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8 October 2025
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Paraphrasing Paul Keating, Don Sanders was central to the transformation of Australia into an open economy in the 1990s. We look back at an extraordinary career that straddled central banking and commercial banking.
Gold has a fascinating history and has always carried many of the characteristics of money. While central banks have moved to 'fiat' money, centuries of widespread acceptance give gold diversification merits.
Fintechs want to inject themselves between banks and their customers in the most profitable areas. Most will fail but others will chip away and the banks must respond, while the regulators keep a close watch.
When a member told this Facebook community about her gender problems dealing with the finance industry, hundreds of women responded with similar issues. Come on, it's not the seventies.
The Royal Commission focusses heavily on poor incentives amid a sea of damnation and exhaustively-documented case studies, but does not provide answers, especially on the vexed issue of best interests.
The Royal Commission criticises incentives and rewards across financial services, but they have a place if they are properly structured. Just ask the legal people involved how their hard work is recognised.
The principles behind the cricketing scandal that every Australian woke up to last Sunday are universal. In the wake of the Royal Commission's devastating findings, we should discuss how they apply to business.
In the 1970s, bank branches had pistols in the teller drawers and cupboards, but behind the accidents and hilarious stories lies a grim truth that is a warning to Trump's crazy idea to arm teachers.
Almost every day, there is a new and exciting fintech announcement of the next big thing. Some checks improve the chances of finding the financial services winners.
A seismic shift is happening right under the banks’ noses. Tech companies with leading brands, customer loyalty and sizeable balance sheets are adding banking products and financial services to their broad array of offerings.
This AI cycle feels less like a revolution and more like a rerun. Just like fibre in 2000, shale in 2014, and cannabis in 2019, the technology or product is real but the capital cycle will be brutal. Investors beware.
An explosion in low-skilled migration to Australia has depressed wages, killed productivity, and cut rental vacancy rates to near decades-lows. It’s time both sides of politics addressed the issue.
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.
Australian housing’s 50-year boom was driven by falling rates and rising borrowing power — not rent or yield. With those drivers exhausted, future returns must reconcile with economic fundamentals. Are we ready?
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?
This week, I got the news that my mother has dementia. It came shortly after my father received the same diagnosis. This is a meditation on getting old and my regrets in not getting my parents’ affairs in order sooner.