First-home buyer numbers surge

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Housing finance Number of home loans: The number of loans (commitments) by home owners (owner-occupiers) fell by 0.9 per cent in November after rising by 2.1 per cent in October (the... Read more continue reading

CIO Insights: Bonds perform for portfolios in the final quarter of 2018

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In 2018, many Australian investors missed a cornerstone defensive allocation that diversified risk when the rest of portfolios struggled. According to Bloomberg, major global equity markets returned -6% to -25%, global... Read more continue reading

Get your paperwork in order for 2019 and your family will thank you

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The annual new year clean out and declutter is well under way – and Australia’s leading specialist trustee company Equity Trustees is recommending that everyone includes a tidy-up of some... Read more continue reading

Australian ETF market grows amid challenging investment environment

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Australians have over $40 billion of their savings invested in exchange traded funds (ETFs) according to the latest figures released by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). While volatile markets resulted... Read more continue reading

Fund members to take centre stage in 2019

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2019 is set to be a year of significant technical, strategic, and regulatory change for the Australian superannuation and insurance sectors, with long-term implications for all stakeholders in these industries,... Read more continue reading

The resilience of dividends in volatile markets

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With interest rates around the world hovering around historical lows, investor appetite for alternative income sources, particularly dividends, has increased markedly. Although some investors might be fearful of dividends being... Read more continue reading

Will the US yield curve invert?

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And what will that tell us about the economy, equities and real estate? It’s been 10 years since the global financial crisis tore through markets in the months surrounding the... Read more continue reading

The cost of care – part 2 – mental health

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In analysing common methodologies used across the life insurance advice sector, we were able to identify a missing link that could help advice be more tailored and personalised. The Cost... Read more continue reading

Take action early to manage aged care needs

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For many people, going into aged care is not a choice but something that is forced onto them; however there are steps they and their families can take to help... Read more continue reading

What happens to a testator’s Will after divorce?

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Going through a divorce may upset the best laid out estate plans by partially or completely revoking a couple’s Wills. Jennifer and Thomas were married for 5 years before Jennifer... Read more continue reading