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Most people view share market downturns as unequivocally bad events. Suddenly, hard earned savings aren’t worth as much as they were yesterday. It seems as if our money is evaporating, and in the heat of the moment selling up can look like the best course of action. The alternative view But on the opposite side of each share sale is a buyer who thinks that they are getting a bargain. Instead of getting 10 shares to the dollar yesterday, they might pick up 12 or 15 to the dollar today. When the market recovers, the bargain hunters can book a tidy profit. So why do share markets experience downturns, and what are the upsides? A range of natural and manmade events can trigger market selloffs: Terrorist attacks Infectious disease outbreaks such as SARS and COVID-19 Wars, the possibility of war, and geopolitical issues such as threats to oil supplies Economic upheavals, the bursting of speculative investment bubbles, and market ‘corrections’ In short, anything that is likely to reduce the ability of a broad range of companies to make money is likely to trigger a market sell off. The common thread that runs through the causes of downturns is uncertainty. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks nobody knew what the size of the threat was, and markets dropped. As the fear of further attacks receded, markets soon recovered. However, the initial drop in market value occurred quite rapidly. By the time many investors got out of the market the damage was already done. Paper losses were converted to real losses, and spooked investors were no longer in a position to benefit from the upswing. After the initial sell off it took the ASX200 Accumulation Index just 36 days to completely recover from 9/11. Other downturns and recoveries take longer. The Global Financial Crisis began in October 2007, and it wasn’t until nearly six years later that the ASX200 Accumulation Index recovered its lost ground. This caused real pain to investors who bought into the market at its pre-crash peak, but for anyone with cash to invest after the fall, this prolonged recovery represented years of bargain hunting opportunities. If? Or when? Of course, much hinges on whether or not markets recover. While history isn’t always a reliable guide to the future it does reveal that, given time, major share market indices in stable countries usually do recover. It’s also important to remember that shares generally produce both capital returns and dividend income. Reinvesting dividends back into a recovering market can be an effective way of boosting returns. Seek advice Of course, it’s only natural for investors to be concerned about market downturns, but it’s crucial not to panic and sell at the worst possible time. The fact is that downturns are a regular feature of share markets. However, they are unpredictable, so it’s a good idea to keep some cash in reserve, to be able to make the most of the opportunities that arise whenever the share market does go on sale. For advice on how to avoid the pitfalls and reap the benefits offered by market selloffs, speak to us today.   This is general information only

When you invest over a period of time, compound interest is your best friend. In effect, it means you are earning interest not just on your own capital, but also on the interest you’ve already earned. Over the long term, this might be phrased as “interest on interest on interest on interest on interest …” or more simply, “free money”! So how do you get this free money? This is how… A simple start Imagine you place $100 in an investment that earns 10% pa. At the end of one year, you’ve earned $10. Then you spend all the interest you receive. At the end of each year, your investment amount is back to $100. That’s simple interest. At the end of 10 years, you will still have your $100, and you will have received a total of $100 in interest. I = P(1+r)n-P Don’t worry, we’ll do the maths for you. It calculates your net profit when you earn interest on the interest. That’s what compounding is all about. Going back to our first example – if you re-invest the interest on your original $100, at the end of the first year you will have $110. Leaving it invested at 10% pa, you will earn interest of $11 in the second year, bringing the total in the account to $121. If you keep going for 10 years, your investment will grow to $270.70 – that’s your original $100 plus $170.70 in interest. Time is money – literally This example may not seem so impressive, but the power of compound interest really shines over the long term. Looking at our simple situation and taking the interest out each year for 30 years, you will earn a total of $300 in interest. But relying only on the compounding of the interest (ie. no other deposits are made), the total interest earned over the same time would be $1,883.74. A child born today could easily live to 100. Simple interest on a $100 investment would amount to $1,000 over their lifetime. Left to compound untouched at 10%, that same investment would grow to $2,113,241! Even on such a small initial investment, that’s an incredible difference! The other critical factor is the actual rate of earnings. If the earnings rate dropped just 1% to 9% pa, a one-hundred-year investment would grow to only $783,548 A couple of drags Don’t forget to take into account tax and inflation. They act as drags on investment performance. Let’s assume investment earnings remain at 10% pa and are fully taxable. What will your $100 grow to over 30 years at different tax rates? As for inflation, although we are currently experiencing very low inflation, nobody knows how long this will last. If it reaches the Reserve Bank’s target of 3%pa, you will need $2.43 in 30 years’ time to buy something that costs $1.00 today. There are many ways of minimising the effects of tax and inflation. Picking the right tax environment is clearly important. Capital gains are only taxed when an investment is sold, so growth assets have an advantage over those that only produce income. They also cope better with inflation. Investment risk Always remember, seeking higher returns generally involves taking higher risks but some of those risks can be managed with an effective and professionally constructed investment strategy. If you want to take advantage of “the most powerful force in the universe” contact us for a chat.   This is general information only  

