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 […]

Aged care in Australia has recently gone through some key reforms. We look at what the main changes are and why it’s more important than ever to plan ahead for care of loved ones. Our ageing population On 1 July 2014, the Government launched a whole raft of changes to aged care as well as […]

Everyone will be familiar with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).  In many parts of the world economic growth was buoyant up until late 2007, but the tide turned and by September 2008 the global financial system was close to collapsing.  Exposure to complex AAA rated investments (which turned out to be backed by poor quality […]