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20 January 2026
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Jeremy Cooper updates his views on super and retirement, plus Don Stammer on super losing its lustre, worries in demographic trends, portfolio diversification, watch for 'skill or systemic' in outperformance, and new video.
The ability of active fund managers to produce outperformance is generally attributed to a unique skill set. However, there are proven contributors to performance which are persistent and systematic, not manager skill.
I think the legislation based on the Cooper Review recommendations looks pretty good overall, although naturally, compromises have occurred. The big disappointment, though, is retirement.
In recent years, our retirement arrangements, and particularly the superannuation component, have been losing their lustre because of the many changes in regulations already made and in prospect.
Australia is at a critical point on four fronts - economic growth, capital allocation, public finance and personal management of retirement income. Demographics provides a road map of where we are heading.
The majority of super fund members in ‘balanced funds’ have sizeable allocations to bonds, global shares and listed property. SMSFs have over 60% of their assets in just cash, deposits and Australian shares.
Two years ago, I wrote an article suggesting that the odds favoured ASX shares easily outperforming residential property over the next decade. Here’s an update on where things stand today.
The superannuation system has succeeded brilliantly at what it was designed to do: accumulate wealth during working lives. The next challenge is meeting members’ diverse needs in retirement.
At this time last year, I forecast that 2025 would likely be a positive year given strong economic prospects and disinflation. The outlook for this year is less clear cut and here is what investors should do.
Treasury has released draft legislation for a new version of the controversial $3 million super tax. It's a significant improvement on the original proposal but there are some stings in the tail.
What are the best ways to build a simple portfolio from scratch? I’ve addressed this issue before but think it’s worth revisiting given markets and the world have since changed, throwing up new challenges and things to consider.
I am a professional real estate investor who hears a lot of opinions rather than facts from so-called experts on the topic of property. Here are the largest myths when it comes to Australia’s biggest asset class.