Education

Twenty years ago, increasing the income from your portfolio was straightforward: switch from shares to any other asset class, as dividend yields were lower than interest rates or income distributions from property trusts. Today, it’s not that easy. To beat the grossed-up dividend yield on Australian shares today, you can skew... Show More

This is, without doubt, one of the most common challenges facing many Livewire readers today and is a topic that comes up repeatedly. At the core of the issue is the simple fact that record low-interest rates mean the returns from many income-generating assets are too skinny to live off.... Show More

The Australian share market is heavily concentrated amongst the largest companies both in terms of market capitalisation and industry sector. The top 20 stocks dominate the share market with the S&P/ASX 20 stocks amongst the most widely held and researched companies in Australia.Given the large concentration of the ASX top... Show More

When building a balanced investment portfolio, most investors seek exposure to the four main asset classes – equities, fixed income, property, and cash. One big barrier to entry for many investors is knowing exactly how and what to invest in. Choosing investments like individual stocks, can be overwhelming and understandably... Show More

Going against human instinct and taking a contrarian approach to investing is not for everyone. It takes practice, and commitment in your convictions as well as restraint and patience. For a contrarian investor, getting 60% of your investments right is a good result. But by definition, that means getting it... Show More

The ALP is proposing a raft of tax changes that will negatively impact after tax outcomes for many Australian investors should they be enacted. Arguably the most controversial is the removal of cash refunds of franking credits which we have written extensively on in 2018, but they are also proposing... Show More

If the definition of crazy is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results, then Mr Market is undoubtedly crazy. Simon Shields, Principal at Monash Investors, says there are several behaviours that he observes that cause stock mispricings over and over again. He identifies three common ways that shares... Show More

Dr Philipp Hofflin was a late starter when it came to investing. That’s because he dedicated years of his life to academic study, ultimately earning a PhD in Magnetohydrodynamics. By his own admission, this deep knowledge on a single topic offered very little practical application, which lead him to pursue... Show More

You hear a lot about the concept of disruption and the impact that this is having on established brands. The rise of social media has been a key enabler for small challenger brands to reach consumers and gain market share in sectors like retail that have been dominated by large... Show More

Contrarian investing is like an extreme form of value investing; contrarians will make investments that even a bold value manager would baulk at. It’s a fact of investing in unloved (and, in some cases, distressed) companies that some of the companies you invest in will fail. Simon Mawhinney, Chief Investment... Show More