We are all living longer and retirement can last for 25 years and more. Your needs, desires and income requirements will vary throughout those years. Transition The move from working to being retired does not need to happen overnight. Demand for skilled workers and the acceptance of more flexible working arrangements means a pre-retirement period […]

Private health insurance – it can be a minefield to navigate and a big decision for many people. Hospital, extras or both? Which fund? What do all the rebates, thresholds and surcharges mean? Here we look at what the future holds for the industry, recent legislative changes, and how you can make the most out […]

Government bonds When sources of income (most commonly tax receipts) are not sufficient to cover spending programs governments will issue bonds to raise the necessary funds.  From time to time asset sales may also be used as a one-off solution to provide an injection of funds.  In Australia the ten year government bond is the […]

Sometimes change is gradual and we have time to adapt. At other times the change is dramatic – consider the economic upheavals in 1940-50s after the war. In a few years economies were destroyed and rebuilt, once leading economies lost their lustre and new leaders arose. The developed economies of the USA and much of […]

Economic outlook We take a look at major developed economies and their economic growth to consider for your investment strategy. US Key considerations for fixed income investing The Federal Reserve has continued to partially remove stimulus via further reductions in quantitative easing (QE) this year. Despite this reduction, US 10 year treasury yields have fallen […]

What are the risks? For most people, the major risk is loss of income – either permanently or in the short term. Without an income you will find it difficult to meet your living expenses, repay debt or create wealth. What would happen if you could not earn an income for six months or a […]

Understanding the aged care reforms The ‘Living longer, living better’ aged care reforms, which were announced in April 2012 and are scheduled to begin on 1 July 2014.  Full details are at www.livinglongerlivingbetter.gov.au. It is important to note existing residents will be grandfathered under the current rules and new rules will only apply to individuals […]

Global growth slowed in 2013 but there are signs that growth could rebound in 2014, led by the developed economies of the US and Europe. However, it is not clear whether the recovery is sustainable and structural problems remain hidden below the surface.    Global growth forecasts have continually been revised down during 2013, with the […]

Every day, we are bombarded with news about incredible breakthroughs in the technology sphere. What was once a long way into the future, maybe in a different world, is coming closer and at a faster pace. Self-driving cars, drones with shopping parcels, big data and 3D printing are just a few of the recent innovations […]

When does work become optional? Work becomes optional when income from passive sources (such as investment income, annuities or pensions) is sufficient to meet your anticipated living expenses. Many people do not wish to retire however they do want the “peace of mind” that comes with getting to the point where they could afford to […]