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8 October 2025
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SMSF trustees often cite ‘control of my investments’ as the number one motivation for setting up their own fund. But it still makes sense to outsource some parts of a well-diversified portfolio.
Social Impact Investing generates positive financial and social change. A social impact credit system is needed to attribute value to investments that generate a favourable impact on society.
Unlike the share prices of some companies which have held up due to their defensive characteristics, Fisher & Paykel is playing an active role in mitigating the worst effects of the crisis.
Fossil fuel divestment can impact a company’s prospects, and push capital into renewables. Refusing to invest in companies that cause climate change denies their social licence to operate.
A better approach to sustainable investing is to actively select for better ESG scores and identify companies with a positive impact. Fund managers have an important advocacy role.
Both retail and institutional investors are demanding fund managers respond to ESG issues. A new generation will insist on better standards and will not accept a compromise in returns.
Investing responsibly or ethically does not mean forsaking returns, and there are now many ways to gain exposure to shares which back an investor's personal preferences.
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.