Special edition: 2024 Top Advisers list

Need some advice about advice? At The Australian, we have expanded our annual roll call of the best advisers: The List: Top 150 Financial Advisers is out this week. To mark the occasion I'm joined by an adviser who has managed to make the list every year since it was launched in 2017. Will Hamilt…

Big super cock-ups - Should you switch?

The Big Super funds are having a woeful run of high-profile cock-ups where customers have been let down by inept management procedures: Led by Cbus, the roll-call includes ART, Hesta and Unisuper. At what point do investors need to be concerned about failings in their super fund?  James Gerrard of…

Investing in Trump time

Australian investors have flocked to Wall Street in recent times favouring the 'Magnificent Seven' big tech stocks - and Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway group. But Donald Trump's new regime looks set to favour old-school blue chips, not to mention oil and gas stocks. What to do? Gemma Dale, hea…

Unlocking the professional formula for investment property success

Many property investors never know if they will win or lose on a property until the day they finally sell it: In contrast, professional investors don't fly blind, instead they concentrate on their Internal Rate of Return. Here's how it works. Stuart Wemyss of Prosolution Private Clients joins weal…

HECs - what just happened to your bill?

The average HECs bill is now $27,000 and many listeners will have bills that are higher than that: This week the government restructured the entire working of the student debt system - and threw in a universal 20 per cent cut on all existing HECs bills - how will it work? Hugh Robertson of the Cen…

Is Sophisticated Investor status worth the effort?

There are two classes of private investor in Australia: Everyday retail investors and legally certified sophisticated investors (defined by law as having an annual income of at least $250,000 or assets of more than $2.5m),Today we examine the sophisticated investor regime - how it works and whether…

Are wayward CEOs costing you money?

CEO scandals are flooding the share market: Qantas, Wisetech, MinRes...the list keeps growing. The thing is, each of those companies has a board that is paid handsomely for supposedly keeping the CEO under control.What could be done to change this risk?  Fund manager Roger Montgomery joins wealth …

Biggest mistakes property buyers make at auction

Buying at auction might seem straightforward, but unfortunately you are likely to become a bunny in the headlights when it comes to the big day.  Still, knowing what can go wrong is the first step to enlightenment - and that includes being very careful in choosing a buyer's agent because some of th…

Could you handle a share market crash?

This week - in 1987 - the ASX fell 25 per cent IN A DAY. Just now the local share market is going gangbusters: In fact, it is testing its all- time valuation peak. But here's the thing: The market will crash again - we just don't know when this will happen or what might trigger the downturn. What w…

Should we follow the PM to the beach?

Every spring property investors are tempted again by the lure of the beach house: This year the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made his move with a high-profile $4.3m purchase on the Central Coast. Is a holiday home a good investment? Let's find out... James Gerrard of www.financialadvisor.com.au…