News Updates
AS IT HAPPENS
Fear of fear itself or something more fundamental?
AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver weighs in on the market meltdown and asks the tough questions. A must for retirees and investors looking for a calmer, mature assessment of the current climate. Read Here
Many people wait until their home loan is paid off before investing more in super. However, if you are currently making more than the minimum home loan repayments, you may be better off when you retire if you make additional super contributions instead. Super or Mortgage?
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
While as a nation we collectively face a large retirement savings gap, there are a number of smart things you could consider doing to help make sure your future financial security isn't at risk. Read more here
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
Here's a confronting question: what would you do if the main breadwinner in your household could no longer bring in an income? Do you have a Plan B? Most people don't. That's where insurance comes in. Insurance: Counting the cost of a curve ball
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
Selling a small business can be a challenging, complicated and uncertain time. So too can retiring. Combine the two and you have a situation where early planning and advice is critical. Retiring from Small Business
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
If you want to repay your mortgage quickly and still have easy access to your additional repayments, an offset account may be worth looking into. Read more here
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
Don't sail out farther than you can row back. This Danish saying is sound advice for anyone thinking of borrowing to buy a home, particularly now that interest rates are low and house prices have risen sharply.
According to a paper for the Centre of Policy Development and University of Canberra, Australians have a tendency to be over-confident in our ability to repay loans. We also underestimate the likelihood of things potentially going wrong in our lives.
Have you ever heard yourself or someone else say "I'll be able to repay my loan, provided I keep my job, don't get sick and I'm not hit with any large unexpected bills"? Chances are you probably have. but things can and often do go wrong.
For more information, contact Rick Maggi at Westmount Financial on 9382 8885.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
It is now six years since the Global Financial Crisis ended. From their 2009 lows US shares are up 212%, global shares are up 159% and Australian shares are up 91% Despite this, there seem to be constant predictions of a new disaster. This note looks at where we are in the investment cycle. Read more here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
Deep down, we all know that New Year's resolutions just don't work. Consider the empirical data…
* 25% of people abandon their resolutions after just one week. * 60% of people abandon them within 6 months. * The average person makes the same resolutions 10 times without success. * Even after a heart attack, only 14% of patients make any meaningful change around eating or exercise.
Clearly, change is really hard.
Resolutions don't work, but goal setting does, provided you do it in the right way. Here are a set of 4 practices for setting effective goals that do work…
1. Write your goals down. Written goals have huge power, but you've got to to get them down on paper to get the clarity you need. 2. Make your goals 'SMARTER'. This is an acronym - Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-Bound, Exciting & Relevant. 3. Share your goals with others, but do it selectively. Share your goals with people who are supportive but will also hold you accountable. 4. Review your goals regularly (at least weekly) so they stay top of mind. Diarise your reviews - remember, if you don't stay focused on your goals, they're guaranteed to fall by the wayside.
Whether you are just starting out, building your wealth or looking to retirement, goal setting (not vague resolutions) should be part of your DNA. Written goals are essentially 'dreams with a deadline', so go on, put pen to paper, be specific, be descriptive, and have fun with it.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial
The economic backdrop for the year ahead is likely to be fairly similar to what we saw in 2014; expect continued economic expansion but at a relatively modest and more uneven pace…
Globally • Growth is likely to remain around 3.5%; ranging from 1-1.5% in the Eurozone and Japan, 3.5% in the US and 7% in China. • Inflationary pressure is likely to remain fairly low and the overall monetary backdrop, despite a probable tightening by the US in the middle of the year, will remain fairly easy. We will likely see further easing in Europe, Japan and China.
For Australia • We should see growth move up to around 3% • Inflation is likely to remain benign • The Reserve Bank of Australia is projected to cut the cash rate to 2.25% early in the year with a 50% chance of another cut in the June quarter.
Rebalancing the economy As Australia transitions back to a more balanced economy, investors should try to avoid getting too gloomy. Yes, the mining sector is slowing down, but low interest rates and a falling Australian dollar is providing a great boost for non-mining parts of the Australian economy. For instance, we’re seeing a return to life for retail-related areas of the economy. Housing and construction has picked up, construction activity related to infrastructure continues, and the tourism, manufacturing and higher education sectors are showing signs of improvement.
Unemployment will eventually fall While economic growth is still not strong enough to lead to a fall in unemployment, we expect that the job market in 2015/16 will start to pick up as the stimulus to the economy from lower interest rates and the falling Australian dollar starts to feed through.
What does this mean for investors? It should mean another year of reasonable returns for diversified investors. But there are two key things that investors need to be mindful of: 1 What we saw in 2013 and in 2012 (returns of around 20%) out of shares is not sustainable over the long- term. Expect something more like 8-10%; 2 Every year experiences a lot of ‘noise’ and 2015 will be no different. This can be negative in terms of distracting you from your key investment strategy. Try and turn down the volume on the financial news and focus on maintaining a long-term investment strategy. (Dr Shane Oliver, AMP Capital)
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial
This edition of AMP's Market Watch is a quick, simple read, but I think the most important reminder relates 'market seasonality' and the usual 'Santa Claus' share market rally phenomenon. Read Market Watch here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial
