Alchemy has been around for centuries. It is based on the notion of being able to convert base metals into gold. For centuries, man has

Economy, InvestingAlex Jamieson22 May 2020ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, economiccylcle, panibinvesting

Should the bank guarantee be weaponised to promote competition?

In 2008, during the height of the GFC, people were worried whether their money was safe in the banks. As a result, the Australian Government

Investing, Cash Account, term depositAlex Jamieson5 March 2020ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, bankguarantee

With interest rates close to zero, should you still invest in fixed interest?

In the past, portfolio theory was fairly simple. To work out how much you should allocate to growth-based assets, you simply used the following formula:

International Cash, Fixed InterestAlex Jamieson27 October 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, Fixed Interest, howtoinvest, interest rates, investing tips

Is your super fund using performance-enhancing drugs?

These days whenever I watch sport, I can’t help wondering whether the competitors that win are using performance-enhancing drugs. I think ever since the Lance

managed fund, superannuation, Uncategorized, super fundAlex Jamieson14 October 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, balancedfunds, superannuationfunds, super investments, australianfinancialplanner, superfunds

Will QE tear apart Australian society?

These days formulating monetary policy, which is set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and other central reserve banks such as the US Federal

Economy, Eonomy, UncategorizedAlex Jamieson30 August 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, monetarypolicy, quantitiveeasing, RABcashrate, RBA

Australian Super’s Elephant Gun Problem

Back in 1987, Warren Buffet made the following statement in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: ‘Our basic principle is that if you want to shoot rare, fast-moving elephants, you should always carry a loaded gun’

Investing, super fund, superannuationSeptember Design Studio9 August 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanning, australiansuper, berkshirehathaway, financialplanneraustralia, howtoinvest, industrysuper, investing tips, superfunds, warrenbuffet

AJ Radio – Episode 23

In this 23rd Episode of AJ Radio we recap our recent attendance of Vidcon – the largest multi-genre online video conference held in LA. Hear Alex talk about where this exciting landscape is heading and some investment opportunities you might want to look at.

Aj Radio PodcastsAlex Jamieson26 July 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, ajradio, LA, onlinemedia, newinvestmenttrends, onlineinvestments, vidcon

When does a brand lose authenticity?

For some time I have been thinking about the following equation and asking myself, does it hold true? Increase business size = lost authenticity

Business, Investing, LifestyleSeptember Design Studio16 July 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, authenticity, businessprofiles, financialplan, financialplanneraustralia

Are your super fund’s directors acting in your best interest?

Members of superannuation funds aren’t entitled to vote on who the directors are. In fact, as a member, do you have a say on anything to do with your superannuation company? Who runs it; how it is run; the direction in the organisation is headed?

super fund, superannuationAlex Jamieson26 June 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, howtoinvest, investing tips, smfstips, superannuationfunds

A new way to beat Centrelink’s Age Pension assets test limit?

Centrelink’s changes to the Age Pension assets test limit in January 2017 cut off access to the Age Pension for many retirees, when the maximum value of assets owned to obtain the age pension was reduced.

CentreLink, Investing, PensionAlex Jamieson31 May 2019agedpension, ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, financialplanneraustralia, howtoincreasepension, howtoinvest, income stream, investing tips

How to beat regulators on the $1.6 million cap limit on superannuation

If you have more than $1.6 million in super, presently you might find that you are unable to make any further after-tax contributions (non-concessional contributions) into your super.

This cap limit is based on a per person limit and was introduced as a result of the government’s idea of restricting how much one person can have in their super at retirement at a reduced tax rate of 0%.

superannuation, taxAlex Jamieson15 May 2019ajfinancialplanning, Kerry Pecker, superanunciation, superanunciation cap

How to beat Labor’s proposed changes to the franking policy and stick it to the man

The media has been a flurry recently about Labor’s proposed changes to franking credits. There has been public outrage over this, and the sad reality is that this policy will have little impact on the uber-rich; those most affected will likely be the same group of people who lost their age pension a few years back when the asset test limit was changed. You can start to understand why retirees are fed up.

