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26 April 2026
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The heyday of LICs is in the past, when issuers paid generous fees to brokers and advisers to put their clients into new structures. Most LICs now trade at a discount and more managers should change the structure.
ETFs, LICs and MFs. These investment options share some similarities but there are also important differences that make them more or less suitable for particular investors. There are a few key features to know.
Some fund managers take as much money as they can raise in the interests of generating fees, but especially in the smaller and mid cap space, limiting capacity gives flexibility and a competitive advantage.
A recent global survey revealed a lack of trust in investment firms. There are many areas for improvement such as disclosure, transparency, and conflicts of interest, and different LIC structures are examples.
‘Single-investor’ models are convenient for a range of investments. A bare trust can be a cost-effective and simple way to let a small number of sophisticated investors access an investment through one legal entity.
Listed Investment Trusts are a rival structure to the long-established Listed Investment Companies, but what should investors know about the differences?
Managed accounts are becoming more mainstream. They allow investment transparency, better performance analysis and improved tax optimisation versus some other structures.
Often with multi-manager funds, each manager acts autonomously, unaware of what the others are doing. Funds that adopt a centralised approach can eliminate unnecessary trades and reduce tax inefficiencies.
Stay on top of the latest changes to superannuation rates and thresholds for 2026, including increases to transfer balance cap, concessional contributions cap, and non-concessional contributions cap.
The Strait of Hormuz closure due to US-Iran conflict severely disrupted global energy supply chains. While various emergency measures mitigated the crude impact, the refined product market faces unprecedented stress.
With the upcoming budget increasingly likely to include bold proposals to alter the tax code I’ve outlined three incremental steps with fewer unintended consequences.
The perceived underperformance of LICs compared to ETFs is due to existing comparison data excluding crucial information, highlighting the need for proper assessment and transparent reporting.
The Home Equity Access Scheme in Australia allows older homeowners to tap into their home equity for retirement income, yet remains underused due to lack of awareness and its perceived complexity.
Many investors are on edge as geopolitical turmoil continues to impact markets, often leading to short-sighted actions. These are the three quotes that I’ve relied on during periods of volatility.