Economic and market overview

Encouragingly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its global growth forecast for 2024, following ‘surprisingly resilient’ economic conditions. IMF officials now expect global GDP growth of 3.2% this year. Despite this positive news, major share markets lost ground in April …

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Will cash remain king?

Cash has been one of the best performing defensive assets over the past three years. When compared with global bonds (a riskier asset class), a typical portfolio of term deposits would have returned a cumulative 12.6% in comparison to -8.5% …

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Why it’s time to consider currency hedging your portfolio

With the Australian dollar trading below long-term averages and expected to rise as the US dollar peaks, it’s time to think about protecting overseas investments with hedging. The following are the reasons why: Hedging can offset currency movements Rising AUD …

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What is risk appetite?

Risk is about tolerating the potential for losses. Understanding your risk appetite allows you to make well informed decisions about your money. For some people, risk means excitement and opportunity. For others, it invokes feelings of fear and discomfort. We …

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Seven lasting impacts from the COVID pandemic

Key points Seven key lasting impacts from the Coronavirus pandemic are: “bigger” government; tighter labour markets; reduced globalisation and increased geopolitical tensions; higher inflation; worse housing affordability; working from home; and a faster embrace of technology. On balance these make …

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Outliving your savings

While living a long and healthy life is a goal for most of us, it does raise a valid question. Is there a chance that you could outlive your savings? Why does living longer matter in retirement? The risk of …

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Navigating the high cost of living in Australia

In this article we look at some of the ways you can better manage the high cost of living by investing, increasing your income or reducing expenses. Key takeaways Investing a portion of your income is one way you can …

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Getting your insurance cover right

Let’s run through some things to keep in mind to decide what level and type of cover you need. Finding your insurance sweet spot It can take days – and a whole lot of stress – to figure out what …

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Reducing risk in retirement

We all think things will turn out better for ‘us’ than ‘them’. Such optimism can serve us well in life, but when it comes to money, balancing bias with facts is a much safer option. When it comes to your …

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