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How cutting the CGT discount could help rebalance housing market Is there a better way to reform the CGT discount?Want your loved ones to inherit your super? You can’t afford to skip this one step Super is catching up, but ageing is a triple-threat Meg on SMSFs: Last word on Div 296 for a while

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Edition: 396

1-8 out of 8 results.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 396

25 February 2021
26

There's a favourite phrase that climate change sceptics like to use, that ‘the science is not settled’. It's powerful because it's easy to find a qualified scientist who disagrees with 95% of his or her colleagues. Investing is even worse, because it is open to personal interpretations and subject to behavioural biases. The science is certainly not settled.

Dog-eat-dinner: a tough day in the life of a broker analyst

Marcus Padley
24 February 2021
12

What do stock analysts do in reporting season, faced with hundreds of company reports? Take a look inside the secret world of broking and the analysts burning the midnight oil for a month, hoping for a special insight.

What drives Australian versus global equity performance?

David Bassanese
24 February 2021
4

We tend to think of the 'stockmarket' as one beast, but it pays to know the drivers of the different parts, especially global versus Australian stocks. The outlook favours global due to better sector exposure.

Invest in Australian value stocks before it is too late

Reece Birtles
24 February 2021
3

By now, we know 'growth' stocks have outperformed 'value' for many years and investors look to the future, but there are good reasons why the switch is on, especially as value companies emerge from the pandemic.

Gains of a lifetime reward new retail investors

Gemma Dale
24 February 2021
3

Nobody knows how to pick the bottom of the market, but new investors did well in 2020. They captured most of the returns since the lows, and contrary to popular opinion, they are not punting away on tech stocks.

FANMAG: Because FAANGs are so yesterday

Ishan Ghosh PhD
24 February 2021
2

FANMAG returns have been strong but not relative to their predecessors. Looking at a broader group of large tech companies, most have lagged the market. Fad-based investing is no substitute for broad diversification.

Overdue overhaul of Australia’s aged care system

Rachel Lane
24 February 2021
2

To support a better aged care system appropriate to the needs of all Australians, critical changes are needed including a new financing approach. The current system has failed seniors, carers and providers for years.

‘Super-defensive equities’ may rescue struggling 60/40 portfolios

Alastair MacLeod
24 February 2021
2

The 60/40 portfolio has been the mainstay of 'default' Australian investing, but large allocations to bonds compromise returns when rates are low. Strategies with exposures negatively-correlated to equities are needed.

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How cutting the CGT discount could help rebalance housing market

A more rational taxation system that supports home ownership but discourages asset speculation could provide greater financial support to first home buyers.

Jago Dodson, Liam Davies
18 February 2026

Is there a better way to reform the CGT discount?

The capital gains tax discount is under review, but debate should go beyond its size. Its original purpose, design flaws and distortions suggest Australia could adopt a better, more targeted approach.

Matthew Maltman, Matt Nolan
11 February 2026

Want your loved ones to inherit your super? You can’t afford to skip this one step

One in five Australians die before retirement and most have not set up their super properly so their loved ones can benefit from all their hard work and savings.

Tobias Barkley
4 March 2026

Super is catching up, but ageing is a triple-threat

An ageing Australia is shifting the superannuation system’s focus from accumulation to the lifecycle of retirement. While these pressures have been anticipated for decades, they are now converging at scale and driving widespread industry change.

Aaron Minney
4 March 2026

Meg on SMSFs: Last word on Div 296 for a while

The best way to deal with the incoming Division 296 tax on superannuation is likely doing nothing. Earnings will be taxed regardless of where the money sits, so here are some important considerations.

Meg Heffron
18 February 2026

Has Australia wasted the last 30 years?

The 20 years after Peter Costello left Treasury have been deemed wasted...by Peter Costello. The missed opportunities for Australia began long before.

John Abernethy
11 March 2026

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