Comfort with Money

When I first went to work compulsory superannuation or its equivalent – provident funds – simply didn't exist. Today's superannuation, with its very generous taxation trappings attached, has been shaped over the years to provide a wonderful opportunity for cushioning whatever financial blows the late 60’s, 70’s and 80’s years of your life bring with them. One of the more difficult tasks in lifestyle education is to convince a 20 year old that they have a wonderful opportunity

In our highly regulated “Financial Services” area – Planners, Advisors, Accountants, Insurance Agents, Tax Agents etc – one word that’s bandied around but widely misunderstood is “risk”. One definition that you will rarely if ever come across is that “risk” or “risky” is the opposite of “certain” or “certainty”. Financial advisors are not allowed, by law, to give advice without establishing the “risk profile” of the potential investor. In the financial world it’s obvious that

The miracle of compounding is available to anyone who chooses to purchase a modest number of shares in companies that offer a dividend reinvestment plan – simply set and forget! This is nowhere near as exciting as either checking the ASX online or grabbing the newspaper each morning to see whether your portfolio of shares or your single favourite investment has gone up or down. It’s much more satisfying than compound interest, especially if the shares come with the regular di