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24 February 2025
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Results from our Reader Survey, SMSFs and gearing, using what you know and don't know, the bring forward rule, reasons behind under-performing small caps and a review of Piketty's bestseller.
We'd like to thank our readers for the overwhelmingly positive and encouraging comments we received in our Reader Survey last month. We summarise the results and provide links to all the answers and comments.
The use of leverage within SMSFs has come under heavy scrutiny lately with strong arguments for and against. Some forms of 'protected' gearing can help manage risk, demonstrating that not all gearing is the same.
If you want to make the most of the recently increased superannuation personal contribution limits, here is a timely explanation of how to use the 'bring forward' rule to your advantage.
Over the last two years, small caps have underperformed their large cap rivals in Australia, which goes against the global historical trend. Where has our small cap additional performance gone and will it return?
When investing capital, you expect the return to adequately compensate you for the likelihood of loss. Understanding both risk and reward is vital, so the more you know about 'knowns' and 'unknowns' the better.
Thomas Piketty’s 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' stunned the publishing world when it reached number one on the Amazon best seller list. What lessons for today can we learn from Dickens, Austen and Balzac?
The CIO of Australia’s fourth largest super fund by assets, John Pearce, suggests the odds favour a flat year for markets, with the possibility of a correction of 10% or more. However, he’ll use any dip as a buying opportunity.
While encouraging people to draw down on their accumulated wealth in retirement might be good public policy, several million retirees disagree because they are purposefully conserving that capital. It’s time for a different approach.
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.
Getting regular, growing income from stocks is tougher with the dividend yield on the ASX nearing 25-year lows. Here are some conventional and not-so-conventional ideas for investors wanting to build a dividend portfolio.
Australians are used to hearing dire warnings that they don't have enough saved for a comfortable retirement. Yet most people need to save a lot less than you might think — as long as they meet an important condition.
It’s well documented that many retirees draw down the minimum amount required and die with much of their super balances untouched. This explores the reasons why and some potential solutions to address the issue.