar exposures more cheaply and efficiently elsewhere, what exactly is keeping LICs alive?

David Tuckwell
30 September 2026

Is it time to bail on Australian stocks?

For generations, Australian investors have backed banks, miners and dividends. But has that loyalty come at a cost? A look at the numbers raises an uncomfortable question about where future returns will come from.

Marcus Padley
9 September 2026

Testamentary trusts survived the trust tax. The drafting battle has just begun.

The fight over testamentary trusts looked settled. Then the draft legislation arrived. Hidden in a technical detail is a question that could force many families to rethink wills they thought were already future-proof.

Rachael Rofe
16 September 2026

The new capital gains tax trap for your portfolio

Investors have long accepted one portfolio rule without much question. A major tax shift could change that calculation entirely, forcing difficult trade-offs between risk, discipline and an overlooked cost lurking beneath.

Shani Jayamanne
16 September 2026

The investing rule that explains the next market crash

What if investment success depends less on picking the right assets and more on understanding the decisions of other investors? A principle borrowed from game theory offers a different perspective on markets.

Shani Jayamanne
2 September 2026

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