Investment education articles & tips

The Impact of Risk

In our previous newsletter, we looked at the impact of the capital growth and the yield of an investment asset by considering an example of an investor owning shares in a fictitious company.  The example looked at the different outcome that would result, depending on whether the investor was seeking an investment which offers the prospect of a hig...

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Feeling Brave?

Who was it that said “fortune favours the brave?” Or who was it that got credit for it in the modern age, as I’m sure throughout history this comment would have been reeled off several hundreds of times around the world as men went to war for the control of land, its people and its wealth. Fortunately, and pardon the pun, these days the sa...

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Rental Yields Vs. Term Deposits

With the further cut in the cash rate announced this month by the RBA, the banks will shortly start to announce their new savings deposit rates, which are coming down with each cut. Some commentators are talking about the cash rate getting as low as 2.5% which means it’s cheaper for the banks to access money from the RBA than via customers’ ...

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Financial Sacrifices and Choices

This month commentary has evolved from the clear message that comes out of ANZAC day each year – Sacrifice.  Our Diggers’ case represents the most poignant and refined definition of the word.  The men and women of Australia back then and today are still choosing to make a sacrifice for the greater good of their community.  Some of them makin...

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ATO Ruling on Interest Capitalisation

After earlier releasing a draft ruling on interest capitalisation the ATO has finally released its ruling: TD 2012/1. In property investing terms, interest capitalisation is where a person or entity is claiming interest costs on top of the original interest costs and instead of paying the original interest the borrower is paying down other non-d...

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The Impact of Growth vs Yield

Growth vs Yield? In whichever kind of investment, this question has always brought along endless debates. In previous newsletters, we have discussed the impact of the capital growth of an investment asset and the yield or income produced by that asset.  In the majority of long term investment strategies, both of these factors are important.  The ...

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How Does a Property Investor Ensure that they Buy Well?

Every aspiring property investor is gripped with fear about the impact of their selection when I first meet with them. Their questions range from "where should I buy?" to "what do you think of off-the-plan apartments?" The answer is simple - there are MANY factors that you need to take into consideration to ensure that you buy well; it's not JUST a...

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The Impact of Yield

In an earlier article, we identified that there are many different investment assets available to use in a strategy designed to deliver long term wealth creation, and that different investment vehicles differ in a number of key characteristics.  In the previous newsletter, we talked about the capital growth of an asset and how it could affect the ...

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Smart Decisions Boil Down to Smart Numbers

Who knows what a correlation coefficient measurement is? Answer: A very sophisticated measure that determines the degree to which two random linear variables movements are associated. The correlation coefficient is calculated as: The calculation will result in a figure between -1 or +1.  A zero result indicates no linear relationship ...

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How Much Money is Enough?

If you stopped work today, how much money would you have to live off before it all ran out? If you stopped work today, how much income would your investments generate?  Would it be enough to live off?  Would you eventually have to sell down on your investments to ensure you had enough money to live off? How much is enough? If you have read s...

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The Impact of Capital Growth

In an earlier newsletter, we identified that there are many different investment vehicles available to use in a strategy designed to deliver long term wealth creation, and that these different approaches differ in a number of key characteristics, including : their upfront and ongoing cost in terms of both time and money, the extent to which ...

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Predictability in an Unpredictable Time

How does that saying go…"Change is the only certainty in our world”.  It’s true, all things change, some quicker than others, but over time change is inevitable. When you put your investor’s hat on the same thing rings true. Markets are constantly changing.  Investments that were nice earners over the past few years might now be stagna...

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Can You Compete and Beat the Best?

Did you stay up and watch that Epic men’s final of the Australian Open between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal?  WOW, what a match!  I confess I only watch it up until around midnight when the rain delay hit, as yes I needed to go to work in the morning. In watching that match it staggered me just how two men can hit the ball so hard and so ...

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