In the Media

How to Get the Best Deal in a Takeover

Daily Telegraph - 26 May 15

IINet sounds more like something out of a Terminator movie than an investment listed on the Australian exchange. Rather than being “terminated”, iiNet (IIN) may soon be swallowed up by TPG Telecom (TPM). Now if you hold IIN, or any company that may be a possible takeover target, then you need to know how to determine a fair price for your shares. Firstly, there is more than one way for a takeover to occur: Via a friendly takeover or acquisition, where the bidding company makes an offer to the board of the target company, the board likes the offer and shareholders are advised to accept the deal and they vote on it; or a hostile takeover...

It's time to get it right on super

Daily Telegraph - 19 May 15

Compulory super has been around for 30 years and yet so many still retire on a government pension, or don’t have enough super to live a comfortable retirement, and this is likely to continue for decades. Why is this? I believe part of the reason is that governments have failed to get the legislation right. Every year, right before the release of the federal Budget in May, superannuation is hotly debated. But most of what is said doesn’t help you — it’s mostly hot air...

What to do With Medibank Stocks

Australian National Review - 12 May 15

Investors have been watching closely as their Medibank Private shares have fallen by around 15 per cent from the recent high of $2.59 in February 2015, to around $2.20, at the time of writing. So where does this leave you if you are holding the stock? As mentioned in articles previously written by me, the first 12 months post any float, the ride for investors is often a very rocky one. Statistics show this is the case as they indicate that more than 50 per cent of floats trade below their issue price within the first 12 months...

Read the Markets Like You Do Footy

Geelong Advertiser - 25 Apr. 15

It’s that time of year again. Football fever is running hot, go Cats! Just as you can use your knowledge of how players and their teams have performed in the past to determine the likely victor in 2015, so too you can use price history for stocks and sectors on our market to determine where they — and therefore where the overall market — will be trading this year. Early in the season, it’s not easy to pick the champion team or even the final eight. However, knowing last year’s best increases your odds in the next. And, as the weeks unfold and your knowledge of the teams and players grows, you narrow down your short list, using probability to determine the final eight....

We Maybe Losing Control Over Our Super

Australian National Review - 21 Apr. 15

These days we want more control over our super, not less. However, it appears that the time for Australians to have full control over where our money is invested may be coming to an end. For a long time, I have said that it was just a matter of time before governments would tinker with our super, and there is talk at the moment that with the release of the next Federal budget, as well as more cuts, there will be changes to superannuation...