The impact of falling house prices Housing is the most important asset owned by the majority of Australian households, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). A house not only serves as a place to live, but as a long-term investment, a measure of household wealth and a sourc

Investment strategies for your super Your super returns may be doing ok, but could they be better? Being actively involved in how and where your super is invested, could make a real difference to your retirement savings over the long-term. This article considers four examples of inves

Five global themes that may impact your investment portfolio When running a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF), it’s important for investors to be aware of some of the key global and economic environmental factors that may impact their investment portfolio.  Here we look at

What are the best investments for your retirement? In the simplest terms, investing your money means buying an asset with the expectation of earning returns from ownership of that asset. If you own an investment property, for example, you can expect to receive rent as income. But if y

How do Managed Funds work? If you want to diversify your investment portfolio to spread your risk across different asset classes, sectors or geographic markets, you may be limited by the amount of money you have available to invest. Managed funds are popular with investors looking to

Should I borrow to invest in shares? Borrowing, or gearing, can help you accelerate your wealth creation. It can allow you to buy assets such as an investment property, or shares that you may not be able to afford outright. However, borrowing to invest is considered a high risk strate

Six cognitive biases that influence how we save, spend and invest money We like to think we’re rational beings. But the reality is that a lot of our daily behaviour is influenced by our subconscious. Behavioural scientists have looked at the way human beings are wired and discovered s

Economic Update Market and Economic overview Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia lowered interest rates in June by 25 basis points to 1.25 per cent, and again in July by a further 25 basis points – moving the official cash rate to 1.00%. In a July speech, the Governor of the