In this 21st Episode of AJ Radio we take a look at what investors should be thinking about before the close of the financial year. We also discuss some changes to Centrelink and the latest news on RBA and interest rate cuts. Finally, we also hear Alex’s insights learnt from the latest CFA Conference in London on emerging markets.

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.

If you have more than $1.6 million in super, presently you might find that you are unable to make any further after-tax contributions (non-concessional contributions) into your super.

This cap limit is based on a per person limit and was introduced as a result of the government’s idea of restricting how much one person can have in their super at retirement at a reduced tax rate of 0%.

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.

In this 21st Episode of AJ Radio we look at forecasts and what we can expect in 2019 for the markets, economy and everything financial. We also flashback to last years forecast episode on February 14th 2018 to see if our market predictions were correct.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

Around $2.5 billion has reportedly flowed into the industry super fund Hostplus in recent times. This influx of funds has largely been on the back of media commentators promoting Hostplus, in particular its Hostplus Index Balanced Fund.

Our own Shaun Gilbert recently attended the the CFA Annual Conference in New York. Hear his insights on how effective company acquisitions are, what can we expect from the trade war between US & China, how to spot a recession, and lots more.

In this 20th Episode of AJ Radio we challenge some paradigms of investing and retirement. As the financial world is no always logical, we raise some interesting questions when thinking of the amount of funding for your retirement and if higher returns for investments are better.

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.

In this 19th Episode of AJ Radio we crack open a segment of the investment market that was once thought perhaps to be a trivial area. Now, with a projected 2.3 billion people participating in this area of the market and a forecasted spend of $137.9 billion in 2018, this area of the market is no longer a niche player. This episode takes a closer look at what is transpiring in this exciting video game market and the opportunities it presents for investors.

When it comes to retirement most people believe more is best, but is this always the case? Have the Centrelink changes that came into effect last year distorted reality; has the $350k super fund become the new $900k – without all the extra effort of squirrelling away so much for retirement?

In this 18th Episode of AJ Radio we look at inheritances – what are the changes that have occurred in this area, what are the common mistakes people make with giving and also receiving inheritances, and also how you can best optimise a potential inheritance.

In this 17th Episode of AJ Radio we look at forecasts and what we can expect in 2018 for the markets, economy and everything financial.

In this 16th Episode of AJ Radio we discuss how to keep a level head when the markets go crazy. To understand this, we chat with Dr Frank Murtha, Managing Director of Marketpsych and a leading expert in investing psychology, who give us some fascinating insights to put yourself in the right investing mindset.

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.