Investors looking for opportunities in the small cap end of the Australian equity market should focus on companies that include international expansion as part of their business strategy. This is the approach that has been taken by a couple of…
At-call savings rates crash
On Friday, ANZ and NAB cut the interest rates on their bonus savings accounts, both cutting their bonus rates by 25 basis points. Small deposit takers also cut rates late last week. ANZ cut the bonus rate on its Progress…
When one will is not enough
An increasingly common estate planning issue is how to deal with assets outside Australia. A growing number of Australians are looking at the prospect of having to draw up more than one will. A will can be drawn up that…
How a global recession would impact markets
A recession in the next five years is inevitable and will result in many assets generating returns below historical returns, according to a long-range economic and market forecast by fund manager Robeco. The firm has published a five-year outlook, Escaping…
AGM strike season approaches
Q: I am a Computershare shareholder and will be attending the company’s annual general meeting next month. At last year’s AGM the company received a first strike after there was a large vote against its remuneration report. What will happen…
Testamentary trust tax rules tightened
The tax treatment of testamentary trusts is being tightened, to ensure that minors who are trust beneficiaries do not receive tax concessions they are not entitled to. Last week, the Government introduced draft legislation for consultation. Generally, tax law imposes…
Kogan continues to roll out consumer finance products
Online retailer Kogan is continuing its push into financial services distribution, with the launch of a credit card. The Kogan Money Black Card offers no annual fees, uncapped rewards and member benefits. The card is issued by Citibank. It has…
Pendal Smaller Companies rated ‘gold’
Morningstar remains an admirer of the Pendal Smaller Companies fund, despite the fund’s poor performance over the past year, and has reaffirmed its ‘gold’ rating, citing its solid research process and reasonable pricing. Pendal uses bottom-up fundamental research, applying qualitative…
Take care when adding family members to your SMSF
The decision to include other family members in a self-managed fund is not straightforward, as it involves bringing in members with different investment horizons and requirements. HLB Mann Judd superannuation director Andrew Yee says his firm is seeing more couples…