International Shares, InvestingAlex Jamieson27 February 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, beginnerinvestor, financialplanneraustralia, frankningcredits, howtoinvest, investing tips

How can I tell if my super fund provider is in financial difficulty?

I recently reviewed Media Super’s Annual Report after reading a media article that reported them purchasing a 429-year-old violin as an investment. I thought this was an odd investment for a regulated super fund. Was this a responsible decision given the opaque market of collectables and the high transactional costs associated with such investments? And, how did this get past APRA? It triggered me to investigate Media Super’s investment policy.

managed fund, superannuationSeptember Design Studio15 February 2019ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, financialplanneraustralia, howtoinvest, industrysuperfunds, investingfunds, superanunciation

What next for Australian property?

There have recently been many articles in the media regarding changing property prices. Unlike shares, which can be accurately tracked day-to-day, property is historically an opaque market with less visibility on price movements. However, over the past few years computers with sophisticated programming have been able to track property markets more accurately and provide an increasing level of transparency.

property, UncategorizedAlex Jamieson20 December 2018ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, financialplanneraustralia, howtobuyproperty, howtoinvest, investing tips, property investment, propertypricetrends

Does your retirement super need to be ‘Zengosaidan’?

I often like to read ‘peculiar’ books that give me some insights into different ways of thinking. I recently came across a book review in The Monocle Minute. It inspired me to buy the book:

Investing, SMSF, superannuationAlex Jamieson29 November 2018ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, financialplanneraustralia, howtoinvest, investing tips, retirementplanning, retirement strategies, superannuationfunds, superanunciation

Which would you prefer: a 7% or 12% return on your super?

It seems like a simple enough question. If you had a balance investment option in your super, would you choose a 7% or 12% return? Yet, before you decide it’s a no-brainer, it’s worth probing a little deeper into what could cause this 5% variance, as the reporting returns are not standardised.

mortgage, mortgage calculator, retirement, SMSFAlex Jamieson13 November 2018ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner, financialplanneraustralia, howtoinvest, investingtips, selfmanagedsuperfunds, smfstips, superannuationfunds, superfunds, smsf, superanunciation

Could your Hostplus Index Balanced Fund be a disappointment?

Around $2.5 billion has reportedly flowed into the industry super fund Hostplus in recent times. This influx of funds has largely been on the back of media commentators promoting Hostplus, in particular its Hostplus Index Balanced Fund.

managed fund, retirement, superannuationAlex Jamieson30 October 2018ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanning, financialplanneraustralia, howtoinvest, investing tips, selfmanagedsuperfunds, smfstips, superannuationfunds, superfunds

AJ Radio – Episode 20

In this 20th Episode of AJ Radio we challenge some paradigms of investing and retirement. As the financial world is no always logical, we raise some interesting questions when thinking of the amount of funding for your retirement and if higher returns for investments are better.

Aj Radio Podcasts, Investing, retirement, superannuationAlex Jamieson28 August 2018ajfinancialplanning, ajradio, alexjamieson, investmentyields, retirement

Are you about to be gouged on foreign currency fees?

Moving a large amount of money between countries can be a nerve-wracking process. Often people use their local bank for this type of transaction. The main benefits of doing so are that it is a relatively simple process, and they are dealing with a financial institution they feel they can trust.

Cash Account, Foreign Currency, FX investingAlex Jamieson27 July 2018ajfinancialplanning, alexjamieson, australianfinancialplanner

AJ Radio – Episode 19

In this 19th Episode of AJ Radio we crack open a segment of the investment market that was once thought perhaps to be a trivial area. Now, with a projected 2.3 billion people participating in this area of the market and a forecasted spend of $137.9 billion in 2018, this area of the market is no longer a niche player. This episode takes a closer look at what is transpiring in this exciting video game market and the opportunities it presents for investors.

Aj Radio PodcastsAlex Jamieson25 July 2018ajfinancialplanning, ajradio, alexjamieson, fortnite, video games