Opinion

Superannuation members should be on high alert if using third parties to consolidate or locate their super to ensure the safety of their retirement savings. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), in conjunction with the Australian Tax Office (ATO), has identified a number of advisers, trustees and fund promoters that are marketing consolidation services…

Three reasons why dividend investors may have an opportunity to buy Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA) shares at a discount.

Amongst the countless commentaries and headline noise on virus affected financial conditions, it is surprising that environmental, social and governance (ESG) seems to have gained an even stronger foothold. The embrace of such standards does, however, run into the consistent problem in the interpretation of ESG. As more data providers enter the field to compete…

The Reserve Bank has not changed the cash rate since March, when it cut twice, but banks and other deposit takers have been active over the past couple of months trimming at-call and term deposit rates. Investors need to keep on top of how this is impacting their cash holdings. Recent cuts by the big…

Now, this article was a very difficult one for me to write. I must disclose that I have been a non-believer of the Afterpay story from the beginning. I simply could not understand how a modern-day layby business that makes slim margins could be the next Pay Pal or Visa, yet the company has been…

After years of ever-increasing focus on returns to the extent that even fixed income allocations got caught in the vortex, there is a sobering reassessment of the risk profile across a portfolio.

The biggest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, failed to provide investors with any diversification or risk mitigation benefit when equity markets sold off sharply in February and March. Rather, Bitcoin has been tracking the US S&P 500 Index closely for some time. John Vaz, a senior lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance at Monash University, charted…

Portfolio managers are urging investors who are considering emerging markets to examine countries individually and understand their health systems and governance risks as to whether they will show resilience. Emerging markets have not been spared from the volatility caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Alessia Berardi, head of emerging markets macro and strategy research at Amundi…

Investing in a Platinum Asset Management fund to gain international equity exposure is no longer a done deal after it had a mixed outcome in its latest ratings, with three funds downgraded and one upgraded to gold. Research house Morningstar downgraded Platinum International, Platinum Global and Platinum Unhedged to bronze due to “a lack of…

Here’s why we’ve avoided bank shares for over 5 years…

Most of us have not experienced the current level of government and institutional direction of our lives. The impact on business is likely to be profound. Banks are possibly the best example, where their every move is dictated by policy from monetary and political authorities. Who can they lend to, at what rate, where should…

Investors in residential property may have to rethink their revenue strategies, following the commencement of new short-term rental accommodation rules in New South Wales last month. The tightening of the rules in NSW follows a similar move in Victoria last year. Western Australia has plans in development. The new rules, which cover rentals for three…