In the Media

Surviving in an unstable world

Daily Telegraph - 21 Sep. 14

China sends a ripple through the Australian market Recent demonstrations in Hong Kong may be giving you flashbacks of the ill-fated pro-democracy demonstration in 1989, and the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre. You may be asking why I am talking about this, and the answer is that right now we are being bombarded by stories of unrest in the world, and I am being asked how this might impact our market...

The good oil with curbing petrol costs

Daily Telegraph - 18 Sep. 14

When oil goes up, petrol goes up and we all feel the pinch in our back pocket. Some so much that they queue up to beat the price rise, while others attempt to work out which day will give them the low price in the weekly cycle. Right now the price of oil is falling, meaning the pressure is off our wallets when we fill up the car. But how long will this honeymoon last before we again pay more at the bowser? More importantly, what can we do to beat future price hikes...

All That Glitters is Not a Golden Opportunity

Daily Telegraph - 15 Sep. 14

For the modern investor, buying gold certainly has its allure, particularly when other investments can seem more risky, certainly the case around the GFC. Before you get too excited, let me say that not every street is paved with gold, and as with any investment, there are times to buy and times to sell. It is extremely common for investors to fail, simply because they fail to sell. This occurs because they have never learnt how, and is why, when teaching the how, I harp on the setting of stop losses. Investors who fail to set a stop loss, or exit strategy, invariably continue to hold, and as a result, turn a capital gain into a loss...

How to Manage Risk in Finance

Rescu.com.au - 14 Sep. 14

There are times when we need to give more thought to risk than other times, however, most investors get this completely wrong in that when risk in finance is high most don’t see it and when risk is low most still see high risk. I pondered the question of risk while preparing to be lowered into a crocodile enclosure in Darwin recently, and I’d like to share with you what happened. You may say that once in the crocodile enclosure it is probably a bit late to be thinking about risk, but quite to the contrary. I did consider the risks before buying my ticket. However, when being lowered into the enclosure there is real and present...

Secure Your Super

Daily Telegraph - 11 Sep. 14

You probably take comfort knowing part of your weekly pay is locked away in superannuation for your retirement. On the flip side, we tend not to think about what can go wrong for everyone around us if we die before our time. It is natural to assume loved ones will get your super along with any death benefit owing. It is also natural to assume the money will go to them with no fuss, but that is not necessarily the case...