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20 November 2025
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Around $4 billion of listed bonds funds have filled a market that did not exist a couple of years ago, and more are coming. They are each buying different assets and promising varying returns.
After 35 years in fiduciary and leadership roles, the President of MFS Investment Management is clear about the major problem in wealth management: we have not convinced investors to think long term.
Although SMSFs are the largest segment of the $3 trillion super industry, the data on asset allocation is poor. There are signs the ATO is finally looking to fix its data collection.
My thanks to our community of readers, writers and sponsors, as we join a global business committed to education for investors and advisers. Morningstar will grow our reach and services and Firstlinks will remain free.
Two of Australia's most experienced and successful chairs explain what makes a good board, what to watch for in bad ones, with advice for aspiring board members: understand first what motivates you.
Expectations are already high for what the Retirement Income Review will deliver, but it will make no formal recommendations, and the 'fact base' it establishes will be disputed by other experts.
Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".
With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.
Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.
The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective.
AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.
Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.
Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.