If you entered the world between 1980 and 1996 you’re part of the “millennial generation”. You’ve grown up in an age of unprecedented abundance and incredible technical innovation, and as a group, enjoy a greater wealth of opportunity – professionally, socially and recreationally – than any previous generation. Many goods and services have never been cheaper in real terms, allowing you to live more for today than adopting your parents’ and grandparents’ single-minded focus on buying a home and saving for retirement. Career or a combo? That’s not to say you don’t face challenges. Increased employment casualisation, short-term contracting, and the threat of automation, can potentially threaten your job security. Or you might actually embrace a ‘come and go’ career, interweaving periods of work with stints of travel, child-raising or volunteering. Indeed, many millennials are discovering that the whole concept of work versus recreation is becoming blurred. With a computer the primary tool of trade in many professions, you may be able to work just as easily from a spare bedroom in Berlin or Barcelona as in Parramatta or Perth. Medical advances promise a long and healthy life, meaning you may not even intend to ‘retire’, choosing to work for as long as health allows. Is home ownership that important? Some of your cohort find it liberating not to be tied down to one place by a mortgage and a heap of stuff, however the likelihood is that if you haven’t bought a house already, you still aspire to the great Australian dream of home ownership. This is a real challenge particularly for younger millennials and may involve unacceptable compromises such as living a long distance from work. But attitudes to long-term renting are changing. While Australia has yet to develop both the culture and cooperative ownership structures that make life-long home rental the norm in some countries, it’s a sure bet that enterprising millennials are working to change that. In any case, renting can be an economically viable alternative to buying. There’s an app for that Whether it’s finding a meaningful job, financing a new venture through crowd funding, borrowing through P2P platforms, finding a house or just a room, or even looking for love, you know where to find the apps. Still, with the mass of opportunities that have arisen from greater connection and changing social attitudes, life is in many ways more complicated than it was for your forebears. Let’s talk about money Managing money is no exception. For a start, there’s the challenge of working out what the right balance is between funding a desirable lifestyle now and saving for medium and long term goals. Once that’s decided there are the questions of how to save and where to invest. The Internet is awash with information and advice, with much of it of a high standard. Unfortunately this is balanced by a vast amount of misinformation and an abundance of shonky investment offers, making it difficult to distinguish the good from the bad. Fortunately, help is at hand. We’ve made it our business to understand the wants and needs of all generations. There is more to life than saving for retirement and maximising entitlement to the age pension. If you have that millennial feeling and need some advice on how to manage your unique financial needs to get as much out of life as possible, explore our website a little more, find us on Adviser Ratings, then contact us for a chat.   This is general information only  

Many people treat their home loan as a set-and-forget, riding out whatever the original loan terms and prevailing interest rates dish up. They may be doing themselves a disservice, as there are several ways in which borrowers can benefit from refinancing their mortgage. 1. Find a lower interest rate.Whether interest rates are rising or falling, in a competitive mortgage market you may be able to refinance your mortgage at a lower interest rate. The benefits are that you can then… 2. Reduce your home loan repayments. For a given loan term the lower the interest rate the lower your repayments. This then frees up some of your income for other purpose. Or you can… 3. Shorten the term of your loan.If you maintain your current repayments with a lower interest rate loan, you’ll pay it off sooner and save heaps on interest. 4. Switch from a fixed to a variable rate mortgage (or vice versa).A fixed rate home loan can help you lock in an interest rate for several years into the future. This can provide some protection against rising interest rates. Conversely, when interest rates are falling, a variable rate loan is the better way to go. Be aware, however, that even the experts often get it wrong when it comes to predicting the direction of future interest rates. 5. Consolidate debt or access equity.If your home has increased in value then refinancing may allow you to access some of the greater equity you have in your home. This may allow you to pay off higher interest debt, such as credit cards, take a holiday, or pay for renovations. Take careWhile refinancing a home loan can be a winning strategy that’s not automatically the case. There will likely be costs involved in both paying off the existing loan and in establishing the new loan. If the difference in interest rates between the old and new loans is small, it may be hard to gain a benefit. And take care when refinancing for debt consolidation or to free up equity. If you promptly max-out the credit card you’ve just paid off, you could be digging a deeper debt hole for yourself. To find out what would work best in your circumstances, please contact us today.   This is general information only  

