News this week that investment platform operator Hub 24 (ASX:HUB) had acquired SMSF service provider Class Super (ASX:CL1) marks the latest nadir in an arms race that has been going for decades. The deal is a no-brainer for Hub 24, which gains access to a business in Class that manages more data sources than almost…
While every self-directed investor knows that Australia’s sharemarket represents just 2 per cent of the world’s listed companies, investing into overseas markets remains a bridge too far for most. ASX-listed exchange-traded funds remain the most popular, however, the likes of iShares S&P500 (ASX: IVV) is gaining in popularity. The most common concerns cited by prospective…
Evergrande, debt ceiling and volatility September saw the end of the strongest period for markets in several decades, with most major indices posting a negative monthly return. This ended a run of as many of eleven months without such a result, all starting when the COVID-19 vaccines were announced in November 2020. The Australian market…
Among many other lessons, the pandemic has brought with it the realisation that none of us is invincible. The virus doesn’t discriminate is what the health experts have been telling us for close to two years now. Naturally, 2020 and 2021 has seen a significant increase in interest in estate planning. Young and old, everyone…
One of the most powerful trends of 2020 was no doubt the huge surge in retail investors joining the stockmarket frenzy. With fresh stimulus cheques and stay-at-home orders in place, many turned to shares to pass their time. In a world where financial literacy remains incredibly low, any engagement with investing should be seen as…
The FAANGs are ubiquitous in the 2020s, and the 2010s for that matter, with those unwilling to invest in these world-changing businesses ultimately being left behind. Whether you were a traditional ‘value’ investor or someone seeking fully franked dividends in Australia, if you didn’t own Google at some point in the last decade, you have…
Draft legislation for the impending ‘Retirement Income Covenant’ was released this week, with SMSF trustees no doubt breathing a sigh of relief after being exempt from the new law. The change in legislation will require all APRA-regulated funds, specifically industry and corporate super plans, to develop and implement a retirement income strategy for those who…
Evergrande Group (HKG: 3333) has dominated headlines, news bulletins and investor psyches in recent weeks, with long-held concerns about China bubbling to the surface once again. Put simply, Evergrande is China’s largest property developer, and a group that has been central to the boom in Asia’s credit markets in recent years. The group has also…
BHP has been the most talked-about company in recent weeks, for both good and bad reasons. Investors had to first digest the massive merger deal with Woodside Petroleum. Then it was the the decision to delist from the London Stock Exchange and bring the listing home to the ASX. The highlight, no doubt, was the…
Class Super (ASX:CL1), which sits squarely among the leading SMSF administration and service providers, recently released its annual benchmark report. Prepared in conjunction with the SMSF Association and several other industry experts, the report flagged ‘resilience in a time of constant change’ as the key trend of the year. Despite expectations of a significant fall…
