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22 January 2025
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Paul Keating on longevity risk, surprising calmness in markets, franking credits and tax, new rules on financial advice, lifecycle theory, and events that will shape 2013.
The government should be the key provider of a national annuity scheme to cater for what is now a growing gap in our retirement incomes system as a result of people living for 80 years and more.
What a time to launch a superannuation website and newsletter! The super, advice and investing landscape is facing more game-changers at the moment than at any time since the introduction of compulsory super in 1992.
If we ignore the media hype and look at the facts, 2012 was in fact a wonderful year for the equity market. Not only great returns, but surprisingly low volatility and few large down days. 2012 was the calmest year since 2005.
Kerry Packer openly admitted that he managed his companies to minimise their tax bills. He would have loved superannuation and franking credits. A super fund needs only 32% of its assets allocated to fully franked shares to pay no income tax on its entire portfolio.
From 1 July 2013, investment managers and platforms will be banned from paying commissions to financial advisers on new business. This should have happened years ago, but the industry’s tardiness has resulted in additional regulations on advice fees that are deducted from clients’ accounts.
Lifecycle theory is one of the more exciting and applicable research fields in financial academia yet it receives little discussion in Australia’s superannuation industry. The findings have the potential to improve outcomes for Australian households.
Last year, I wrote an article suggesting returns from ASX stocks would trample those from housing over the next decade. One year later, this is an update on how that forecast is going and what's changed since.
The housing market was subdued in 2024, and pessimism abounds as we start the new year. 2025 is likely to be a tale of two halves, with interest rate cuts fuelling a resurgence in buyer demand in the second half of the year.
This examines the performance of key asset classes and sub-sectors in 2024 and over longer timeframes, and the lessons that can be drawn for constructing an investment portfolio for the next decade.
The renowned investor has penned his first investor letter for 2025 and it’s a ripper. He runs through what bubbles are, which ones he’s experienced, and whether today’s markets qualify as the third major bubble of this century.
Key lessons include expensive stocks can always get more expensive, Bitcoin is our tulip mania, follow the smart money, the young are coming with pitchforks on housing, and the importance of staying invested.
Check out the most-read Firstlinks articles from 2024. From '16 ASX stocks to buy and hold forever', to 'The best strategy to build income for life', and 'Where baby boomer wealth will end up', there's something for all.