Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Money Magazine

Contact us To send a letter to the editor, write to: Money, Level 7, 55 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000 or email money@moneymag.com.au For all enquiries and letters, please include name, address and phone details. Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Because of the high number of letters received, no personal replies are possible. How to get Money Subscribe to the print or digital edition, as well as our free weekly email newsletter via the Money website or: Online: magshop.com.au/ money-magazine Call: 136 116…

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has introduced legislation requiring businesses such as Uber, Airbnb and Airtasker to report users of their platforms and their related transactions to the tax office. While these electronic distribution platforms (EDPs) have been used by Australians for a number of years, it has been difficult for the ATO to identify and collect income tax from the users. As a result, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 7) Bill 2021 proposes to extend the taxable payment annual reporting scheme to the operators of EDPs so the ATO can identify previously unreported income. As of mid-January, the bill is sitting in the Senate with a proposed date of effect of July 1, 2022 for transactions in relation to taxi travel and short-term accommodation (for example, Uber, Airbnb, Booking.com).…

Many Aussies plan to work beyond 67, according to Fidelity International and research firm MYMAVINS. They found more people work later in life because they enjoy it, it allays boredom and provides a sense of purpose. They also found that retirement is more of an emotional journey and a good retirement comes down to “the six Cs”: circumstances, character, connection, control, confidence and capability. Protecting Seniors Wealth has unveiled new programs for the financial services sector so that it can do more to help prevent financial elder abuse. The training provider is targeting super funds, advice firms and investment managers with a professional development program, which shows how to resolve or prevent situations that lead to elder abuse. The only commodities in the red in 2021 were precious metals. Gold…

It doesn’t come much better for a young, entrepreneurially minded person than to snare a job with perhaps Australia’s best-known backer of start-ups, Square Peg. Casey Flint is living a dream. Her role includes helping entrepreneurs to shake up entrenched cultural norms between senior business managers and their employees. Square Peg’s co-founder, Paul Bassat, made his first fortune by starting one of Australia’s best-known disrupters, the online jobs site SEEK. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, therefore, that he is now bankrolling new ideas that give bosses the means to turbocharge their employees’ worth. “This is quite a new space,” says Flint, “and our investments are all in early-stage companies. They are either just developing or putting out their products now.” How does it fit with the many other strands…

Yours is an interesting question. There are two missing pieces that will lead you to the best solution. The first is a detailed budget. If you have not done so already, I would like you to sit down and prepare one. The critical bit is the conclusion. You earn an excellent combined salary, but after tax, expenses and spending comes out, what is the bottom line? You have done very well in creating wealth with your properties, savings and super, so I am sure your budget will show you surplus income. Then we move to the next key piece of information, which is very personal to you and to each of us. How much risk are you willing to take? It is no secret that leverage is a wealth multiplier…

The hottest five If you could invest in only five stocks this year, what would they be? If you had invested $2000 into each of the five stocks we picked in 2021, your returns would have been 151% for Life360, 35% for Rhipe (before it was taken over), -26% for Afterpay, 26% for Nickel Mines and 8% for Ingham’s. Your $10,000 would have grown to $23,880 at the time of writing. For 2022, we’ve singled out five stocks for you to consider. They cover five themes we think could thrive in 2022 amid Covid uncertainty, rising interest rates, rising oil prices and commodity demand: megacaps, next-gen medicine, logistics, commodities and cybersecurity. The stocks are based on market forecasts for earnings growth and expected share price growth (these are not Saxo’s…

Refinancing activity may have ramped up in 2021, but plenty of homeowners are missing out on a cheaper loan. A survey by Aussie Home Loans found that of the 6 million active mortgages in the market, only 445,000 – just one in five home loans – were refinanced in the last financial year. One in two homeowners have never refinanced their loan. “The gap here is staggering,” says David Hyman, chief executive of Lendi Group (which owns Aussie). “By not setting aside a small amount of time to look at their home loan, Australian mortgage holders could be missing out on thousands in savings.” …

Aunt Marilyn had many great qualities, but as a teenager making decisions under pressure didn’t seem to be one of them. In the summer of ’79 on a central NSW wheat and sheep farm, a 15-year-old Marilyn was driving her younger brother, my uncle Andrew, to the bus stop in an old white and yellow striped Standard 10 (which is like a Morris Minor). At the end of the long, dusty farmhouse driveway there was a huge old gum tree that acted as a bit of a “roundabout”. You had to choose whether to go left or right around the tree. It didn’t seem to be a hard choice, as it didn’t matter which way you went – you’d still end up at your destination. However, this is my Aunt…

