Using the bucket strategy to make your money last longer

How do you find the sweet spot between using your retirement savings to enjoy a comfortable standard of living, and investing so you won’t run out of money in the future? It’s a big question for many retirees. Two in three retirees (69%) are concerned about running out of money in retirement, according to new … Read more

Understanding the difference between ESG, ethical and green investing

For many investors, the promise of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing has been evasive.  Confusion around what “ESG Investing” actually is has led to many investors becoming disillusioned with their portfolios. So, what is “ESG investing”? Is this the same as ethical, responsible or green Investing? The straightforward answer is ‘no”. Unfortunately, many in the industry … Read more

Megatrends for 2025 and beyond…

Megatrends are long-term structural changes that affect the world we live in. Importantly, they shape communities but they also create investment opportunities and risks. Learnings from historical megatrends include: 1) they often solve a problem through innovation; 2) the scope of the megatrend can initially be underestimated; and 3) the duration of a megatrend is … Read more

The ins and outs of geared share funds

Geared share funds are high risk and high reward. When share markets are doing well, the returns can be very high, but the opposite is also true. We look at the pros and cons, and the role of geared share funds in a diversified investment strategy. Geared share funds can be a great way for … Read more

Economic update February 2025

Global The introduction of DeepSeek’s open-source R1 model shocked global markets in January, challenging our understanding of capex requirements and competition in artificial intelligence. Despite the DeepSeek rout, the MSCI World Equity Index ended January +3.5% higher, led by strength in European equities as investors rotated out of US tech exposures and into defensive and … Read more

Pros and cons of Self Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)

While self managed super funds are not for everyone, they do offer significant benefits. Running an SMSF successfully requires investment, legal, super and admin skills – or the ability to get help from people who have those skills. Having control over how your retirement savings are invested is one of the many benefits of SMSFs. … Read more

Nine bad habits of ineffective investors: common mistakes investors make

Introduction In the confusing and often seemingly illogical world of investing, investors often make various mistakes that keep them from reaching their financial  goals. This note takes a look at the nine most common mistakes. Mistake #1 Crowd support indicates a sure thing “I will tell you how to become rich…Be fearful when others are … Read more

AI and bank shares push super balances higher in 2024

Superannuation funds have recorded another impressive year of returns for members with international technology and Australian banking shares driving above average returns over 2024. Concerns over inflation caused a slow start to the year, with multiple negative monthly returns recorded until October 2023. Increased confidence in the outlook for inflation and ongoing developments in artificial … Read more

What is a distribution?

A managed fund generates income from its investments – for example, through share dividends, interest on cash or fixed interest investments in the fund, or any gains made when fund investments (like shares) are sold. So in short, a distribution is profit or income made by a fund and paid to investors. How are distributions … Read more