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22 January 2025
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Term deposit risks, so you think we're a major exporter?, understand what retirees want, the new charity regulator, and work life balance.
This will challenge your way of thinking: Australia is one of the smallest exporters as a percentage of GDP in the world, and therefore one of the least reliant on exports for our national income. But we're addicted to imports.
Investors in term deposits have taken major risks without realising it. As interest rates have fallen, people who expected term deposits to give them a reliable income stream are facing a challenging time.
A new charity regulator was established a few months ago, and thousands of directors and trustees of foundations and not-for-profits need to understand the implications.
As more Australians move from the accumulation saving to retirement spending, it is vital that planners and product providers realise Australian retirees' needs have changed.
A good life balance is about setting priorities. Some people love work, it energises them, it adds meaning to their life. But it can be a disaster if they lose sight of other priorities.
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.
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.
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.
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.