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November 7, 2018
The reality of negative returns – knowledge is power – Episode 66
Investment markets don’t always go up. In fact they go down on a pretty regular basis. Is that a shock to you? I suspect not. Yet virtually none of the commentary on investing talks about negative returns – markets going down. But when I speak with clients, especially new clients, usually somewhere in their … Continued
Investment
Superannuation
October 31, 2018
The challenges of investing for children – Episode 65
With the cost of housing continuing to climb, in addition to the rising cost of tertiary education, many parents and grandparents are worried about what the future holds for the young people in their lives. Last week Michael contacted me. He has a young daughter and was thinking of starting an investment for her, … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
October 17, 2018
Crackle & Pop! – Why do investment markets have bubbles? – Episode 63
If you’ve ever seen a graph of any share market, you will know that whilst over the long term it tends to go up, the graph isn’t a straight line. Markets will go up, up, up over several years, only to fall back for a year or two, before re-starting their upward climb. Research … Continued
Investment
October 10, 2018
Putting the puzzle together – 4 essential elements to achieving your big life goals – Episode 62
Here at Financial Autonomy, our focus is typically on the money side of how you achieve your goals and gain the choice in life that you deserve. But of course, achieving big goals requires more than just a financial solution. And so in today’s post we’re going to take a step back and consider … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
Self-Employment & Side Hustles
Superannuation
October 3, 2018
Have your 20’s set you up for financial failure? – Episode 61
Habits. Human brains love them! Any time we can go on auto-pilot, we jump at it. Author Samuel Johnson observed, “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken”. I also like a quote from Agatha Christie on the subject “Curious things, habits. People themselves … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
August 22, 2018
The Beauty of the Worst Case – Episode 59
Do you remember those Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbooks that were around everywhere about a decade ago? How to land a light aircraft if the pilot has a heart attack, or how to survive a bear attack. I don’t know if they extended to surviving a zombie apocalypse, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they … Continued
Investment
Property
Self-Employment & Side Hustles
August 1, 2018
Are you playing offence or defence? – Episode 56
All sports have elements of offensive and defensive play. And whether you play Netball, soccer, cricket or basketball, your team must constantly strike a balance between the two. In pursuing your Financial Autonomy goal, you too must find a balance that will see your goals achieved in an acceptable time frame, whilst also enabling … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
Self-Employment & Side Hustles
July 18, 2018
Pay off the mortgage or invest?- Episode 54
A shout out here to Christine Calnan who emailed me about this dilemma – whether it is best to put your savings towards extra mortgage repayments, or should you instead be investing? This is one that does come up a lot when I’m working with clients, and it’s certainly not a question with a … Continued
Investment
Property
Saving Strategy
July 11, 2018
Investment Power-Ups – Episode 53
I was binge watching a fictional Netflix series last week about a group of 4 guys who had made an app that had become a huge hit, Angry Birds style. Each of the 4 guys had particular skills, and there was a scene where one of the guys was feeling pretty lost. He bemoaned … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
July 4, 2018
Mini-retirements – Episode 52
In several previous posts we’ve looked at strategies to help you achieve early retirement. I’ve often spoken about the fact that early retirement in our Financial Autonomy context doesn’t mean spending all day sitting on the couch watching the Simpsons. Our objective is gaining the flexibility and choice to pursue the things that we’re … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy
Superannuation
June 27, 2018
Can you pass the financial literacy test – Episode 51
Want to minimise the chance of living off nothing but a meagre age pension in later life? There’s a great proverb that I heard many years ago and have never forgotten “a fool and his money are easily separated”. So how do you ensure you’re not the fool? The solution is to have … Continued
Investment
June 13, 2018
Bike paths, Bitcoin, and Risk Budgets – Episode 49
I go for a bike ride most Sundays. Wherever I can, I ride on a bike path. Often there is a road running parallel to the bike path. Very often, cyclists are on the road when they could just as easily be on the bike path. Now I understand why they do this. It’s … Continued
Investment
Saving Strategy