Here are five steps for tradies to get their new venture off to a flying start in 2022. 1. Write a business plan Succeeding in business is easier when you work out where you want to go. That starts with writing a business plan that outlines your goals and objectives and how you’ll set about achieving them. This doesn’t just give you a roadmap to follow, it’s something lenders may also ask to see if you apply for finance. 2. Add some tech to your toolbox “The more organised you are, the more money you’ll make,” says Wessels. “Using a digital job management platform like AroFlo, ServiceM8 or Tradify from the get-go will allow you to keep track of every job, from initial enquiry to final invoice.” 3. Make payments a…

For Sydneysider Marie Whitford*, co-buying has been an opportunity to get off the rental treadmill and buy a first home sooner. Whitford faced the classic first home buyer conundrum. She earns a decent salary, but paying high Sydney rents made it near-impossible to save the sort of money she needed to save a decent deposit. “My rent for a one-bedroom unit was $400 a week. I was comfortable spending that and had accepted I would likely be a life-long renter,” she says. That all changed when her aunt came up with the idea of buying a place together. The duo combined resources, paying $630,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in Sydney’s popular inner west. “My aunt put in just under $200,000, including paying the full deposit. She owns 31% of the…

It always feels like an endless piece of string until you make a start. These six tips will help you get to an indicative number: Create a detailed list of everything on your wish list, for every room to be renovated. Every detail counts here. Do you research. Every product selection needs to be explored. This has to be more than knowing, for example, that you want carpet – you need to be clear on the type, texture, blend, pattern and colour. Select your product. Pricing is broad, so complete your research now to avoid a nasty surprise down the track. Allow an extra 10%-15% on top of your budget for unforeseen surprises. Providing contractors with exact specifications brings the quotations together, as it takes the guesswork out of what…

PUT TO THE TEST The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) conducted its first performance test for MySuper funds last year and created a stir when it failed 13 of the 80 products tested. Under the federal government’s Your Future, Your Super reforms, which came into effect last July, those funds had to write to members to notify them of the failure and provide details of the Tax Office’s super fund comparison tool if they wanted to switch. The failed funds represented 1 million members with accounts worth a combined $56 billion. They were a mix of industry-type not-for-profit funds and some commercial funds run by banks and other fund management organisations. Already it appears some members have taken the letter as a sign to leave for greener pastures. But the…

Are you dizzy yet? At the end of 2020, we hoped a new year would herald a return to normality – hopes that were dashed as 2021 unfolded. And yet, for all the turmoil that ensued (and, unfortunately, has continued into 2022), perhaps the most remarkable outcome, financially speaking, is that last year was a pretty average one on the ASX as a whole, with a slightly market-beating finish. It should, once and for all, remind us that over the short and medium term, the market is not the economy and the economy is not the stockmarket. And the market certainly isn’t the headlines that we read each day. Those things are always – and have always been – true. But they have been brought into stark relief over the…

It was just a matter of time before thematic ETFs delved into the cryptocurrency space. Currently there is no regulated way to get into cryptocurrencies. Crypto ETFs emerged in 2021 and it is important for investors to understand what is in the ETF, according to Zunjar Sanzgiri, senior analyst at Morningstar. Just because it has crypto in the name doesn’t mean that it is necessarily tracking the actual cryptocurrency prices. Instead, it can hold the equity of listed companies in the cryptocurrency space. “I don’t get the impression that people are doing that level of analysis,” says Morningstar’s Tim Murphy, who believes some of the material generated by the active managers is rather poor. In Australia, BetaShares recently launched its Crypto Innovators ETF (CRYP). It tracks the Bitwise Crypto Innovators…

This is an edited excerpt from Top Stocks 2022 by Martin Roth, published by Wiley (RRP $29.95). In a special offer to readers, Top Stocks is offering 20% off. To claim your offer, please go to educatedinvestor.com.au and click on the Top Stocks 2022 banner. Click “Add to cart”. Enter the coupon code “Money2022”. Click “go”. This will reduce the price of the book by 20%. Shipping will be free for deliveries within Australia. This reader offer expires on February 28, 2022.…

