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Sunday, 1 November 2020
Recently trending Have the rules of retirement investing changed?18 Aussie names for your watchlistBuffett and his warning about 'virtually certain' earningsHamish Douglass on what really mattersKate Howitt: investing lessons and avoiding the PIPO trade
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In Budget 2020, Josh Frydenberg announced a performance comparison tool and fund stapling to save Australians $17.9 billion over 10 years. But too many moving parts make results highly cyclical.
Not every retiree needs to gun for higher returns, but a conservative portfolio can court its own risks, especially with bond rates so low. But some retirees prefer to settle for a lower income.
We asked our readers for their views on the government's early access to superannuation. Most agreed with the policy but not with the ease of access. Here are your comments from all sides.
The amount in super available at retirement is highly individual. Early withdrawals, working longer, extra contributions and work history determine if someone can maintain a desired lifestyle with the funds available.
APRA's heatmap has profound implications as it shows which super funds are underperforming in a period. But when good markets are compared with poor markets, one in five of funds changes its assessment.
A new survey of over 1,000 people near or in retirement found three in four are not confident how long their money will last. Only 18% felt their money was safe during a strong economic downturn.
Retirees with between $300,000 and $800,000 in assets face complex questions on the interplay between how to spend their money, the age pension assets test, the taper rate and their longevity.
The government has announced initiatives to help people use their superannuation in response to the crisis, but for early access and drawdown changes, there are important rules to follow.
A reader asks about the inequitable distribution of the tax advantages of super, with most taxation benefits going to those with the highest incomes. We asked David Knox of Mercer to respond.
John Pearce's Unisuper funds were among the top performers over most time periods to end 2019. He reveals he has suspended stock lending due to coronavirus and issued a video update to his members.
From 1 July 2018, new provisions affect SMSF members putting business real property into their SMSF, including making future contributions. But it's not the end of this popular strategy.
The pre-Boomer generations faced global wars and depressions, but Australians born after 1946 have enjoyed prosperity. Superannuation, education, strong markets and surging property prices locked in gains.
In retirement, we still want to reduce stock volatility while generating cash flows. The two needs have not changed, but the reward expected in the old days from interest payments has gone. What should we do?
A Morningstar stock screener reveals a cross-section of companies with competitive advantages that are trading at material discounts to estimated value. This is a list of 18 highly-rated names worth watching.
While many investors are happy to invest in any online companies, Warren Buffett focusses more on the quality of future growth, buying companies whose earnings are 'virtually certain' in 10 or 20 years from now.
Questions on the stock market/economy disconnect, how to focus long term, technology's growing role, income in a low-rate world, Modern Monetary Theory and endless debt and the tooth fairy.
Kate Howitt identifies the stocks she likes and the disappointments, gives context to the increasing role of retail investors, and explains why the market is more of a 'voting not weighing' machine than ever before.
It is trite and obvious to say the future is uncertain, and while COVID-19 brings extra risks, markets are always unpredictable. However, investing conditions are now more difficult than ever, mainly because the defensive options for portfolios produce little income. We explore whether investing rules have changed with new input from Howard Marks.