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19 September 2026
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Understand performance statistics, diversification matches future needs, bond default winners and losers, biases of goalkeepers and fund managers, and understand a re-contribution strategy.
Fund managers often quote statistics to explain their performance, but what do they really mean, and how can we make useful comparisons?
Diversification thinking has evolved from risk and correlations to a focus on matching the future expected liabilities of an investor. It can change the way assets are allocated.
Even when governments default on their debts, there is money to be made by investors who resist the temptation to panic sell in a crisis.
Portfolio managers and goalkeepers feel the need to do something, but an awareness of this action bias may help them recognise that inaction can be an optimal strategy.
A withdrawal and re-contribution strategy involves accessing your super and re-contributing some or all of it back into your SMSF as a non-concessional contribution (i.e. all tax-free).
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.
Fear of running out has become a defining retirement anxiety. Why do some retirees die with substantial wealth while others deplete their nest egg? Evidence suggests the answer is more complicated than we think.
Tax rules have changed, but many investors are still using yesterday’s strategies. Insurance bonds may offer advantages for those seeking greater control, tax efficiency and certainty about their wealth.
Treasury’s latest CGT reform draft delivers a win for testamentary trusts and deceased estates, exempting estate-derived gains from the 30% floor. However, questions on death and divorce rollovers remain unresolved.
Reversionary pensions have long been a staple of SMSF estate planning, but are they still the best option? Meg Heffron revisits a once-clear favourite and asks whether changing super rules have shifted the balance.
The 4% rule has long been retirement's gold standard. But after a difficult period for investors, fresh analysis suggests a more conservative approach may significantly improve the chances of making savings last.