Growing your wealth

Growing your wealth What is gearing? In simple terms, gearing is borrowing money to invest. The investment could be in direct shares or managed investments, such as an equity trust, balanced fund or property. Gearing is, in essence, directed towards producing a larger investment return by using borrowed funds, often in addition to your own funds, so that financial goals can be achieved more quickly. Gearing can be used as part of the overall investment …

Five money habits for a happy financial year

Five money habits for a happy financial year As you say goodbye to the 2015/16 financial year, it’s a good time to put new habits for success in place for the coming year. Here are our five tips to help you make a success of the coming year as you put your tax affairs in order and say goodbye to the 2015/16 financial year. 1. Set your goals Setting achievable goals and making a commitment …

What to consider when investing in a low return world

What to consider when investing in a low return world Identifying market dislocations is something that requires investment expertise For some investors, volatility matters. When approaching retirement, volatility tends to matter more owing to sequencing risk. In the video below, we assess some considerations for investing in low return world. Share market volatility is expected to remain elevated Investment market volatility is essentially triggered by uncertainty around market fundamentals such as economic growth, earnings, dividends …

Save for something big

Save for something big. Using goals to achieve your dreams Many people don’t find budgeting and saving easy, nor is it on top of their priority list. Most of us are programmed to look for short cuts, or believe that with a bit of luck – and rising house prices – ‘we’ll be right’. But in reality, saving for the lifestyle we want does require a degree of discipline and an active interest in looking …

How can property make me better off?

  How can property make me better off? If you’ve built up some equity over the years, it may be time to look at the options your property may give you. Here are four possibilities that could help you: You could buy an investment sooner. Borrowing against the value of your home—which is one way you can access your equity—may enable you to buy an investment sooner than if you had to save the money. …

Women are building financial intelligence

Women are building financial intelligence International Women’s Day on 8 March encourages us to aim for parity for women. On average, Australian women are paid 17.1% less than meni. They also tend to spend more time away from paid work to have children and care for loved ones which impacts their income, savings and superannuation. The good news is things are improving. Women are building financial intelligence. Women are closing the gap Women have come a …

Gen Y investing in home and away

  Gen Y investing in home and away Gen Y has been brandished a generation of non-savers but that is not the reality. Gen Y is saving but unlike earlier generations they are not necessarily saving for a home. Some of that move away from saving for a home comes down to the high price of property, particularly in the major cities. According to the Bank for International Settlements, Australian house prices are the second …

Resolutions for a wealthy future

Resolutions for a wealthy future Shedding a few kilos and getting fit are popular New Year’s resolutions, but along with improving your health why not resolve to boost your wealth in 2016? The best way to do that is to have a clear picture about what you want to achieve. Perhaps you want to buy a new car, save a deposit for your first home, prepare for the birth of a child or go on …

Four tactics to build an investment portfolio

  Four tactics to build an investment portfolio by Jeff Rogers, Chief Investment Officer, ipac Investment Management Learn strategies to help you focus on long-term wealth accumulation, so you can fund your aspirations for retirement. An increasing number of Australians are hitting retirement age, and more people are now seriously addressing the question of how they actually want to spend their retirement and how they will fund those aspirations. If you already have investment strategies …

Women need a plan for ‘early’ retirement

Women need a plan for ‘early’ retirement   We know women generally live longer than men, but new research shows the majority of Australian women are unlikely to work past the age of 65, making it more important than ever for them to take control of their finances early and plan appropriately for life after work. The latest AMP.NATSEM Report, Going the distance: Working longer, living healthier, has revealed the gender gap in the Australian workforce …