Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.
28 May 2026
Recently trending
Reader: "It's excellent so please don't pollute the content with boring mainstream financial 'waffle' and adverts for stuff we don't want!"
Reader: "The BEST in the game because of diversity and not aligned to financial products. Stands above all the noise."
Rob Henshaw: "When I open my computer each day it's the first link I click - a really great read."
Reader: "An island of professionalism in an ocean of shallow self-interest. Well done!"
Reader: " Finding a truly independent and interesting read has been magical for me. Please keep it up and don't change!"
Reader: "Congratulations on a great focussed news source. Australia has a dearth of good quality unbiased financial and wealth management news."
Noel Whittaker, author and financial adviser: "A fabulous weekly newsletter that is packed full of independent financial advice."
Reader: "Is one of very few places an investor can go and not have product rammed down their throat. Love your work!"
Reader: "Carry on as you are - well done. The average investor/SMSF trustee needs all the help they can get."
Reader: "Keep it up - the independence is refreshing and is demonstrated by the variety of well credentialed commentators."
Ian Silk, CEO, AustralianSuper: "It has become part of my required reading: quality thinking, and (mercifully) to the point."
Reader: "Best innovation I have seen whilst an investor for 25 years. The writers are brilliant. A great publication which I look forward to."
John Pearce, Chief Investment Officer, Unisuper: "Out of the (many many) investmentrelated emails I get, Cuffelinks is one that I always open."
Jonathan Hoyle, CEO, Stanford Brown: "A fabulous publication. The only must-read weekly publication for the Australian wealth management industry."
Andrew Buchan, Partner, HLB Mann Judd: "I have told you a thousand times it's the best newsletter."
Don Stammer, leading Australian economist: "Congratulations to all associated. It deserves the good following it has."
Eleanor Dartnall, AFA Adviser of the Year, 2014: "Our clients love your newsletter. Your articles are avidly read by advisers and they learn a great deal."
Ian Kelly, CFP, BTACS Financial Services: "Probably the best source of commentary and information I have seen over the past 20 years."
Professor Robert Deutsch: "This has got to be the best set of articles on economic and financial matters. Always something worthwhile reading in Firstlinks. Thankyou"
Reader: "Love it, just keep doing what you are doing. It is the right length too, any longer and it might become a bit overwhelming."
Reader: "Great resource. Cuffelinks is STILL the one and only weekly newsletter I regularly read."
David Goldschmidt, Chartered Accountant: "I find this a really excellent newsletter. The best I get. Keep up the good work!"
Reader: "I can quickly sort the items that I am interested in, then research them more fully. It is also a regular reminder that I need to do this."
Scott Pape, author of The Barefoot Investor: "I'm an avid reader of Cuffelinks. Thanks for the wonderful resource you have here, it really is first class."
John Egan, Egan Associates: "My heartiest congratulations. Your panel of contributors is very impressive and keep your readers fully informed."
Reader: "I subscribe to two newsletters. This is my first read of the week. Thank you. Excellent and please keep up the good work!"
Steve: "The best that comes into our world each week. This is the only one that is never, ever canned before fully being reviewed by yours truly."
Season 2, Episode 1
In this week's episode, we'll discuss how the new $3 million super tax will work with an important clarification, the impact on other investment pools, the headwinds for Aussie large caps, as well as the energy transition and its investment opportunities.
(For more details on the $3 million tax, read here).
The podcast is also available via our dedicated website page, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and BuzzSprout.
Please share with friends and colleagues, and a favourable rating would help spread the word. We welcome questions and suggestions at [email protected].
Grab a cuppa and settle in for our chat.
James GruberEditorial, Firstlinks and Morningstar
Good to hear the podcast again. Graham in your explanation of the $3m super cap, I realise you are focussing on the proportional part of the calculation which many people are missing, but you should also mention that the Super balance change over the financial year is also adjusted for withdrawals and applications. To be clearer, withdrawals are added back and contributions are deducted. The rationale is that people cannot make withdrawals to stay under the $3 million, but their contributions do not push them over $3 million. Important to watch.
Great to see the podcast back! My question is to Peter Warnes and his comments that nuclear power should be part of our energy mix and my thought that with the largest nuclear power station in Europe taken by an invading force, only three months of cooling water left in its cooling ponds with reports that the pond may be rigged with explosives and artillery shells and missiles wizzing all around it that a whole new risk to nuclear power stations has been uncovered and we shouldn’t be going down this path and that is before the financials and red tape are taken into account
Hi Michael, We have to put Australia’s nuclear options in context. We are talking about small Modular Reactors rated from 10MWe to 250MWe providing incremental additions to the National Electricity Market as fossil fuels are withdrawn. To compare Australia’s situation with what is occurring in Europe at present is drawing along bow. Our issue is how to replace fossil fuel generated baseload power and wind and solar cannot do that with the certainty required. We already have a nuclear reactor operating at Lucas Heights for the past 65 years (opened in 1958) without incident. Regards, Peter
A proposal to address Australia's 'stranded balances' in retirement by requiring super funds to transition members to pension phase at 65, boosting retirement income and reframing super as a source of income.
Here is a checklist of 28 important issues you should address before June 30 to ensure your SMSF or other super fund is in order and that you are making the most of the strategies available.
Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.
A retirement researcher's take on retirement and her focus on each of her six resource buckets to stay engaged during the transition and beyond.
The debate over the budget is increasingly shaped by frustration and perceptions of unfairness, rather than clear-eyed assessment of policy outcomes.
Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.
From US fiscal pressure to China’s shifting growth model and Australia’s structural constraints, markets are yet to reflect a less forgiving global investment landscape.
Retail investors face an increasingly complex product environment, but simplicity may be the most overlooked advantage in building a portfolio you can actually live with.
A sustained disruption through the Strait of Hormuz is forcing a rapid drawdown of global inventories. Without a resolution, the arithmetic points to a supply shock by early August and a sharp surge in the oil price.
The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in February 2026 marks an historic shock for oil and gas markets, with major implications for inflation, interest rates and ultimately for listed infrastructure companies.
The government plans to remove negative gearing to help renters buy homes. For those who remain renters, the wrong levers are being pulled to try and increase rental unit supply.
As wealth grows, so does the assumption that risk should too. But in reality, the opposite may be true: once you understand how the value of money changes over time, the case for taking less risk becomes far more compelling.
As super balances grow, SMSFs are becoming central to retirement outcomes. Without proper planning for “Armageddon” scenarios, even well-structured funds can unravel when it matters most.