Who’s afraid of QE3?

19 June 2013 - Wall Street continued to show that it was less afraid of quantitative easing (QE) tapering than we are with the Dow up 138.38 points or 0.91 per cent to 15,318.23 and the S&P 500 12.77 points or 0.78 per cent higher to 1651.81. So what is going on? Yesterday, on a day when our market should have gone up, the Reserve Bank (RBA) left the door open on further rate cuts and inferred it would like a lower dollar. This sent the stock market down, but bargain hunters dived into the banks, and so... read more ›

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The Latest

News

Australian shares fall on investor caution

Australian shares have fallen as investors nervously wait for an update on economic stimulus measures in the United States. The market fell by as much as nearly one per cent during the day, in line with falls on other Asian markets and after the minutes from the latest Reserve Bank of Australia...read more >
Pump price pain

Petrol prices: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol rose by 1.5 cents a litre to 145.2 c/l in the week to June 17. The wholesale price was at a three-month high. The wholesale price has lifted 13c a litre from lows but the...read more >

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Buying property overseas inside an SMSF

I have been toying with buying a parcel of land and building a house overseas. Can I do it inside a self-managed super fund? Do you think it is a good idea? Guido, Balmain, NSW. You could do it inside an SMSF but you could not live in it when you...read more >
Your super questions answered

I am now in my late-40s and I keep hearing of so many people with much larger sums in super and I don’t know why. I have always put into super since it was made compulsory in 1992, I think, and I have always had a pretty good job. Can you...read more >

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Super changes - stay on the right side of the ATO come 1 July

I am an employer who has 10 employees and I do all of my bookwork including payrolls and I know there have been some changes to super which I think come in on 1 July 2013. Could you outline the changes I have to be aware of because I don’t...read more >
Lessons from the top

How do I lead my company? What are my beliefs about leadership? How do I treat my customers? How do I compete? How do I get maximum performance from my staff? How do I communicate? How and why do I network? How do I deal with change? How do I...read more >

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Switzer TV

Matt Sherwood

A lot hangs on elections in Greece next month, but no matter the outcome, change is a certainty. Our market has already felt the impact of the ongoing crisis in Europe, but what is the likely outcome for Greece and the eurozone? For a closer look, and to explain his view that in fact Germany should leave the eurozone, don’t miss Matt Sherwood, head of investment market research at Perpetual. Watch here.

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Share Trading

Is now a good time to begin investing in shares?

I am wondering if it is a good time to invest in shares. I am 27 and want to invest wisely for the future as I have saved up $30,000. What could this become if I create an investment strategy and I stick to it. What strategy would you recommend? Given the fact that our stock market has only regained about 40 per cent since 6... read more >

How can I give a parcel of shares to my kids?

I would like to give my two children a parcel of shares each, that I already hold personally. I...

Property Investment

Time to buy a house – investors jump in

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute ‘Time to buy a dwelling’ index – a forward indicator of sentiment in the housing market – is now at its highest level in three years as property investors move back into the market. The index, which is part of the Westpac-Melbourne Institute’s consumer sentiment... read more >

What’s the real cost of a dream home?

My wife and I bought a ‘knockdown rebuild’ property 18 months ago to build our dream...

Superannuation

Buying property overseas inside an SMSF

- Superannuation

I have been toying with buying a parcel of land and building a house overseas. Can I do it inside a self-managed super fund? Do you think it is a good idea? Guido, Balmain, NSW. You could do it inside an SMSF but you could not live in it when you go overseas to see it. It could be a good idea but you have to remember there... read more >

Your super questions answered

I am now in my late-40s and I keep hearing of so many people with much larger sums in super and I...

Small Business

Lessons from the top

How do I lead my company? What are my beliefs about leadership? How do I treat my customers? How do I compete? How do I get maximum performance from my staff? How do I communicate? How and why do I network? How do I deal with change? How do I recruit my staff and then reward them? Answers to all these questions come... read more >

What we need is leadership

Recently I have made two speeches, which have influenced what I’m about to write. The...

Technology

Buying a New Business Laptop, Part Two.

In part one of this series we looked at the top priorities for small business when purchasing a new laptop. In this, the second instalment, we are going to examine some of the less pressing but nonetheless important features of today’s generation of laptops. Ultimately, business was most concerned with balancing... read more >