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During your working life you make contributions to your super fund and the earnings you receive are reinvested, building up the value over time. The money that you put into your super fund must generally stay there until you reach retirement, or when you begin your transition to retirement, both after a set minimum age. …

When it comes to income protection, there’s no shortage of misconceptions around what income protection actually covers, and how far reaching this cover can be. Some people think that income protection only covers injuries and has limited value for those in low risk occupations. The reality is that it also covers illness, which makes up …

Perhaps the closest thing Australia has to a ‘sin fund’ has scooped the international equities category of the Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year Awards. The Macquarie Professional Series IFP Global Franchise Fund holds tobacco companies as its top three stocks – British American Tobacco (5.6 per cent), Imperial Tobacco (4.7 per cent) and Philip …

What if we compared two widely available managed funds – one ethically screened, the other with no screening. Would you expect the ‘ethical’ fund to have lower returns? Here’s an example - BT Investment Management’s Ethical Share Trust vs Core Australian Share Trust (Wholesale funds):  - Ethical Share Trust 7 year Performance: 11.2% p.a. – Core Australian Share Trust …

Sending money can be expensive if you are using the major banks. We have now partnered with a company called OzForex, where you can transfer money faster and for a lot less. Their fee is only $15.00 AUD and their exchange rates are often much better than banks and other providers. You can do it anytime you like online …

Japan’s earthquake and the tsunami that followed have had a devastating effect on the country and its people. The cost of human life is unimaginable and unquantifiable, and our thoughts are with all those affected. Now no less than three nuclear reactors are in danger of overheating, potentially causing uncontrolled radiation leaks. But this is a clean …

Can you remember using this stamp back in 1982? At the time, the cost to post a letter was 24c. Now it’s 60c – more than double the cost, in less than 30 years! This simple comparison shows  the power of inflation.  Are you holding a large portion of your investments in cash? Happy with your …

Guaranteed Life insurance cover without any pesky medicals or blood tests - great! But great for you, or great for the insurer? You may not realise that often a range of things are excluded that may make you ineligible to claim on the policy. Beware of the fine print….it will often make or break the policy compared …