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5 February 2025
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Treasury's consultation into the retirement phase of superannuation is generating a lot of interest. This submission to the consultation outlines the key financial risks to an individual’s standard of living in retirement.
Amid falling markets, it’s natural for retirement savers to feel depressed, not just about the present but also about future prospects. Here are some strategies to cope with this downturn, and possibly the next one.
If we knew we'd live to 100, we’d pace ourselves differently. Instead of 'learn-earn-burn' where the young study, the middle-aged work, and the old volunteer or rest, life’s path would have on-ramps and off-ramps.
We become more different from each other over time. Our own remaining time frame is unique. By just focusing on ‘community’ longevity, we lose sight of how different we are and how differently we respond.
Super funds will soon be required to offer retirement income strategies for members in decumulation. With uncertain returns, uncertain timelines, and different goals, it's possibly “the hardest, nastiest problem in finance".
Don Ezra's article on retirement spending was highly popular, and here he responds to some of the many comments. As he says, no plan will ever work out perfectly, but the work in the plan will help you to adapt.
A feature of life expectancy is that over half the people of a certain age will live longer than their life expectancy. Retirees using these estimates may run out of money, but there are benefits of pooling.
Retirees require a reliable income stream to replace the wages they received when they were working and should focus on the dollar income generated over time rather than the headline yield percentage.
What happens when a superannuation expert sets up his own retirement portfolio using decades of knowledge? He finds he can afford much more investment risk in his portfolio than conventional thinking suggests.
As savers move from accumulation to decumulation, their views on risk will change. Retirees must take measured investment risk by balancing desired returns and protecting capital.
The traditional asset based pension is not usually sufficient to provide a total income that keeps pace with inflation, even with the help of the age pension. A real lifetime pension is one way to preserve old age dignity.
While financial solutions to longevity are worth pursuing, it is more important to educate people on what the late-stages of life are likely to deliver, and the time to prepare is now.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2024 was a banner year for equities, with a run-up in US tech stocks broadening into a global market rally, and the big question now is whether the good times can continue? History suggests optimism is warranted.