Most people can choose to own life insurance themselves or to hold this insurance in their superannuation fund. But it’s not a simple decision – the way these policies operate and are taxed may vary depending on whether they are held inside or outside super. A key benefit of having life insurance within your super fund is that the premiums are deducted from your super account, rather than your personal account. The disadvantage is that it can reduce the amount of money you have available in retirement. In some circumstances, the super fund can claim a tax deduction for the cost of the premiums. So it’s tax-efficient because the premiums are effectively paid with pre-tax money. However, it’s important to realise that not every superannuation fund offers every type of life insurance cover. Few super funds offer trauma cover because they can’t claim a tax deduction for these premiums. It may not be possible to get the amount of cover that you need, and the terms are sometimes less comprehensive than a policy owned directly. Another disadvantage is that it’s not always possible to immediately withdraw the money from your super fund. This is because superannuation is designed as a retirement savings vehicle subject to a strict set of rules controlling access. As a result, a beneficiary must satisfy a condition of release as defined in the legislation before receiving any lump sum payment from a Total and Permanent Disability policy held within a super fund. Anyone can own or be a beneficiary of a life insurance policy owned directly, but the options are narrower for policies held in super because the person must be considered a beneficiary under the super, and may end up paying tax on the payout. Another option is to take out cover both through super and directly, and in fact, this combination may sometimes offer the best solution. To find out what would work best in your circumstances, please contact us today.   This is general information only  

According to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report published in September 2018, cancer is the most common cause of death in Australia accounting for more than 29,000 fatalities in 2017. Incredibly, thousands of Australians are underinsured or have no insurance in place to cover the expenses caused by life-threatening illnesses. The grief experienced by family for loved ones suffering is often compounded by the costs associated with treatments forcing some to sell the family home to pay for extra time. If you were one of these statistics, what value would you place on having access to the best available treatment to help you in beating a potentially fatal disease? Think about how important it would be to take as much time off work as you needed to recover and not worrying about having enough money to pay the bills. What is trauma insurance?South African heart surgeon Dr Marius Barnard pioneered the idea of trauma insurance when he regularly witnessed his patients’ families struggling with medical costs. The first policies were offered here in the 1980s. Trauma insurance, also known as ‘living insurance’ provides a lump sum payment in the event that you are diagnosed with or suffer one of a range of traumatic conditions such as cancer, heart attack and stroke. Medical advances have meant that our chances of surviving traumatic events are much better than in the past. However, the cost of treatment can sometimes be beyond your normal means. Without insurance cover, you may need to dip into your children’s education fund or your retirement savings; or you might even have to increase your mortgage to pay for expensive treatment. The difference to income protectionImportantly, a trauma payment is not dependent on you being unfit to work (unlike income protection, where you need a doctor to certify your ongoing health). The diagnosis of a traumatic condition might mean that you physically could go to work, but would prefer to spend time with your family and reduce any work-related stress while you recover and consider how your future will be affected. Trauma insurance can provide the financial support to allow this flexibility with your work arrangements. To make sure you don’t increase the statistics, carefully compare the many variations of trauma policies available. There are significant variations in the features between policies such as the number and types of events covered, premium options and ancillary benefits payable. If you require assistance, please contact us today to obtain the right policy for you.   This is general information only  

Financial planning is about establishing a long-term strategy to secure your financial future with the lifestyle and living standards you desire. ‘Value’ often goes beyond dollars and cents. It can be the peace of mind and security that comes with being better prepared for the future. Once you’ve begun a relationship with a licensed adviser you will quickly see that he or she adds value to your circumstances by helping you in a number of ways. How can a financial planner help? Setting goalsThis process helps you decide where you want to go in life. A skilled financial planner can assist you to identify your financial goals, prioritise them and understand the steps required to turn your vision into reality. By knowing your goals and timeframes, it’s easier to see where to concentrate your efforts. You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise blow you off course. Getting a financial plan startedDeveloping a written plan with a clear emphasis is critical to achieving your financial objectives. Your planner can provide budgeting and debt management advice to help you start creating wealth. Protecting your future dreams with appropriate insurance is another key aspect your planner will manage. Maintaining a diversified portfolioEvery financial planner is required by law to take a client’s risk tolerance into account as part of their personalised financial plan. Diversification is another important tool for managing risk. This means that the advice given and any investments recommended as part of that process are suited to your specific needs and risk level. And these will change to meet your circumstances as they vary throughout life. Being there over the long termGoing your own way is rarely the best option. Most people don’t have the background knowledge to feel confident about making investment decisions that will have a large bearing on their financial future. Keeping up with all of the legislative changes and new investment offers is also an onerous task. Your planner will be there to steer you on your path to financial independence and ensure your plan remains relevant and on track. While investment magazines and online subscription services can provide very useful information, they are often written by journalists with a general grounding in financial concepts but who are not looking at the complete picture. A financial planner is trained to take into account all legislative and strategic implications to ensure you receive the best advice possible… and this training is ongoing. Your financial plan is not a one-off, set-and-forget arrangement. Just as life has its many twists and turns your plan must be flexible and appropriate to your needs at any point in life. Working together with a qualified, experienced and licensed financial planner will help you develop a plan that is tailored to you and your life goals. The opportunity to invest tax-effectively using some of these methods will vary from one person to the next. Make sure you seek advice about how they relate to your own situation. Contact us today to get started!   This is general information only