The tables on these pages contain data and information to help you compare managed funds, which are pooled funds managed professionally by investment experts. Managed funds displayed in these tables are multi-sector or asset class specific. Multi-sector managed funds invest across a diversified mix of asset types spanning equities, property, bonds, cash, infrastructure, private equity and alternatives. Managed funds are normally set up as unit trusts. You may be able to invest in them directly or through a platform. These products may be recommended to you by a financial adviser. The performance results displayed are the annualised investment returns each managed fund has delivered after taking into account taxes paid by the unit trust and investment fees. Research was prepared by Rainmaker Information and for more information see www.rainmaker.com.au Source:…

The table contains information to help you compare super funds. It showcases publicly available MySuper investment options offered by some of Australia’s biggest funds. Rainmaker categorises them into risk options based on percentage of growth assets in their portfolio. The high-growth risk option has more than 85% in growth assets (growth has between 75% and 85%), balanced has between 55% and 75%, and capital stable products have less than 55% growth assets. The performance results are the annualised investment returns each option has delivered after taking account of all taxes and fees. Past performance is no indicator of future performance. The table only lists funds designated AAA, Rainmaker’s Super fund quality rating. Rainmaker Information prepared this research. www.selectingsuper.com.au…

As it was in 2020, so it was in 2021. Just over a year ago, I wrote: “Fiscal and monetary authorities’ prompt and aggressive counter-cycle responses saw us through the year – mitigating impact on businesses and employment – that, at the same time, underwrote gains (or limited the losses in most equity markets).” All looked swell … until the emergence of the omicron variant that was first spotted in South Africa and the UK. The delta variant devastated India and prompted many other countries, including Australia, to reimpose social restrictions and lockdowns. The new strain has now prompted several countries to again introduce international border restrictions. But so far, so good. Recent reports are that it’s less virulent and less deadly and current vaccines offer some protection. The big…

SUSAN HELY It may be an opportunity to sort my compost bins. I have three and I’m a bit lazy about how I manage them. Compost is important for my healthy, bird-filled garden with seven native stingless beehives. This year my community garden plot yielded a great crop of vegetables while my garden blossomed with a bumper crop of flowers. My goal is to be an expert composter. MICHELLE BALTAZAR I plan to make better use of the apps and the voice-activated features on my phone. With most of my time spent on my mobile, I’m sure there are time management and productivity apps that I can use to manage my emails, messages and social media feeds better. There are also budgeting, banking and trading apps that have come out…

Rapidly rising prices have seen the median home price in major cities hit record highs, with the average required deposit now reaching about $107,000. This momentum, combined with the fact it takes an average of six to eight years to save for a deposit, has seen an increasing number of parents help their children break into the market. In fact, the bank of mum and dad is now Australia’s ninth largest mortgage lender with almost $34 billion in loans. However, this act of generosity can come at a price if not done correctly. How can parents mitigate the financial risks they face when going guarantor? Knowing the conditions of the guarantee is crucial, from the loan amount to the terms of enforcement and more. Ensuring the borrower has income protection…

BOOK OF THE MONTH BOOK OF THE MONTH GET STARTED INVESTING By Alec Renehan & Bryce Leske Allen & Unwin, RRP $32.99 The founders of finance podcast network Equity Mates, Alec Renehan and Bryce Leske, have written this book to take confusion out of starting the investment journey. As they spoke to family and friends, they found many people face the same challenges: “We all knew investing was something we should do but it was difficult to work out how to do it.” The book includes tips from experts and everyday investors, showing how they learnt through their mistakes and successes. Written simply, it explains concepts such as bonds, dollar cost averaging and diversification. Five readers can win a copy. In 25 words or less, tell us what you are…

At 79, Carlos is “hanging up his boots” as a result of the lockdowns Choose a low-cost, high-quality manager for your $1.6m Q I wrote to you about three years ago, but I was never acknowledged in your Q&A column. I know that you must be overwhelmed with questions, but I am trying again. I am 79 and my wife is 72. I have been working up to now, but with all the lockdowns in Victoria the company I work for is closing. During the years we have accumulated $800,000 each in MLC. For 22 years we each paid about $120 monthly to an MLC adviser for virtually no advice. Reluctantly, now is the time to hang up my boots. As I have no other income, I need to start…

“The great resignation” is one of those phrases that has been so over-used recently that even writing it makes me cringe a little as it creeps toward cliché. But it does effectively describe the interesting trend of people using the return to the office as a Rubicon moment to assess whether a job that pays less money, but is more convenient, more flexible or more values-aligned, might, in fact, be better for them. We’ve enjoyed working in our pyjamas, ditching the morning commute and spending more time with the people and things we love. But now, the very habits and status quo instincts that kept us in a job pre-Covid are the ones that are encouraging us to find new work that accommodates the working-from-home life we’ve become accustomed to.…

