How the level of interest rates impacts the prices and value of assets has probably not been high on the topic list for discussion at most barbeques over this summer, however, there is an argument that they should be, due to the potentially greater effect on absolute return over the investment horizon.

Around the developed world, central banks have decreased interest rates in the hope this will provide a stimulus for economic growth and prosperity, since when money is cheap, folks will borrow and in Australia, folks have taken up the offering. This has led to people placing bets into the capital city residential property markets. The consequence of this has been the price appreciation of residential property in those markets which, unsurprisingly, always seems to be front and centre of discussion around the good ol’ BBQ.

Property prices have gone up, but how many people have mentioned that the value obtained by picking up a property at an elevated price has increased in the same proportion as the price paid for it? That perhaps depends on one’s perception of value, however, this demonstrates one-way low interest rates have affected asset prices.

In times like these, we need to remind ourselves that “if price is what you pay, then value is what you get.” Price is self-explanatory, the amount is advertised broadly and it forms the base on which your future return is calculated.  Value, however, is what something is truly worth or what you get out of owning the thing you bought. It follows that in order to maximise the prospects of a return on an investment, you always want to pay a lower price than the value you will receive from owning that asset.

So, how do interest rates exert influence on assets?

Primarily this happens through the use of the present value calculation which is a valuation method applied to an asset to determine the intrinsic value of it. Essentially this calculation is used to come up with how much in today’s dollars is $10 worth in ten years. We don’t need to go into the mathematics of the calculation here however, we need to be aware that if interest rates are high, we can invest a lower amount of money today in order to obtain $10 in ten years. Conversely, if interest rates are low, we have to invest a higher amount today in order to obtain $10 in ten years’ time.

To put this another way, when interest rates are low, the present value of a future $10 is high.  When interest rates are high, the present value of a future $10 is low. When coupling this mathematical concept with the fact many risk-averse investors have been pushed up the ‘risk curve’ in order to generate an income to support their lifestyle, you end up having asset prices elevated above their intrinsic value.  This is great for an existing owner looking to sell…not so great for a buyer.

Always remember, the higher the price you pay, the potential for a lower overall return…which should mean interest rates becoming something worth talking about around the barbie.

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

As more Australians are spending longer in retirement than previous generations, how are we managing our clients’ longevity risk?

As financial planners, we know the risk of clients’ outliving their retirement savings is very real, however, it’s also a risk that clients often prefer not to face up to. For me, the starting point for managing longevity risk is persuading clients to accept the possibility of outliving their money and then providing them with the strategies, portfolios and behavioural skills to set them up for success.

Behaviour changes: We spend much of our time encouraging clients to understand and appreciate that there is a real risk they’ll outlive their money. When there is an understanding of various trade-offs, most clients need to consider that it’s easier for them to make informed decisions and take ownership of their actions.

Portfolio risk: The portfolio needs to be aligned to the client’s risk tolerance. However, in the case of retirees, we need to be cognisant of the impact a loss may have. The desire to generate healthy long-term returns is also important, so the risk/return trade-off takes on a different meaning for a retiree.

Legislative risk: Social security benefits (i.e. Centrelink) can make up a significant portion of a client’s income and can’t be dismissed. Consideration of tax implications on a client’s finances is also fundamental as we know, tax and social security rules change often, so it’s important to be aware of the impact changes have on a strategy and adapt accordingly.

Strategy and products: Using a range of products can make a strategy more robust and flexible for the future. Providing an element of guaranteed income, whilst maintaining access to capital, is nirvana to some clients, particularly if it also provides an uplift in social security benefits.

We approach client’s longevity risk in a number of ways, however, the most effective strategy is regularly talking to our clients about this issue during regular review meetings, revisiting potential outcomes and empowering the client to make smart decisions for the long-term.

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

New Year’s has come and gone, and we have moved into the 20’s. I’m of the school of thought that the decade doesn’t begin until next year, but it doesn’t seem to make sense does it, since the teens are finished.

Every year on January 1, people all over the world make lists of New Year’s resolutions. Being human, our lists are often lengthy and one of the most common resolutions is to get fit or lose weight, probably exacerbated by the Christmas pudding that we have all indulged in. So, we rush off to join the gym and we sweat it out regularly for a while. Gyms love January 1.

As the weeks roll on, into February and March, our attendance at the gym begins to taper off. Perhaps we are feeling a bit fitter and we have lost some of the weight. We then allow the other things in our life (and the little man on our shoulder who says it’s all too hard) to take over again which spells the end of our exercise regime.

