Your Wealth

Crazy Rich… The Why and the How of Investing in Asia

With the Asian region expected to host 4 of the world’s 5 largest economies in less than 12 years, investors are starting to take note of our northern neighbours. Despite the fierce growth and positive demographics of the Asian region, global indices under-represent its key markets, and most Australian investors have little to no exposure at all.

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Women and Money: Why gender matters and what do about it

Former Financial Review journalist Bianca Hartge-Hazelman created the Women’s Index in 2017 to track women’s financial progress over time – the wage gap, tertiary enrolments, board representation and more. The data isn’t positive – in one telling statistic, women in Australia retire with just 73% the superannuation balance of men, despite living an average of four years longer.

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The Rise and Rise of Technology – from the DotCom bubble to FANG and more

The growth of technology stocks over the last decade has completely reshaped investment markets, and investor returns - the technology-based NASDAQ index is up an astonishing 240% over 10 years, while the tech-lite ASX200 still languishes below its pre GFC highs. The technology sector itself, however, is diverse and complex, ranging from producers of core components to disruptive innovators.

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Australian Interest Rate Outlook: What it means for your portfolio

With the official cash rate at just 1.5% for the past two years, many Australians have become used to historically low rates on their mortgages – and their deposits. In addition, at the peak, 40% of all home lending in Australia was originated on interest only terms. Warnings of rising rates may feel overblown as the RBA maintains a neutral stance, and yet the funding pressures on lenders are increasing. So what does this mean for your portfolio?

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Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium: Investing in Precious Metals

In a recent podcast, a respected investment strategist said that increasing downside risks were forcing him to allocate a proportion of his investment portfolio to gold – and he hates gold! So what can precious metals offer your portfolio?

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Ethical Investing – How to have a positive impact with your portfolio

Appetite for ethical and sustainable investments has increased dramatically in recent years, as investors increasingly seek to avoid harmful corporate behaviour and support positive industries such as renewable energy and green alternatives to traditional waste management. While there are some universal values to which investors subscribe (such as avoiding modern slavery and cluster munitions, for example), however, the range of ethical investment choices can seem infinite to the uninitiated.

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Diversification - are you doing it right?

Most investors understand the principle that diversification reduces risk and potentially improves returns in a well-constructed investment portfolio. Yet when the whole of Asia ex-Japan represents approximately 2% of the MSCI World Index (according to MSCI data as at June 2018), are they really getting access to the opportunities they’re looking for?

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The case for small and mid-cap companies for growth

Small and mid-cap companies are often overlooked by investors, as the information available to assist with investment decisions, can often be harder to find when compared with those companies in the ASX top 50.

 Yet many small and mid-cap stocks offer long-term growth opportunities that may exceed the mature investments that dominate investor portfolios.

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Tariffs, Tapering and Tax Cuts – Investing in Interesting Times

US markets have rallied strongly in recent years, shrugging off concerns about over-valuation and stretched fundamentals. The US economy is showing strong signs of growth also, buoyed by a decade-long period of low interest rates, huge tax cuts and Trump’s protectionist policy announcements. So are all lights turning green? Or will tapering and tariffs present headwinds that clash with tailwinds from Republican fiscal policy?

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Top stocks for FY19 with Paul Rickard

Investors have generally been rewarded for holding – and sticking with – growth stocks throughout FY18, with the ASX delivering another year of strong portfolio returns. Many valuations look stretched, however, and headwinds are facing many popular stocks and sectors.

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