Superannuation funds have recorded another impressive year of returns for members with international technology and Australian banking shares driving above average returns over 2024. Concerns over inflation caused a slow start to the year, with multiple negative monthly returns recorded until October 2023. Increased confidence in the outlook for inflation and ongoing developments in artificial…
A managed fund generates income from its investments – for example, through share dividends, interest on cash or fixed interest investments in the fund, or any gains made when fund investments (like shares) are sold. So in short, a distribution is profit or income made by a fund and paid to investors. How are distributions…
While an exposure to hedge funds can provide a lift to a portfolio’s performance, they also offer the potential to generate high returns… at a risk. What’s a hedge fund and how do they work? Hedge funds typically play an important role in financial markets. In fact, when markets are volatile, hedge fund managers are…
Investing in infrastructure is about investing in the companies that provide essential services to society and earning predictable, reliable returns in the process. More than 350 infrastructure and utility companies are listed on global stock markets, with the sector having a combined market capitalisation in excess of US$4 trillion; about three times the market value…
Investors maintained a healthy risk appetite for much of October, which enabled major share markets to make further progress. Movements in the US set the tone, with the S&P 500 Index rising to fresh all-time highs during the month. Towards month end, however, subdued results from some of the largest technology firms in the US…
As value returns to market favour it’s time to check in on your portfolio – but not all value exposure is created equal. A notable comeback in value stocks over the past six months is an important reminder for investors to reassess their portfolio allocations. Value stocks, which typically trade at a discount to their…
You don’t have time When you’re juggling your job with your personal and family life, it can be challenging to carve out time in your schedule to really sit down with your finances. As a result, it’s easy to feel that they are slipping out of your control. You find yourself putting off big financial…
Some of us may help provide assistance to our ageing parents or other relatives in the future. That time may bring a range of emotional and physical challenges. Planning ahead may help relieve stress down the track. Here are three suggestions that may make a difference. Talk about your parents’ future It may not be…
Just as it is vital to invest in the financial planning, retirement planning must also focus on that other precious commodity – time. We live in an era of increasing longevity, and we have the opportunity to redefine the concept of retirement and create our own path forward – which may include working in some…
Looking for higher returns than cash in the bank with less volatility than shares and property? With interest rates generally considered to be at or near their peak, fixed interest investments, such as bonds and other credit investments, may offer an attractive ‘middle ground’. Interest rates represent the cost of borrowing money. They affect how…