There are no prizes for guessing what dominated the economic landscape in 2021. For the second year running, the pandemic was the focus for policy makers, markets, businesses, and individuals alike. The year began with hopes that the rollout of vaccines around the globe would stem the spread of COVID-19 and allow economies to reopen. Instead, most countries were hit... View Article
When the coronavirus pandemic hit financial markets in March 2020, almost 40 per cent was wiped off the value of shares in less than a month.i Understandably, many investors hit the panic button and switched to cash or withdrew savings from superannuation. With the benefit of hindsight, some people may be regretting acting in haste. Although for others, accessing their super... View Article
As the new financial year gets underway, there are some big changes to superannuation that could add up to a welcome lift in your retirement savings. Some, like the rise in the Superannuation Guarantee (SG), will happen automatically so you won’t need to lift a finger. Others, like higher contribution caps, may require some planning to get the full benefit.... View Article
Off the back of the Hayne Royal Commission, changes in the way we manage and administer Financial Disclosure Statements (FDS) and Renewal notices (Opt-ins) have been introduced with legislation coming into effect on the 1st July 2021. What is changing Where we provide Clients with an ongoing fee arrangement, we will now need to provide: Annual Renewal (Opt-in) Originally this... View Article
Investing in recovery In his third and possibly last Budget before the next federal election, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is counting on a new wave of spending to ensure Australia’s economic recovery maintains its momentum. As expected, the focus is on jobs and major new spending on support for aged care, women and first-home buyers with some superannuation sweeteners for good... View Article
When it comes to setting financial priorities, medium-term goals often suffer from middle child syndrome, not taken as seriously as the oldest or indulged as much as the youngest. The serious long-term goal of saving for retirement gets lots of attention, and rightly so. It’s super important. And next year’s trip to Bali will be so much fun, even if... View Article
Democrat Joe Biden is pressing ahead with preparations to take the reins as the next President of the United States. Despite legal challenges and recounts, the early signs are that markets are responding positively. In fact, the US sharemarket hit record highs in the weeks following the November 3 election as Biden’s lead widened. The state of play As things... View Article
With tax cuts and stimulus payments on the way, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is urging us to open our wallets and spend to kick start the national economy. But if your personal balance sheet could do with a kick along, then saving and investing what you can, also makes sense. One positive from this COVID-19 induced recession, is that it has... View Article
After successfully navigating our initial response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) health crisis, backed up with $285 billion in government support to individuals and businesses to keep the economy ticking over, thoughts are turning to how to get the economy back on its feet. It’s a huge task, but Australia is better placed than most countries. Pre-pandemic, our Federal Budget was... View Article
Building a bridge to recovery In what has been billed as one of the most important budgets since the Great Depression, and the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic dragged Australia into its first recession in almost 30 years, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the next phase of the journey is to secure Australia’s future. As expected, the focus... View Article