According to comparison site Mozo, fixed rates are rapidly rising. And in many cases, they’re going up in big increments. “Towards the end of 2021, CommBank increased its fixed rates four times in seven, says Jack Talbot, director of Leverage Capital. “This indicates that the banks expect the Reserve Bank to raise rates sooner than previously indicated.” So, is it time to fix? If a big jump in variable rates would stretch your finances, it can be worth locking in your loan rate. And although fixed rates have started climbing, red-hot deals are still available. Mozo says the average one-year fixed rate is 2.37%, though Greater Bank is offering a one-year rate of 1.59%. The lowest two-year fixed rate on the Mozo database is 1.89% from Australian Mutual Bank and…

Have a check-in and exit strategy. Commit to reviewing your decision at a specified time and have a clear exit strategy if things look to be heading in the wrong direction. This will help mitigate the fear of negative outcomes, and is also just good decision-making hygiene. Practise grace. A bad outcome is not always a direct result of a bad decision. Sometimes life, chance, market dynamics and even other people’s decisions have more of an impact on outcomes than we like to admit. Be gracious to yourself when things go bad. Nobody enjoys failure, but resilience is your ability to bounce back after a setback, and not beating yourself up too much is at the heart of resilience. Think about what someone else would do. This is a great…

Setting up a blended family – where one or both partners have kids from previous relationships as well as children together – is expensive. Blended families need all the things that a traditional family has plus more for the stepchildren. For a start, there will be higher day-to-day living costs, perhaps a bigger house and an updated estate plan that involves more insurance for unforeseen events. There is a lot to get right in a blended family, besides the relationships and juggling a busy calendar. While it might take years to get the family dynamics right, you need to set up the finances as soon as you can. You never know what will happen and you want to try to keep family relationships intact. “The most important estate plan is…

The most important document you sign may not be the contract of sale. David Thurmond, of Mortgage Choice in Melbourne’s Berwick, recommends that co-buyers speak to a solicitor to arrangement a formal co-owning agreement. “It’s not bulletproof and it’s not a formal requirement,” he says. “But it can help buyers determine what will happen in the future.” Readymade co-ownership agreements where you fill in the blanks are available online for as little as $149. That’s a fraction of the cost you’ll pay for a tailored agreement drafted by a solicitor. Scrimping here, though, can lead to much bigger costs later if co-buyers resort to legal action to solve disputes. A co-ownership agreement should ideally address: • How property-related bills will be shared, and who is responsible for paying them. •…

Would you like to own a stake in a CBD office tower, a state-of-the art logistics centre or a glamorous shopping mall? Then look no further than commercial listed property. For many investors, Australian retail estate investment trusts (A-REITs) have long been part of a diversified portfolio, mainly for their reliable income streams and diversification benefits. The performance of A-REITs has bounced back after a sharp fall early in 2020 in the wake of the pandemic. Listed property returned 21.43% in the year to November 30 (as measured by the S&P/ASX 300 Property Accumulation Index) compared with 16.02% for the broader market (as measured by the S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index). One of the great benefits of listed property is it enables investors to own an interest in a professionally managed…

Retirement is no longer set in stone. More retirees are heading back to work. Some wrestle with a loss of status and a loss of purpose while others worry about how they will make their savings last. Either way, there’s a growing trend towards “unretiring”. “People’s circumstances change,” says Colin Lewis, head of strategic advice at Fitzpatricks Private Wealth. “They often retire and then find that they either need the stimulation or that they need more funds to live off, and re-enter the workforce.” Nick Bruining, independent financial planner and director of Bruining Partners, says often retirees find it hard to adjust and find a purpose in life. “People underestimate the psychological impact of retiring. Many people enjoyed what they were doing and the status it brings. Being a doctor,…

A mere mention of the words cryptocurrency, blockchain, decentralised finance (de-fi), tokens and coins that come with countless prefixes is enough to cause many investors to pull down the mental shutters and run for the comfort of what they know. Older investors appear to display a greater distaste (I am generalising, of course) or cynicism of all things crypto, based on, well, that they are too cryptic to understand. But it can be worth the effort to dig deeper into “crypto technologies” and entertain their emerging uses. If you are armed with greater tech knowledge, investment opportunities will present themselves. The past 40 years have brought us the internet, convergence of email, voice and video communication, smartphones, big data, cloud computing and we are in the early days of the…

