These days a lot of people seem pretty interested in Managed Funds, with their flashy marketing and slick offices…. but do they really offer real value for money?

With the summer break quickly approaching, we will see a lot of people taking time off to enjoy the some R&R. This relaxing time off also provides one with a unique opportunity for reflection. One question which might creep into one’s mind is “ I go on holidays each year, but should I buy a holiday

I was recently flying back on a REX commercial prop plane from the regional town of Mt Gambier (close to the boarder of South Australia) after visiting some of our clients.

In 1976 the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) cash rate was around 12.85% and the average home loan back then was around 15.35% to 17% p.a. Today some 38 years on, things are very different with the RBA cash rate at 2.5% and the average home loan is around 5%.

The other day I received an e-mail that my brother in-law’s advertising agency had recently been listed as one of the BRW fastest growing companies. Out of the top 100 listed he was ranked 31st with an annual growth of 80% which was pretty impressive!

Which is the most valuable brand in 2014? BrandZ report each year provides us the answer to this question. Sometimes when it comes to investing, we forget that the stock price which goes up and down each day is linked to an actual company.

It’s almost July already, and while the calendar year is half over, the 2014/2015 financial year is only just about to start. So, now is a great time to review your situation and make some changes to make the most of the next 12 months of the financial calendar. Here are some tips that should help you to improve your financial situation.

The Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) sector is the fastest growing part of the superannuation industry as many Australians are choosing the ‘do-it-yourself’ route of an SMSF rather than your more traditional personal superannuation accounts and platforms. If you are considering a SMSF there are a few things to consider…. Is my balance high enough?

The above terms are classic marketing tag lines which have been hammered away at people for decades now. The interesting part is that from a consumption and consumer point of view, it has structurally changed the way we spend. The

Albert Einstein famously described compound interest as the 8th wonder of the world. A profound statement given that it was coming from one of the greatest minds of all-time.

Last week I spent a week at the University of Nebraska attending an Executive MBA Course on understanding innovative methodologies to evaluate management and value companies. Omaha is the home town of Warren Buffett and the University of Nebraska provides some amazing degrees to study in this field of investing and security analysis.

I have 2 young boys aged 4 and 6 years old and some days they are the best of friends, and other times they can be the worlds worst enemies. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder what happened on these bad days!

When it comes to investing, throughout my career I have been particularly interested in the equation of whether an

Why some financial ratios should be taken with a pinch of salt…

The start of a new year is normally filled with plenty of optimism for the future as everyone returns to work. This year, however, has started off to a very bumpy start. In the 131-year history of the Australian share market, only five times has the month of January been a final top to a major sell-off: these were in 1901, 1906, 1953, 1973 and most recently, in 2000. We will have wait to see if 2016 will fall into this grouping, or if it is merely a ‘New Year’s Eve hangover’ waiting to be shaken off.