Five Things To Remember In Difficult Times 'I have not looked at any of my holdings and don't intend to. I don't want to be tempted to jump because I think I'd be more likely to jump in the wrong direction than the right one. My advice has always been to choose a sensible diversified portfolio and stop reading the financial pages. I recommend the sports section.' Quotation attributed to Richard Thaler, professor of behavioral science and economics, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Investment Gobbledygook There are no orphan shares, A lot of what passes as serious investment commentary is simply 'gobbledygook' i.e. nonsense or drivel. It defies share market realities and is at odds with the philosophy that markets work. Yet, unfortunately, some of the people and organisations generally regarded as finance experts are the main proponents of this gobbledygook. Let's consider a couple of examples.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Mortgage or Super? Are you better off reducing your mortgage or contributing to super? A lot of people ask this question. Unfortunately, as with many wealth management decisions there is no straight forward answer. The appropriate choice depends on a number of issues, some of which we address in this article. The obvious starting point is to look at the numbers. Assume you have 15 years until you can access your superannuation benefits free of tax.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth What does Warren Buffett think you should do? Are you looking for the best way to build wealth? Why not seek the advice of the world's best investor? Warren Buffett says that the best way to maximise your wealth is to focus on your career and to invest in index funds. You may find that surprising advice from a great investor, yet it does make a lot of sense. If you're devoting your free time towards trying to out-smart the market at the expense of building your career skills, you may want to re-think your strategy.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Financial Planning: Personal Financial Advice or 'Product Flogging'? The financial planning industry (and a number of accountants dubiously playing on the edge) has come under intense fire recently. The downturn in investment markets has exposed a number of products that have not turned out to be in clients' best interests. These include high yield mortgage funds, absolute returns funds, agribusiness and protected equity products and excessive margin lending.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Franked dividends and your investment strategy Many D-I-Y investors skew their investment portfolios towards shares that pay franked dividends. This is particularly prevalent amongst trustees of self managed superannuation funds who appear to over value the benefit of franking credits. There appears to be a view that franking offers 'a free lunch', resulting in its overemphasis as a driver of investment strategy. We believe investors should not favour particular shares simply because they pay franked dividends. The usual thinking behind such behaviour is, in our view, flawed.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Ownership of family wealth Which structure is best? Family wealthFor our clients, there are predominantly four ways they hold their personal wealth. Which structure is best? It depends. But given our emphasis on focusing on the things you can control, the structure choice is one that needs serious consideration. There are a number of often competing factors to take into account, with taxation, asset protection and succession / estate planning usually most prominent. This article considers some of the issues.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth The Golden Rules of Investing When it comes to investing, there is an inordinate amount of information and opinion that is freely available. Most people have an opinion about the direction of the economy, markets, which asset classes or sectors will do best, and which specific securities will out perform. And most of these opinions are supported by valid reasoning and sometimes by informational 'evidence'.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth International shares: To hedge or not to hedge? In our recent article, 'Should you hold international shares in your investment portfolio?', we argued that there are diversification or risk reduction benefits from holding international shares as part of a share portfolio. To keep it manageable, we did not directly address the exchange rate risk that comes with owning shares denominated in another currency.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth The 'secret' to wealth creation Many in the financial planning and wealth management industry want you to believe they hold the secret to creating wealth. They'll guide you into the right investments. They'll use their superior technical skills to minimise tax. And, perhaps, they'll suggest you borrow and invest to accelerate your wealth accumulation.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Employee Share Schemes - Are the proposed changes all bad news? For many, receiving shares or options from your employer is a welcome benefit. There are usually no immediate tax or cash flow implications and you simply get access to a new investment that, hopefully, will grow in value.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth Borrowing and Wealth Management We all know that many people have become very wealthy through the use of borrowing. These people are often lauded as brilliant entrepreneurs and we are encouraged to emulate their success. But the last couple of years have again starkly reminded us that borrowing also comes with considerable risk and, potentially, financial ruin.Keywords:
John Raymond Leske, wealth management, wealth management australia, wealth management services, wealth advisors, strategic financial planning, independent financial planning, strategic wealth management, personal wealth
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