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22 January 2025
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Australia's age pension eligibility is increasing to 67 years and it was once going to 70. The French have taken to the streets violently to object to an increase from 62 to 64. A survey on the different reactions.
Central banks need data and sources as up-to-date as possible, yet Australia's Reserve Bank sees a new CPI only once a quarter. And the US Fed's rate committee waits two months for its next meeting.
An unwanted fiscal drain will fall on generations of Australians who have seen their incomes and wealth stagnate, having missed the property boom and entered the workforce during a period of flatlining real wages.
Labor justified its franking credits policy based on the cost rising 10-fold since 2001 and heading towards unaffordable levels. But were the numbers right and would the savings ever have eventuated?
Rarely do we go into an election with such contrasting policies from the major parties, and no more so than in superannuation. The nation's decision on 18 May will have a big impact on retirement savings.
In the 2019/2020 Federal Budget, the Government made few changes to superannuation rules to assist retirement planning.
The two major political parties have opposing views on whether SMSFs should be allowed to borrow, but what is the clear argument that there should be a limit on SMSF opportunities?
Amazingly, SMSF pensioners invested in Australian shares will be much worse off under the Labor franking policy than in the ‘bad old days’ when their pensions were taxed.
This week we have a short survey on your attitudes to Labor's franking credits proposal. It should take less than two minutes to complete, unless you want to have a rant.
Investors whose income may be hit by Labor's franking credits proposal can reallocate away from fully franked dividends to other investments to maintain their income, but it will involve different risks.
Where once it was difficult to differentiate between the superannuation policies of the two major political parties, the 2019 Federal Election will deliver some stark choices for voters.
One person's unjust retrospective policy change is another's overdue and necessary reform. Did people objecting about unfavourable policy retrospectivity complain when they benefitted from a retrospective change?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Check out the most-read Firstlinks articles from 2024. From '16 ASX stocks to buy and hold forever', to 'The best strategy to build income for life', and 'Where baby boomer wealth will end up', there's something for all.