Your wedding windfall

Your wedding windfall The average Aussie couple are spending around $65k on their big day. By making some smart wedding budget choices you could be investing that money for a better financial future. Let’s take a look at how saving $30k on your wedding could help you out with other lifestyle goals. Online source: Produced by The Financial Financial Planning Association of Australia and published on 15 June 2017.  Original article.  

Market Drawdowns

Market Drawdowns Overview As the profit cycle matures, we are increasingly being asked how long-term investors should best position themselves should the economic backdrop and equity markets become more challenging. As the profit cycle matures, we are increasingly being asked how long-term investors should best position themselves should the economic backdrop and equity markets become more challenging. Key points Markets mark-to-market in the short term and are inefficient in the long run.   The impact …

Could you go it alone? Making sure a man is not your financial plan

Could you go it alone? Making sure a man is not your financial plan Divorce is the leading cause of financial hardship for women1. So it’s important to take control of your money and plan for a time when you may become financially independent. Spending priorities  According to a 2014 survey of over 2,000 women conducted by RMIT, 59% have experienced financial hardship as a result of divorce2 and 80% chose providing for their family as …

Get your finances ready to start a family

Get your finances ready to start a family Preparing for parenthood is an exciting time, but don’t let the cots and cuddly toys distract you. Your finances (and everything else) are about to change in a big way, so use these pre-baby days to plan ahead. Here are the key financial tasks to tick off before, and after, baby arrives. Before the baby: 1. Understand your health insurance Before you even start trying to conceive, …

The Shortest Road to Riches

The Shortest Road to Riches Key points Consumer expectations of instant gratification are driving down delivery times   Labour shortages and traffic congestion highlight the criticality of well-located logistics facilities   Rental costs are being pushed up – but rent is a small part of total logistics supply chain costs   New opportunities for rental growth are emerging as logistics real estate grabs a larger slice of the supply chain pie   “Lost time is …

Investment returns over the next five years are likely to slow

Investment returns over the next five years are likely to slow Key points   The continuing slide in investment yields across most major asset classes points to a constrained medium-term return outlook. For a diversified mix of assets, this has now fallen to around 6.2% on our projections.   The key for investors is to have realistic return expectations; allow that inflation is also low so real returns aren’t down as much; and focus on …

Life’s not all beer and skittles – how to manage a lump sum

Life’s not all beer and skittles – how to manage a lump sum Winning the lottery is the ultimate financial dream for many folk, but most people will not fall into the category of lottery winners in their lifetime. However, many will receive a lump sum at some stage – whether it’s a redundancy payment or an inheritance on the death of a relative. Thinking “spend, spend, spend” when it happens will soon end the …

School of hard knocks: public vs private education

School of hard knocks: public vs private education From kindergarten to Year 12 the total cost of putting a child through private school in Australia ranges from $296,806 to $543,334, depending on what state or region you live in. By comparison, the cost of public school education for the same years varies between $50,950 in regional Queensland and $69,589 in metropolitan New South Wales. Whether public or private, it might almost be worth moving to …

How to achieve goals with scarce capital

How to achieve goals with scarce capital It’s all well and good to think about goals when you have a million dollars in the super account, but what about people who want to achieve financial goals in circumstances where they have limited current capital. How can a goals-based approach serve them? There are many people in this position and there are some useful goals-based investment strategies customers can use. It is extremely important to be …

US reporting season and the tech sector

US reporting season and the tech sector   AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver says revenue disappointments and slowing user growth at technology giants Facebook and Twitter is a warning that the US tech sector could at some stage underperform – or even suffer a serious correction. “What those disappointments tell us is there is a limit to the take up of social media,” he says. “At some point it will start to slow down.” …