With the Australian market briefly entering correction territory, has it become more attractive?This week’s Chart of the Week comes from Market Strategist Lochlan Halloway’s analysis on whether investors should buy the dip.
The funds that have been rated negative by our analysts have characteristics in common.
Morningstar has conducted research on active and passive investment strategies and their associated vehicles since 1986. Strategies are given a rating – Gold, Silver, Bronze, Neutral or Negative. These ratings are a summary expression of our analysts’ forward-looking analysis of the investment strategies. The top three ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze all indicate that our analysts expect the rated investment vehicle to beat the Morningstar Category index or category median over the long term.
Read MoreInvestors continue to navigate a dynamic global financial landscape, with interest rate shifts, economic uncertainty, and historical market trends shaping portfolio decisions. The Mercer Asset Class Performance Report – February 2025 provides a deep dive into market performance over the past decade and beyond, analyzing key events that have impacted asset growth.
Read MoreThe global economic landscape continues to evolve, shaped by shifting interest rates, market fluctuations, and geopolitical events. The Mercer Chart Pack for February 2025 provides a comprehensive analysis of key market trends, economic indicators, and investment opportunities.
In this post, we break down the most important takeaways from the latest data to help investors make informed decisions.
Read MoreAn investment property tax expert runs through what every investment property owner should know. One in five of us own an investment property, with 56.7% of Aussie wealth held in housing (at June 2023). It is an incredibly attractive investment option for many investors due to the capital growth that investors have historically seen in property. This is boosted by favourable tax treatment through policies such as negative gearing and the capital gains discount.
Read MoreThe global financial landscape in February 2025 was marked by shifting monetary policies, trade tensions, and mixed market performances. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut interest rates, the U.S. imposed new trade tariffs, and the equity and bond markets experienced fluctuations. Here’s a breakdown of the key developments and their implications for investors
Read MoreDoes the sales pitch for private assets hold up to scrutiny?
Conventional wisdom is a byproduct of groupthink that presents solutions good enough
for the average person while simultaneously not being right for any individual. You
follow it at your peril. The more different you are from the person that defined a rule the
less you should follow the rule. Each Monday I will challenge the investing norms that
just may be holding you back from living the life you want.
Read MoreSuper funds and private assets in the spotlight after ASIC release. On Feb. 26, 2025, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, or ASIC, released a paper titled “Australia’s evolving capital markets: A discussion paper on the dynamics between public and private markets.” The paper discusses the changing Australian capital markets landscape, focusing on both the rapid growth in the capital allocated to private assets and the influence of Australian superannuation funds on private markets.
Read MoreThe rules to age successfully include, 'the unexamined life lasts longer', 'change no more than one-eighth of your life at a time', 'nobody is thinking about you', and 'pursue virtue but don’t sweat it'. I recently happened upon a practical and often humorous book about how to age successfully. It’s called Rules For Ageing by Roger Rosenblatt, a literary overachiever who’s had success as a Harvard lecturer, newspaper editor and columnist, and is the author of 21 books and six plays. I first came across Rosenblatt on the PBS Newshour show years ago, where he regularly presented essays on an array of topics.
Read MoreMorningstar's International Women's Day event brought together a property expert and a financial wellness expert to discuss the best ways to increase financial security. For International Women’s Day, Morningstar brought together leading experts Kitty Parker, an award-winning buyers' agent, and Betsy Westcott, a financial wellness coach. Kitty and Betsy shared their expertise on some of the main financial challenges facing Aussies. They covered homeownership, investing and financial security.
Read MoreHow do you start accessing your super funds when you stop working, or maybe even before you stop working? This covers the basics, including how to switch your super accumulation account to an account-based pension.
Read MoreUnlisted assets make up a growing and significant portion of many industry superfunds. AustralianSuper had 26.6% of their funds in unlisted assets at March 2022. Australian Retirement Trust’s Super Lifecycle investment strategy (Balanced) is 32.93% at June 2023. Nearly 50% of Hostplus’ Balanced MySuper option is in unlisted assets.
When planning for retirement the first step is to provide a cash reserve and the second step is to establish a secure income. A secure and stable income will provide you with peace of mind that you are able to cover your everyday living expenses.
Read MorePension payments in super after the age of 60 are tax free and anyone over 65 can switch their super into a pension account even if they do not change their employment. Why do so many continue paying 15% tax?
Read MoreContribution caps apply to both concessional and non-concessional contributions.
Read MoreWhen a member of a superannuation fund passes away, any benefit they have within superannuation must be cashed as soon as practicable.
Read MoreUnlike standard retail and industry super funds, Super SA ‘Triple S’ offers some unique benefits for its members as a constitutionally protected super fund.
The cost of retirement has hit a record high, with couples needing more than $70,000 a year to fund a comfortable retirement, and $50,000 for singles, according to ASFA.
Read MoreA person who is eligible for Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payments is expected to use their own financial resources to support themself so the ability to gift to others without an impact on entitlements may be limited.
Read MoreA very interesting (and surprising) Private Binding Ruling has been recently released by the ATO (reference details at the foot of the article). In short, because a trustee (of a self-managed superannuation fund) took over 28 weeks to pay a commutation lump sum, the benefit was considered to be a death benefit and not a member benefit.
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