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22 December 2024
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US has already defaulted many times, fear is driving property prices not net income, more on lifetime annuities, a personal take on China, and the dynamics of super.
The US Treasury defaulted three times on its treasury bills in 1979, but the problem is primarily one of politics, not insolvency. Another default may be enough of a shock to get the parties together to work on real solutions.
Like any investment, residential property must be bought at the right price and the right time, not based on the need to get into the market quickly due to the Fear Of Missing Out. And the costs will be higher than expected.
Lifetime annuities have some attractive features but remain neglected by most retirees. There are rational reasons for this, which the annuity industry has to overcome if the product is to address more longevity worries.
China is so complex and varied that few people can understand the whole picture, but on a third visit over two decades, it's possible to see changes, many of which are for the better.
Australian superannuation is a highly dynamic industry, as this review of 2013-2033 shows. For many retirees, institutional funds, whether industry or retail funds, have not been able to compete with the attraction of SMSFs.
It’s with heavy hearts that we announce Firstlinks’ co-founder and former Managing Editor, Graham Hand, has died aged 66. Graham was a legendary figure in the finance industry and here are three tributes to him.
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.
Australia is in the early throes of an intergenerational wealth transfer worth an estimated $3.5 trillion. Here's a case study highlighting some of the challenges with transferring wealth between generations.
The Future Fund's original purpose was to meet the unfunded liabilities of Commonwealth defined benefit schemes. These liabilities have ballooned to an estimated $290 billion and taxpayers continue to be treated like fools.
ASFA provides a key guide for how much you will need to live on in retirement. Unfortunately it has many deficiencies, and the averages don't tell the full story of the growing gender superannuation gap.
The Big Four banks have had an extraordinary run and it’s left income investors with a conundrum: to stick with them even though they now offer relatively low dividend yields and limited growth prospects or to look elsewhere.