Perth to grow beyond Brisbane...
A quick and interesting article on Perth's growth prospects. Enjoy. Read more here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
08/10/13: The US budget standoff
Here they go again...
With US Republicans and Democrats going head to head over budget and debt negotiations, the rest of the world looks on powerless and bemused. Beyond some of the media hysteria, in this article AMP Capital's Shane Oliver provides a balanced, sober look at the debt ceiling standoff and the likely outcome. Read more here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
16/10/13: Spring Property Report (Westmount Clients Only)
Region/Suburb/Commentary
A suburb-by-suburb analysis of the residential property market, accurate to September 30th 2013. Enjoy. Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
25/09/13: The outlook for unlisted commercial property
Have returns peaked?
Australian unlisted commercial property returns have been strong over the last three years, recovering from the GFC driven slump of 2008/09. So can these high returns be maintained or are we moving into a lower return phase? Read more here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
09/09/13: Australia's housing outlook
...and implications for investors
In this commentary, MLCs Senior Investment Strategist, Michael Karangianis, takes a balanced look at our housing sector, contrasting the Australian landscape with experiences overseas. A good, simple read. Read commentary here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
05/09/13: Australian profits, the economy and shares
Another from Dr Shane Oliver
In this update, AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver takes a close look at where we are right now in the cycle, company profits and the risks and opportunities going forward. In a background of growing worry over Australia's economy, this is a timely and poignant article. Read more here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
05/09/13: Need more time?
Invest smarter and save time...
Ask any of your friends what they wish they had more of in life and perhaps a few might say a faster car or bigger house - but what most people are really looking for is more time.
Investing your hard earned money in a smarter, more efficient manner not only allows you to spend more time focussing on a smaller selection of investments, it also allows you to spend more time on other, more important matters beyond the process of investing, like your health, your family, your friendships or your business.
Your Financial Planner is the same. By investing your superannuation or pension fund more efficiently, they'll have more time to help you achieve your goals, improve your retirement outcome, reduce your tax, protect your estate, and just generally help to control the controllable.
At Westmount, we believe that markets work, 'asset allocation' drives performance more than anything else and costs really do matter. In other words, it is infinitely possible to construct an effective investment portfolio (superannuation or otherwise) in a way that doesn't require constant monitoring, regular tinkering and an enormous fee to pull it all together. This has some obvious benefits for clients - lower costs, less stress, simplification and, yes, more time.
So if you believe that your life is a little more complicated than it should be, particularly in the area of investing or superannuation, don't just shrug your shoulders and accept the way things are. Instead, ask yourself, what else could I be doing with my precious time? And then call us to change the script for good. Read all about 'indexing' here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
03/09/13: What's the outlook for the housing market?
...and implications for investors.
MLC's Senior Investment Strategist, Michael Karagianis takes a close look at the current Australian residential housing market, where it has been, and where it may be going. A good read. Read more here Rick Maggi (Westmount. Financial Solutions.)
01/09/13: The US fiscal cliff, debt ceiling and economic outlook.
Oliver's Insights for January 2013
This note looks at the deal to avert the US fiscal cliff along with its debt ceiling and broader economic outlook. Generally pretty positive for 2013 (easy reading). Enjoy! Rick Maggi. Read here
19/08/13: The Broccoli & Pizza Portfolio
Insights from Dimensional's Jim Parker
It's often hard to give up on the idea that investment should be exciting - an interesting article from Dimensional VP, Jim Parker. Rick Maggi Read more here.
15/08/13: Australian property - Saviour or Bubble?
Are we at the beginning of a property bubble?
An excellent summary of the current residential property market, and where it is likely heading. Enjoy. Rick Maggi. Read more here
12/08/13: Property: Autumn Report (Westmount Clients Only)
Suburb-by-suburb property report...
Accurate to April 30th 2013, these two reports provide a general guide for investors and suburb-by-suburb statistics.
08/08/13: The Federal Election
Implication for investors...
In this article AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver takes a look at potential implications for investors as move towards and beyond the Federal Election. Interesting reading. Rick Maggi. The Federal Election
26/07/13: The Vanguard Index Chart 2012-13 (Westmount Clients Only)
Some eye candy...
Every year Vanguard releases it's 'Vanguard Index Chart' and it's always worth a look. The chart illustrates what the value of $10,000 invested twenty years ago might be worth today had you invested in various sectors such as Australian shares, commercial property, cash etc. Along the twenty-year journey you see the impact of important events (both positive and negative) such as 9/11, US subprime and the Japanese Tsunami on markets and the value of the original investment. Vanguard also includes a second graph, called 'the power of diversification' which shows the performance of each sector in percentage terms, every year, for the last twenty years.
Seeing visual proof of market volatility (all of them), each having their day in the sun, followed by less than happy times, serves as a potent reminder of the importance of diversification and patience. We can all do with some gentle encouragement, especially during tougher, challenging times, so I like to keep this chart on my wall! Rick Maggi. View charts here
26/07/13: New normal, old story
'Outside the Flags' by Dimensional VP, Jim Parker
"Low returns are shaping as the new normal" That was the headline in The Australian Financial Review in early July 2012 in anticipation of another grim year on global equity markets for Australian investors. How did that forecast turn out? Rick Maggi Read more here
25/07/13: Investment outlook after a strong financial year
Dr Shane Oliver...
The last financial year saw returns of over 20% from Australian and global shares, so what's in store for 2013/14? Rick Maggi Read more here
02/07/13: Happy New Year!
New Financial Year. Fresh Start.
Want to be kept informed in real-time? Tired of stale, irrelevant websites and blogs? Subscribe to our free updates here. Happy New Year! Rick Maggi & Staff.
24/06/13: The Fed, Interest Rates and Bonds
Market Update...
Recent market falls and noise around the US Federal Reserve's potential moves going forward has been rattling investors. The following is a candid and easy to understand article on the subject from AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver. Rick Maggi. Read more here
18/06/12: Greek election "a victory for all of Europe"
Pro-austerity parties to rule...
Markets are breathing a sigh of relief after yesterday's elections in Greece, with the moderate centre-right party winning enough seats to govern in a coalition with another, established pro-austerity party. At the time of writing, share markets have rebounded strongly on the positive news. Watch video here. Rick Maggi
18/02/13: 2013 Rays of Hope
The start of the new year...
A refreshing take on the new year from Vanguard's Robin Bowerman… Read Here