Retail will be bumpy over the next 12 to 18 months. Businesses will eventually find a new normal (which might – or might not – be back to the old normal), and share prices will fluctuate as investors and traders place their bets. After giving Premier Investments and Kogan the nod in the past two years, this year’s discretionary retail Best in Breed winner is conglomerate-cum-retailer Wesfarmers, which owns two of the best retail operations in Australia – Bunnings and Officeworks – and provides more than a little diversification, too.…

1 Go beyond the name and ASX code. Analyse the underlying holdings, exposure and allocation. Most ETFs track an underlying index, so investigate the index methodology to understand how the holdings are chosen. We found that ETFs with shorter names have better performance than those with long, complicated names (shorter names generally reflect a simpler product). 2 Monitor the liquidity. Look at the daily volume traded and how liquid the underlying holdings are. Larger and more liquid markets generally have a lower bid/ ask spread, meaning less transactional costs. 3 Portfolio suitability. Assess how adding a new ETF to your existing portfolio will impact its risk profile, sector, geographic diversification and cost. 4 Be cynical of the marketing hype. ETF issuers market new products heavily, but it’s important to analyse…

So, there I was in my broking office in 2007, before Christmas, before the new year, when the phone rang. It was a financial journalist. I picked it up. A bigger loser than me. Working the Christmas shift is no fun and finding content to fill a whole newspaper for two weeks was a job I had some sympathy for.   He was doing the usual thing for that time of year, ringing a few brokers, getting a few predictions for the year ahead. An obvious filler for the business pages. He was running a “bit of a competition” he said, trying to raise enthusiasm from the grave, to guess the S&P/ASX 200 level at the end of next year.   Well, any broker with half a brain will tell…

Performance after investment fees. Investment returns after investment fees annualised to describe each fund’s returns per annum. But if your managed fund achieves a high return and charges you an extra “performance fee”, Rainmaker has not taken this into account. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. Rank. Funds are ranked against all managed funds in each segment, not just those included in each table. Indices and averages. Arithmetic average investment returns or average fees for all fund investment options within each category, that is, not fund size weighted.…

Performance after fees: When calculating fees, Rainmaker assumes a member has $50,000 in their account. Strategy: Some MySuper products invest your superannuation based on age and are known as lifecycle funds (marked LC). The table includes the LC option for 40-year-old members. Non lifecycle funds are known as single strategy (S). Rank: Funds are ranked against all MySuper investment options available in Australia. Indices and averages: To produce these indices, Rainmaker analyses the results of more than 3300 investment options.…

It is interesting to note that tax reform has been on the agenda since at least the time of prime minister Bob Hawke, who called a tax summit in the mid-1980s. His treasurer, Paul Keating, had the idea of a 15% GST to simplify the system and abolish many complex taxes. I studied taxation in the late 1970s and remember a thin publication called the Australian Master Tax Guide. After years of “tax simplification” the book is now a monster size. Not one year has gone by when there hasn’t been a call for major reform of the tax system. In Annette Sampson’s article (What if?, December-January), she says it will be imperative for future governments to find new ways to increase revenue. Given that all the GST collected is passed onto the…

Over the past year or so I have been talking to people for The Hot Seat and Interview about their best money-making tips, and for many it’s an investment they’ve made in themselves that has been key. Money focuses on helping you make the best decisions with your finances and building long-term wealth, and this year we’re taking a closer look at careers, where most of us generate our money. Earning an extra $10,000 or so can make a big difference for those wanting to save more or invest. Businessman Robert Kiyosaki wrote years ago that there was an advantage to being born into a rich family where there was an innate understanding of money and investing. In his book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, he tried to share the lessons…

A term of responsible investing can be confusing – impact investing, ESG, ethical or sustainable investing are just a few of the terms thrown around. However, investors can focus on four key pillars to help develop their portfolios: 1 A deeper dive. It’s no longer just about avoiding companies that engage in irresponsible practices or display poor corporate behaviour; now it requires a more holistic long-term approach. 2 What’s the purpose? Is the goal to screen out investments in areas such as gambling, tobacco or alcohol; maintain return expectations but actively consider ESG risks and opportunities; or make a tangible impact with your investments. 3 Maintain the returns. There is substantial academic evidence that responsible investing performs on par with, if not better than, the broader market. 4 Be active.…

EXPENSES 4 tips to save more than $4000 Consumer advocacy group Choice has released a list of tips and to save you more than $4000 in 2022. “The new year is the perfect time to take a look at what you’re spending money on and work out how you can cut down on some of your expenses,” says Choice editor Margaret Rafferty. • Appliances. Turning them off at the power point can save you more than $180 a year. • Health insurance. Switching providers can save you as much as $900. “If you switch your hospital cover to a cheaper gold, silver or bronze policy, you could save hundreds of dollars – our experts found savings of between $550 and $1520 a year on top hospital cover by switching funds.…

Covid Delta. Omicron. Alpha. It’s hard to know what’s happening with Covid mutations right now, let alone what might be on the way next. When news of omicron first broke, the volatility index surged to a one-year high. But since studies began to show that vaccines offer some resistance, the markets seemed to calm. Could we be looking at another year of border closures and rolling lockdowns? The only real certainty, I guess, is that this sort of uncertainty will continue. Rising interest rates Bye, bye generous stimulus government packages. Hello, rising interest rates. For the first time in over a decade, we are looking at an era of interest rates rising and bond buying slowing to a stop. This means that stocks carrying a lot of debt could be…

If you’re looking to renovate your home, help a family member buy their first property or want to consolidate your loans, there might be an easy way to achieve that: top up your mortgage. This means going back to your lender for the funds, so you don’t have to pay high interest as you would if you were to use your credit card or apply for a personal loan. Rising property prices could mean you have more equity in your home, which you could free up to add more value, for example, through a renovation. However, there are considerations. The extra amount will be spread over the life of your home loan, which means your repayments are not as much of a stress but you might end up paying the…

The construction industry is a mecca for tradies, employing more than 1.1 million of them. The latest data shows it’s an industry where tradies typically earn a weekly wage of $1280 – about $66,560 annually. But according to Service Seeking’s Tradie Rich List 2020, almost one in 10 tradies pockets over $200,000 annually. One way to earn that sort of money can be to start your own business. And there are good reasons to consider taking the plunge today. Australia is in the midst of a building bonanza. A recent report from the Housing Industry Association (HIA) shows the number of housing starts recorded by the nation’s top 100 builders in 2020-21 was the highest in the past 28 years, and nearly 20% higher than the previous record set in 2016-17.…

• Understand how jointly held assets are described. With joint tenants, the other partner automatically inherits the house. But with a tenant in common, your share goes into your will. “Maybe change this, from one to the other,” says Bobbin. (See moneymag.com.au/friends-with-money-podcast-who-owns-the-house.) • Review health insurance for the new family in case of any accidents or medical emergencies. • Check whether your life and total and permanent disability insurance cover will look after your dependants if there is an accident. You may also need to take out or review your salary continuance insurance. • Check that the nominated beneficiaries of your superannuation are up to date and are binding, to prevent disputes. “Know that it is not just a will,” says Bobbin. “For example, has the sister who was in a rush to…

People start the co-buying process with good intentions, but they need to go in with their eyes wide open. Mortgage broker David Thurmond points to five main issues that co-buyers need to be aware of. 1. Impact on credit record If a co-buyer defaults on their share of loan repayments, this has the potential to impact your own credit score, potentially making it harder to be approved for credit in the future. 2. Need for an exit strategy Your circumstances can change over time. Consider what will happen if you want to bail out of the arrangement. Is your co-owner required to buy you out? What happens if they can’t afford to do this? 3. Stamp duty Stamp duty can be an unexpected cost if one owner buys…

A good time to buy shares is when you have the money, your goals are set and you are consumer-debt free. You might even decide that you’d rather focus on a big rock in your life first (education, if cash is flowing, or getting through university with a lower income, or buying your first house to live in). I just want you to set up your life so money you allocate to investing doesn’t have any real purpose other than to build wealth in your life-long term, or to save up for a long-term goal (long term means more than six years). A good time to sell shares is when you need the money (for example, when you have hit your goal of investing for 10 years to save for…

1 ETFS Fintech & Blockchain ETF This ETF (ASX: FTEC) gives investors exposure to leading financial technology and blockchain companies around the globe. The index contains 75 companies in developed markets, drawn from a range of fintech sub-themes. These include blockchain, data and research companies, buy now, pay later companies, digital wallets and more. 2 Perpetual Global Innovation Share Fund The fund looks to provide investors with long-term capital growth through investment in quality global shares that benefit from changes in technology and innovation. The strategy employs a bottom-up stock selection approach and believes that changes in technology and innovation can have a significant impact on future earnings and valuation of companies, and that an understanding of these changes can lead to early identification of undervalued stocks. 3…