You may have seen recent headlines about increased market volatility following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. While these developments have understandably unsettled markets in the short term, it’s important to keep them in perspective. Historically, geopolitical events rarely have a lasting impact on long-term investment outcomes. Periods of uncertainty often lead to sharp but temporary market movements, particularly when investors are reacting to concerns around energy...

The new year is just around the corner and, while many are thinking about the holidays, a little planning now can help get your finances off to a flying start in 2026. It’s not just getting your paperwork done or starting your end-of-financial-year preparations, it’s also about spending some time considering the strategic side of your personal finances or business operations to make it more successful. Where the ATO is focusing With some changes to personal tax rules this finan...

In a world of constant financial noise, from market updates and interest rate speculation to economic forecasts, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and choose to do nothing. But inaction can be costly when it comes to building long-term wealth. Whether it’s leaving money in cash, delaying investment decisions or ignoring the power of regular contributions, the financial consequences of sitting still can quietly erode your future goals. Small, consistent actions can make a significant...

Bonds are not usually the flashy upstarts of the investment world with their every move reported, like stocks. But the Trump Administration’s extraordinary refashioning of world trade, with on-again off-again tariffs of eye watering amounts, has put bond markets in a similar position to share markets – in turmoil. So, with the bond markets attracting more attention than usual, we take a closer look at the asset class. What is a bond? A bond is a bit like an interest-only loan ...

SMSFs - Keeping it in the Family Self managed super funds (SMSFs) can offer their members many benefits, but one that is often overlooked is their potential as a multigenerational wealth creation and transfer vehicle. Family SMSFs are relatively rare. According to the most recent ATO statistics (2022-23), the majority of SMSFs (93.2 per cent) have only one or two members.i Just 6.6 per cent have three or four members and only 0.3 per cent have five or six members (the maximum allo...