(02) 9363 2900
No major changes have been announced to the eligibility rules for social security (or Veterans’ Affairs) welfare payments. However, the 1 January 2017 reductions to the assets test which have already been legislated from last year’s Budget are soon approaching and many welfare recipients will see payments reduced or lost as a result. Removal of
Read More...Can investors predict when to buy and sell securities? Jim Davis, PhD runs more than 780 tests on data from 15 stock markets to test this theory.
Read More...We recently published an article on our website (link here) which identified the rule changes that came into effect 1st January 2016. In essence residents who entered a residential aged care facility after this date will have rental income from their former home assessed for the aged care means test. The impact of this for
Read More...Do you ever listen to the news and find yourself thinking that the world has gone to the dogs? The rollcall of depressing headlines seems endless. But look beyond what the media calls news and there also are a lot of things going right. It’s true the world faces challenges in maintaining stable and well-functioning
Read More...Saving up your deposit is the first step in buying a home and when your bank account balance starts to look good it’s easy to get excited. But it pays to be realistic. Exactly how much money is enough? In this article we take a look at some of the upfront costs involved with buying
Read More...March is the time of year when Warren Buffett – known as the most successful investor in the world, delivers his annual letter to his rather fortunate Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. The letter is published annually ahead of Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting, described by Buffett as “Woodstock for capitalists”. It has been 51 years since he
Read More...The twists and turns of financial markets in the opening weeks of 2016 have left many investors feeling like victims of car sickness. So what’s driving the volatility, how unusual is it and what can you do about it? Volatility is not unusual at times of heightened uncertainty. Some of the issues cited as unsettling
Read More...The renewed volatility in global financial markets has revived memories for many investors of the alarming events of 2008 and raised questions about what is the best course of action during times of such upheaval. While we do not intend to downplay the distress some people may be feeling, the points below may offer a
Read More...New Year is a customary time to speculate. In a digital age, when past forecasts are available online, market and media professionals find it harder to hide their blushes when their financial predictions go awry. But there are ways around that. The ignominy that goes with making bold forecasts was highlighted in a recent newspaper
Read More...Aside from reports on shark attacks and cricket, the onset of the festive season and summer in Australia and New Zealand are traditionally lean times in the news business. So the forecasters come out to play. Thinly staffed newsrooms and the prospect of lots of blank space to fill over the holidays prompt hard-pressed editors
Read More...