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.
Is your super fund using performance-enhancing drugs?
These days whenever I watch sport, I can’t help wondering whether the competitors that win are using performance-enhancing drugs. I think ever since the Lance
When does a brand lose authenticity?
For some time I have been thinking about the following equation and asking myself, does it hold true? Increase business size = lost authenticity
A new way to beat Centrelink’s Age Pension assets test limit?
Centrelink’s changes to the Age Pension assets test limit in January 2017 cut off access to the Age Pension for many retirees, when the maximum value of assets owned to obtain the age pension was reduced.
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.
How can I tell if my super fund provider is in financial difficulty?
I recently reviewed Media Super’s Annual Report after reading a media article that reported them purchasing a 429-year-old violin as an investment. I thought this was an odd investment for a regulated super fund. Was this a responsible decision given the opaque market of collectables and the high transactional costs associated with such investments? And, how did this get past APRA? It triggered me to investigate Media Super’s investment policy.
What next for Australian property?
There have recently been many articles in the media regarding changing property prices. Unlike shares, which can be accurately tracked day-to-day, property is historically an opaque market with less visibility on price movements. However, over the past few years computers with sophisticated programming have been able to track property markets more accurately and provide an increasing level of transparency.
Does your retirement super need to be ‘Zengosaidan’?
I often like to read ‘peculiar’ books that give me some insights into different ways of thinking. I recently came across a book review in The Monocle Minute. It inspired me to buy the book:
Which would you prefer: a 7% or 12% return on your super?
It seems like a simple enough question. If you had a balance investment option in your super, would you choose a 7% or 12% return? Yet, before you decide it’s a no-brainer, it’s worth probing a little deeper into what could cause this 5% variance, as the reporting returns are not standardised.
Are you about to be gouged on foreign currency fees?
Moving a large amount of money between countries can be a nerve-wracking process. Often people use their local bank for this type of transaction. The main benefits of doing so are that it is a relatively simple process, and they are dealing with a financial institution they feel they can trust.