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22 August 2025
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Robert Merton's super solutions, retirement housing choices, super interests in SMSFs, investing in a changing economy, FSI and bank capital, tips for SMSF businesses, and a snapshot of BT's Aust Share Fund.
Nobel laureate Robert Merton wants us to focus on the income that will sustain us in retirement, even Jane Austen understood this. And he has a surprising proposal to help with longevity risk.
Options for retirement living not only come in different shapes and sizes in a physical sense, but legally and financially too (which can affect government assistance). There are also varying degrees of care.
A unique feature of SMSFs is the concept of 'superannuation interests' which must be monitored to keep track of the taxable components in a super fund. Good records can avoid problems later.
Australia's economy has long had to cope with structural change, which hasn't stopped quality companies from generating wealth for investors. But with increasing complexity, picking winners and losers will become harder.
The FSI's final report is expected this month. From a bank capital perspective it could go one of a few ways: changes to mortgage risk-weightings, new capital rules for the big banks, a combination of both, or no change at all.
There are many places in the SMSF value chain where a company can operate. The best businesses choose a place where they can excel and try to become the best.
Each generation believes its economic challenges were uniquely tough - but what does the data say? A closer look reveals a more nuanced, complex story behind the generational hardship debate.
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.
This goes through the different options including shares, property and business ownership and declares a winner, as well as outlining the mindset needed to earn enough to never have to work again.
Everyone has a theory as to why housing in Australia is so expensive. There are a lot of different factors at play, from skewed migration patterns to banking trends and housing's status as a national obsession.
China's steel production, equivalent to building one Sydney Harbour Bridge every 10 minutes, has driven Australia's economic growth. With China's slowdown, what does this mean for Australia's economy and investments?
The creator of the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals, Bill Bengen, has written a new book outlining fresh strategies to outlive your money, including holding fewer stocks in early retirement before increasing allocations.