There is sometimes confusion about the returns available on property in a self-managed super fund (SMSF) – especially as the mathematics starts to get confusing with relative rates of return, real vs nominal and opportunity cost vs risk, before tax and after tax returns. If you'd like to see how an ...

A lot of people think a model and a forecast are the same thing. They aren't. They are very different and knowing when you can forecast, and when you can only model is a critical investing skill. Coronavirus forecasting is a testament to the difference - many elements can be modelled, very few can ...

Last week, the Morrison Government announced that it would allow cash strapped Australians that have lost their jobs to access up to $20,000 in savings from their superannuation fund.

Most superannuation funds, and especially industry funds have significant balances in unlisted assets. Many are telling you that these assets haven't lost money, or are only down a little despite sharemarkets being down close to 30%. This gives rise to perverse incentives for superannuants:

In his masterpiece, The World in Depression, Charles A. Kindleberger concludes the major cause of the Great Depression was a paralysis of leadership caused by the decline of the UK and the immaturity of the US. Neither was able to provide leadership and put themselves forward as the economy of last ...

I don't think investment performance fees help. Actually, I suspect performance fees probably do more harm than good.

Chant West returns released its returns for superannuation funds for last month and a preview of the March massacre. Our funds beat the benchmarks by up to 3.7% in February. In March returns to date our funds look to be beating benchmarks by closer to 10%.

One factor I have been watching closely is the spread of the coronavirus through summer or tropical countries. For most of February, it appeared travellers brought COVID-19 to summer or tropical countries, but the spread within those countries was limited. That looks to be changing.

Last week I published our monthly performance report. I addressed the question of when do we look to start deploying our cash & bonds back into stocks. My throwaway line was effectively "wake me up when the stock market is down 30%". Embarrassingly, we arrived at this point a little faster than ...

For a few weeks in late January and early February, stock markets suspended belief. Pundits on every channel emerged, suggesting a small economic dip followed by a massive stimulus package meant it was time to bid expensive stocks even higher. Meanwhile, in the real world: