Growing
Strategies and products to grow your money through wise investing
Buying a house with friends or family
This article was originally published in the LawCentral Bulletin 390 on 7th November 2011 and is republished with permission of the author, Brett Davies. Question Hi Brett. I’m a recent university graduate. I’ve been lucky enough to land a graduate job earning a decent wage. The problem is, with rents so high and house prices [...]
How compound interest works
MoneySmart, the financial literacy website produced by Australian Government regulator ASIC have produced this brief video to explain how compound interest works. Compound interest is an essential base concept to understand before investing. So if you don’t understand it then I recommend you spend one minute watching this video. Then please share in the comments [...]
A great 21st birthday gift
My partner and I would like to buy shares for my son’s birthday. He will turn 21 on 9 November and we want to buy him something that he will have for a very long time. Eventually we came up with the idea of starting him off with his own share portfolio, but we have absolutely no idea how to go about this. We also don’t know if it is possible and whether it is a viable, long-term plan. We’d appreciate some advice…
With math this bad would you trust this adviser?
Yesterday I received an e-mail message from financial services firm [name removed*] pre-promoting a “big event” they’re holding in October. The following is part of their big sell: Too right that’s not pretty reading. Mr [name removed*] has used simple math of dividing $1 million by $6,464.10 to come up with “154.7 years to become [...]
Latest AXA Guide to Investment Markets
About every six months AXA Australia publish an interpretation of what has been happening in the local markets and economy in the context of the global economy. Of the many commentaries published by Australian product providers the AXA guide is one I feel is most written in plain, accessible language. The latest AXA Guide to [...]
Risky SMSF borrowing advice from real estate agents
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia (ICAA) superannuation specialist, Liz Westover recently wrote of her alarm at some marketing material she received from a real estate agent promoting borrowing within a self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) to buy property. Westover wrote: “I was surprised and somewhat alarmed that some of the information provided was [...]
How to reduce your tax
A desire to reduce tax is one of the key drivers many people list when they initially contact me for financial advice. So today I will share with you my perspective on how you can save tax. First a word of caution Only tax accountants and tax lawyers are legally allowed to provide you with [...]
The financial year that was
Leveraged Equities have compiled this interesting illustration of the Australian share market movements over the last financial year (ended 30th June 2011). (Information in the graph was sourced from the Australian Financial Review and IRESS.) You can download a PDF version of the chart from their site.
Residential property vs shares since 1926
The residential property versus shares debate is popular and can be as fiery as political and religious debates. So I’m often asked about comparisons of the long term returns. Following is some commentary I came across from Dr Shane Oliver, Chief Economist and Head of Investment Strategy at AMP Capital Investments. (Emphasis added by me.) [...]
The Truth (And Myth) About Passive Income
Do you salivate at the thought of passive income and long to start your own business? Nacie Carson, founder of The Life Uncommon, a career transition and entrepreneurship community has written an insightful article examining the truth and myths of passive income. Carson draws on her own experience to highlight common delusions as well as [...]
Misleading marketing finally acknowledged
I shudder whenever I see the big newspaper and magazines advertisements of companies that purport to teach people how to easily & profitably trade shares and derivatives (like options, warrants & CFDs). They promise so much confidence and certainty of gains. According to their website (accessed 20 April 2011) the business Safety In the Market (operated by The Hubb Organisation [...]
Margin call calculation
When you have a margin loan it is important to understand how much your portfolio value can fall before you receive a margin call. This article reveals the formula for calculating the percentage fall to trigger a margin call.
SMSF Guide
If you are contemplating a self managed superannuation fund or already have one then you may be interested in this useful SMSF Guide produced by Macquarie’s technical team
Where to find managed funds
One of the common questions in my DIY Wealth Creation course is “how do you find what managed funds are available?” (For context: this question comes up when I recommend people start by investing indirectly rather than directly. It is an easy place to start with less to learn. Plus you can start with low dollar [...]
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