When it comes to the value of our home, we all have our own idea as to what it should sell for and what we believe its value to be. Our emotional tie and perceived value of our property generally relates to the amount of money we’ve invested in it, the memories we’ve created in it and the amount of … [Read more...]

In recent months the media has been abuzz with headlines of stock market volatility, global market chaos and threats of financial doom and gloom. Rarely a day goes by without someone providing their two cents worth on how investors should act during times of market turbulence. Seeing these headlines … [Read more...]

We've all done it – spent hours writing a complicated budget that will finally rein in those pesky finances. Perhaps there will be a few weeks of following through on good intentions, before slipping right back into old habits.  But should it really be that hard to write – and stick to – a realistic … [Read more...]

On 2nd September, Stephen, Anne, Cath and Chris, along with other office staff have undertaken a 100 Day Race, called Stepathlon.  We have to walk 10,000 steps per day for two months. This equates to 6.5km per day minimum. Stephen and Chris have been getting up each morning and heading straight … [Read more...]

Ever wondered how distributions affect unit prices or why there may be end of financial year delays to unit prices and transactions? We answer some common distribution questions and outline what to expect: What is a distribution? A distribution is a profit earned by a managed fund and paid to … [Read more...]

Sure, everyone knows blunt, impolite and even rude people who are extremely successful. (I know a bunch of them.) But since we’re all more likely to build professional and personal relationships and do business with people we like, we’re naturally drawn to individuals who are polite, modest, … [Read more...]

The Senate has recently passed measures announced in the Budget in May 2015. New Asset Test cut-off thresholds for full payments have been announced as below: Benefit Recipient                       Old Threshold          New Threshold Single homeowner                          $202,000           … [Read more...]

WHY SHARE INCOME CAN BE HIGHLY TAX-EFFECTIVE INCOME Term deposits and bonds pay predictable income at regular intervals. But the income they pay is fully taxable. Conversely, share income in Australia can be very tax effective because our ‘dividend imputation’ system means that if the company … [Read more...]

The Greek financial and political crisis continues to run its course. Whilst the Greeks continue to not take responsibility for their own predicament, markets around the world have shown some volatility. Attached are two views on the current situation from Macquarie and Shane Oliver of … [Read more...]