Tag: linkedin

A flooded economy?

With the majority of our clients in QLD, there will be few reading this that haven’t already been affected in some way by flooding over the past month. This article will try to piece together some of the expected impact to our financial futures, and offers some avenues for assistance, including links to Government payments that are now available. If you are affected or know someone who is, please share this with them.
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Flipping Orangutans!

There are many people who advertise the ways to make money in the stock market, or buying property, yet strangely the percentage of the population who hit the really high wealth mark doing so, is very small. Who is really making money out of those trading plans and property investments? Over s series of posts I will discuss a few factors and present some opinions on this.

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PIMCO: The Myth of Diversification: Risk Factors vs. Asset Classes

Sourced from PIMCO Australia, 24 Sept 2010. Download PDF



The word “risk” derives from the early Italian risicare, which means “to dare.” In this sense, risk is a choice rather than a fate.
– Peter L. Bernstein

Diversification often disappears when you need it most.

Continue reading PIMCO: The Myth of Diversification: Risk Factors vs. Asset Classes

Dude, where’s my insurance?

After spending so much money on something like a car, it makes sense to protect it with insurance.

But the problem for many Australian households is that their vehicles are better protected than the people who drive them.

When you look at how much life insurance actually costs, you’ll see it stacks up extremely well against car insurance – particularly when you consider the potential benefits.

The table below shows the premiums for a 35 year old accounts clerk (non-smoker) who earns $60,000 p.a. and takes out:

  • Life Cover – $1 million sum insured
  • Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Cover – $1 million sum insured
  • Income Secure Cover – $3,750 monthly benefit (payable to age 65). If this cover was required for example at age 35 – this would protect $2.7 million of income.

Source: ING Life

At $159.34 per month for a female, and $137.25 for a male, both customers are paying less for life insurance than they would for comprehensive insurance on a new $60,000 family wagon.

What’s more, Income Secure premiums are generally tax-deductible, which helps make life insurance even more affordable.

For families, the only way to stay truly covered is to maintain insurance on all of your most valuable assets – including your home, your car, and yourself.

If it’s time for a review, make an appointment with your financial adviser or call us on 133 667. One day it could make all the difference.

Continue reading Dude, where’s my insurance?

What can you do to extend your life?

Live Long and Prosper

“Live Long and Prosper”. The phrase made famous by the Vulcan’s on Star Trek has been an aim of mankind for an age. Modern medicine and higher wealth and standards of living are making in increasingly possible. What can we do to live longer?

As a financial planner, a great deal of my time is spent helping people achieve the second part, “prosper”. It involves an array of strategies from savings plans, investment strategies, tax and strategic management and providing an understanding of what funds people need to meet their expectations. It can be a very technical field which I love. The former part is a little more challenging, and I regularly spend time investigating modern research into longevity.

It is not just eating right and exercise that can help us live a longer, more prosperous life. A number of factors including our parents, our surroundings, social relationships and importantly, our attitude have significant influence.

Positive Thinking

Positive thinking tends to be a key attribute in many people outliving the average. Many people see milestones such as 40, 50 or 60 as significant steps that mean they cannot do the things they used to. Having a negative attitude about your job can also be working against you. Even just thinking these things can lead you to slow down, “age” and not be able to do what you did before. That same process happens at 25, 55, or 75… The power of the mind will impact greatly on your power in life.

If you want to live longer; it is important to feel good about yourself!

We will explore more factors in living longer in future articles and blogs. Until then, “Live Long and Prosper”!