The hedge fund trap

Hedge funds fail to beat the index after fees over the long term

EBikes - Now there’s no excuse

I’ve been a cycle commuter for years, ever since I started employment. In fact I’ve gotten so used to pedalling my way to work, it’s actually a novelty to have to get the train or bus. I must seem like an excited kid on the bus, while

Lastpass Emergency Access

Ever worried about what would happen to your online investment accounts when you die and more importantly how would your loved ones would get access to them? Well Lastpass has now solved this problem with Lastpass Emergency Access. In a nutshell - you give someone you trust access to your

Dividend Imputation

Dividend imputation and franking credits available on shares in Australia

Best online investment services in Australia

By 'best' I mean lowest cost to you as an investor. Diferent brokers charge various fees on the ASX and US markets for shares and ETFs. Therefore I've highlighted the best broker(s) for each of these four categories. Best for U.S. Shares Service % fees*

Financial planning gone bad

You are the only person responsible for your financial future. If it all goes belly up the buck ultimately stops with you. Even if you have been given dodgy advice from a financial manager, it’s your responsibility to do your homework and take responsibility for your investment choices. No

Save your retirement with the investment fees calculator

Did you know that a seemingly small fee of just 1% on your investments can result in you losing more than 20% of your balance over 40 years, and that a 1.5% fee can result in you being deprived of around 30% of your investment over the same time!

The great Australian superannuation rip-off

Recently the Murray Report found that Australian’s are paying double the fees of other Western countries for their retirement. That’s costing us $20 billion dollars each year! Why are Aussies being so badly ripped-off? Well we could blame the superannuation funds for slugging consumers with hidden high fees

The Joy of Index Investing

I'm a big fan of index investing, It's the secret weapon that gives the average Joe the ability to play with and soundly beat the big bully’s of the investment world. What is an Index? Companies comprising an Index have to be ordered by a

Credit cards as interest free loans?

Over the last few years I've been making use of the 0% spending rate on new credit cards and then transferring the balance to a 0% balance transfer cards. As you might expect I've racked up a considerable amount of debt, albeit at 0% interest + annual

You get what you pay for, don't you?

Just because something is expensive does not mean it is better. Cost is actually now part of the marketing of some products, for example Stella Artois does not hide this fact with the tag line ‘reassuringly expensive’ Some other examples where a higher price does not guarantee a better product

Playing Footises - FTSE 250 knocks the FTSE 100 out the park!

IS the FTSE 250 allways a better bet than the FTSE 100? Historically, it seems to have always outperformed the FTSE 100 index. Look at this comparison below over the last 17 years. The FTSE 250 has returned about 250% whereas the FTSE 100 has gained not very much at

Where should I stick my hard earned dough?

Here are some ideas ordered by likely return Investment Type Expected Return Paying off credit card debt -15.0% - 0% Installing solar panels on your house 5.0% - 15.0% Real estate investment property 5.0% - 15.0% Electric vehicle 2% - 3% Collecting wine -20% -

Mortgage freedom four years early

How you might say? I don’t have extra money just lying around to stash into my home loan. Well, this one surprised me, and it takes just a few minutes to set up. Switch to fortnightly repayments instead of monthly that’s it! This simple trick could save you

superannuation

Are you being screwed by your super?

Sit down, we have some really bad news for you. We hate to say it, but you probably ARE being screwed by your superannuation provider. How do you know? Well ask yourself this one question: What fees am I paying? If you can't answer this question then you&

Recomended Books

Here are some of my favourite books about personal finance, investing, and money management. Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin, 1992 This book changed my life. It introduced me to the concept of being able to live of your investments once they reach a certain amount to generate

Best Of

Best NASDAQ 100 ETF (Australia, UK and US)

By 'best' I mean the lowest cost ETF that tracks the US NASDAQ 100 index. Why the NASDAQ 100? Investing in the Nasdaq 100 can offer several potential benefits: * Exposure to Growth: The Nasdaq 100 is heavily weighted towards technology and growth-oriented companies, which have historically shown strong

Best Of

Best High Interest Savings Accounts (Australia)

Rank Bank Account Interest Rate Conditions 1 Ubank Save Account 5.50% Deposit $500 per month Balances up to $100k 2 AMP Saver Account 5.40% Deposit $1000 previous month Balances up to $250k 3 BOQ Simple Saver Account 4.85% Balances up to $5 million I've not

Best Of

Best International Money Transfer Services

Comparison of the most popular international money transfer services available. The difference can be hundreds! Wise is the winner due to 0% exchange rate markup

The luxury trap and what we can learn from the agricultural revolution

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari makes you think twice about what we call "progress". We often think of big changes like the Agricultural Revolution as a massive win for humans, but Harari flips that idea on its head. He suggests it might actually be "history’s biggest

News

Coming soon

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Ding dong, delivery for you!

Another parcel is plonked onto my doormap and I'm still in my dressing gown sipping a morning coffee :-) Why go shopping when you can get someone else to go for you? My toaster broker last week, but instead of making a special trip to the supermarket I

superannuation

The best superannuation fund is..

Australia

50% return guaranteed!

How you ask? From the superannuation co-contribution. How do I qualify? 1. Earn less than $49,488 2. Have 10% of your income from employment activities How does it work? The government put in 50c for every $1 you contribute this financial year, up to this maximum of $500. So