AJ Financial Planning Blog

We like the quote by R. Bennett when he summed up the following "Top 15 things money can't buy; time, happiness, inner peace, integrity, love, character,... respect, morals, trust, patience, common sense, dignity."

Our blog shares our latest ideas, critical thinking, thought-provoking insights, innovative exploration of the markets, economies, investments and areas in the financial markets that require change.

 
International Shares, Investing Alex Jamieson International Shares, Investing Alex Jamieson

How to beat Labor’s proposed changes to the franking policy and stick it to the man

The media has been a flurry recently about Labor’s proposed changes to franking credits. There has been public outrage over this, and the sad reality is that this policy will have little impact on the uber-rich; those most affected will likely be the same group of people who lost their age pension a few years back when the asset test limit was changed. You can start to understand why retirees are fed up.

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Investing, property, retirement Alex Jamieson Investing, property, retirement Alex Jamieson

Bestsellers on retirement or investment planning: fiction or non-fiction?

A few years back, I attended an executive course run by University of Nebraska, Omaha. It took place just prior to the annual general meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, also in Omaha Nebraska. The focus of the course was to explore a range of fundamental valuation techniques and hear from key executives within Berkshire Hathaway.

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Investing Alex Jamieson Investing Alex Jamieson

Could bitcoin actually get your kids interested in investing?

I often hear parents lament that their kids have no interest in investing, and they ask me how might they entice them to be more engaged. With all the distractions of social media, computer games and other interests competing for their time and attention, I can see why kids might not be jumping up and down at the thought of developing an investment portfolio.

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Investing Alex Jamieson Investing Alex Jamieson

Should investors participate in class actions?

A flurry of class actions over the past few years raises the question: is this area of law becoming the new feeding ground for ambulance-chasing lawyers?

The marketing and PR is slick: ‘If we don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay a cent’; ‘Just register for the class action and you might receive some money; if it fails, you don’t have to pay anything’.

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Investing, superannuation, managed fund Alex Jamieson Investing, superannuation, managed fund Alex Jamieson

Are industry super funds headed for an asset allocation disaster?

Superannuation funds within the retail and industry super fund market usually offer ‘balanced’ or ‘growth’-based investment options. But what does this really mean; and aren’t these funds all the same?

On 31 May 2017, Vanguard’s Balanced Index Fund reported an allocation to growth-based assets of 49.9%.

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Investing Alex Jamieson Investing Alex Jamieson

Who gets a higher return- a trader or an investor?

I was recently watching a Disney movie with my two young boys, who are going through a basketball phase. The film featured real-life basketball star Kevin Durant, who presently plays for Oklahoma City Thunder. Incidentally, he earns a nice income of around USD 17.83 million a year… Anyway, in the movie his work ethic catchphrase is: “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”.

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