Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Editorial Guidelines for Writers

  •      
  •   

Firstlinks focusses on content with enduring quality to assist investors to understand investment products, construct portfolios and allocate to assets. We prefer articles on long-term themes which will stand the test of time through investment cycles, written for a predominantly Australian audience.

Firstlinks does not report breaking news, executive appointments or short-term macro forecasts which are often little more than noise and guesswork. We are not short-term stock pickers, other than in the context of illustrating particular portfolio ideas, and we do not republish media releases.

Education not promotion

We want fresh ideas, quality journalism, well-researched opinions and accurate arguments. You are welcome to comment on existing articles, or contribute an original piece. You should be an expert in your subject as we do not accept submissions from students or people promoting their own blog or services.

Contributions should not be written in highly-technical language. Articles must be predominantly educational and not promoting or advertising a specific product. However, they may take a view on a type of structure, security or product which may have specific or general application, and examples are acceptable if we do not consider the context overly-promotional.

Articles must be original content not widely-published previously. We accept the content may already have appeared on the author’s own website and distributed to their own clients, but not in other commercial newsletters.

We are not trying to dumb down our content to the lowest common denominator, but articles must be interesting, relevant and understandable for readers who are not market professionals, but are engaged in managing their investments.

What are our requirements?

Articles should be around 1,000 words, with a maximum of about 1,250. Longer pieces will be considered where the type of article demands it. Please write in Microsoft Word, without columns or complex formatting. Contributors should avoid footnotes, little-known acronyms, financial jargon, academic references or articles which are similar to other pieces already published on our website. Generally, contributions should target an Australian reader and be accurate for Australian law and regulations. Download our Style Guide here.

Contributors may hold securities or investments that they mention in their articles but this should be acknowledged at the end of the article.

Firstlinks does not necessarily endorse or agree with the opinions or recommendations that we publish. The writer and their organisation will be listed on every article.

Articles may be edited for length and style.

Contributors warrant that their work is original, other than any acknowledgements in the text, and it does not defame anyone or breach copyright. Please see our Community Rules Policy on acceptable standards to avoid offensive or inappropriate material.

How do we thank you?

Firstlinks is a community of investors sharing ideas, and we offer an outlet for experienced writers to air their opinions. We do not pay for contributions. To encourage a wide readership and to ensure our independence, we do not charge readers a subscription fee nor collect product-related fees.

In addition to having their opinion reach a wide audience of engaged readers, we describe each author at the end of the article and provide a link to a business website.

Copyright remains with the author but Firstlinks has an unlimited right to republish, including selling the content. Any author who does not agree with this should not provide an article. To a limited extent but not systematically, articles may be reproduced elsewhere but Firstlinks must be attributed with first publication with the author and their company identified.

No personal financial advice

Articles may contain general financial product information but Firstlinks is not authorised to provide personal financial advice. Firstlinks accepts no liability for any actions taken by Contributors or readers as a result of material published on our web site or contained in the related newsletter. Readers should be aware that investments mentioned in any articles may not be suitable for them, and may be subject to a variety of market risks. Firstlinks does not know the personal circumstances of its readers. 

Firstlinks is not attempting to influence the sale or purchase of any securities, and all readers should obtain personal independent financial advice.

 

banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

Vale Graham Hand

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.

Australian stocks will crush housing over the next decade, one year on

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.

Avoiding wealth transfer pitfalls

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.

Taxpayers betrayed by Future Fund debacle

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.

Australia’s shameful super gap

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.

Looking beyond banks for dividend income

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.

Latest Updates

Investment strategies

9 lessons from 2024

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.

Investment strategies

Time to announce the X-factor for 2024

What is the X-factor - the largely unexpected influence that wasn’t thought about when the year began but came from left field to have powerful effects on investment returns - for 2024? It's time to select the winner.

Shares

Australian shares struggle as 2020s reach halfway point

It’s halfway through the 2020s decade and time to get a scorecheck on the Australian stock market. The picture isn't pretty as Aussie shares are having a below-average decade so far, though history shows that all is not lost.

Shares

Is FOMO overruling investment basics?

Four years ago, we introduced our 'bubbles' chart to show how the market had become concentrated in one type of stock and one view of the future. This looks at what, if anything, has changed, and what it means for investors.

Shares

Is Medibank Private a bargain?

Regulatory tensions have weighed on Medibank's share price though it's unlikely that the government will step in and prop up private hospitals. This creates an opportunity to invest in Australia’s largest health insurer.

Shares

Negative correlations, positive allocations

A nascent theme today is that the inverse correlation between bonds and stocks has returned as inflation and economic growth moderate. This broadens the potential for risk-adjusted returns in multi-asset portfolios.

Retirement

The secret to a good retirement

An Australian anthropologist studying Japanese seniors has come to a counter-intuitive conclusion to what makes for a great retirement: she suggests the seeds may be found in how we approach our working years.

Sponsors

Alliances

© 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.