It doesn’t matter what our resolution for the new year is – what matters is how we apply that resolution to our lives. I’ve changed the way I make a resolution by just picking one thing. This year it is that I will tidy up. It’s pretty broad isn’t it – but it covers lots of things including my:

• House
• Kitchen cupboards
• Financial life
• Mind
• Golf
• And so on

I just have to remind myself constantly that this is the goal that I have set myself for 2020, and I have made a good start. But I have to work at it. The kitchen cupboards won’t stay tidy unless I make them that way and be consistent about putting things away in their proper place.

It is the same with anyone’s financial life.  You won’t save money or keep proper control on your spending unless you have a plan to keep it tidy. The work that you put in now on planning and budgeting will pay off for you in your later life, that is retirement. If you want to be able to do things in retirement, you need to have the plan in place now so that you can achieve those dreams. The consequence of doing nothing is being restricted in retirement, and perhaps being restricted to living off the age pension.

Give one of our friendly financial advisers a call to assist you to put your plans in place to tidy up your financial life. We are good at it and we can make a difference for you.

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

Funding your child’s education expenses and fees can be costly. The money you spend funding your child’s education could be one of your family’s biggest expenses.

Research conducted by The Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) on education costs, provides some context. The research is based on a child starting pre-school today and suggests that opting for the private school from Prep-Year 12, will set you back a $367,569 per child. Even if you decide on a government school for primary years and private for secondary, you will still need to come up with $244,822.

For most families, the time when kids are starting out at school comes when household budgets are already stretched with mortgage repayments, bills and living expenses. This means that some forward planning is required to make sure you have enough money to give you, and your children, the full array of options for education.

Here are 5 tips…

1. Planning is important – have the discussion with your partner, do your research and estimate how much it is going to cost you.

• Open up a dialogue with your partner about what you want your kids’ education to look like. Is it through Private or Government schooling? Do one of you want to send them to the school you attended as a child? Does your child have any special needs? The sooner you have these conversations the better.
• All schools have websites. Check out those that you’re interested in. Most should include information about fees and advise you whether there is a waiting list.
• There is a heap of great resources out there to help you on your way. The ASIC Money Smart website and the Australian Scholarship Group’s online calculator are a couple to try out.

2. Start saving early!

• Like any other long-term savings goal – the sooner you start, the better! The best time to start saving is when your child is born or possibly even earlier. Make a budget and decide how much you can put aside each week. Look to increase the amount each year to ensure you’re keeping pace with inflation.

3. Structuring things right for tax

• If one member of the couple isn’t working and staying at home to look after young children or working part-time, chances are their marginal tax rate is low. Therefore, holding investments or savings accounts in their name may be of benefit as the assessable income for tax will be much lower.

4. Once you have a little bit of savings behind you, look to get that money working harder for you.

• An investment in blue-chip Aussie shares and managed funds can be a great way to accelerate your savings. Bear in mind that these investments are riskier than leaving your money in the bank and that you won’t get rich overnight. A 7 year plus timeframe is appropriate.
• If both parents are working and earning solid incomes, Investment bonds can be tax-effective for investors with a marginal tax rate higher than 30%, as long as certain rules are followed. Within the bond, your money is pooled with money from other investors and a portion of the pooled funds is then invested in the investment options such as cash, fixed interest, shares, property, infrastructure or a range of diversified investment options, with risk levels ranging from low risk to high risk. The value of the investment bond will rise or fall with the performance of the underlying investments. An investment bond is designed to be held for at least 10 years after which you can withdraw tax-free! You can make additional contributions over the life of the insurance bond. To make the most of the tax benefits, each year you can contribute up to 125% of your previous year’s contribution.

5. Saving via an offset account against your home loan can provide other benefits.

• Another simple, but potentially effective way of saving for education costs is through your home loan. An offset account allows you to make extra repayments into a bank account attached to your home loan. It operates much like a normal bank account with some special features. For example, the amount you have in the offset account effectively reduces the loan balance the bank uses to work out the interest payable on your home loan. For example, if you have a home loan of $300,000 with $100,000 in an offset account, the bank calculates interest based on only $200,000.

My advice is to start early, work out how much you will require for education costs, how much you will need to save to get there and then select the appropriate savings vehicle. Seek the help of a good financial planner to set you on the right path

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

Are you being smart this silly season? Shop now, enjoy now and pay later.

This Christmas will be a bit different for many Millennial and Gen Z’s globally. The buy now, receive now and pay later revolution has taken the world by storm. Afterpay is just one of the buy now, pay later service companies and it already has over 6 million active customers with 15,000 new accounts opening daily and over 40,000 retail businesses from clothing, travel, experiences and health are offering this type of layby service[i].

What are the benefits of buy now, pay later?

Unlike layby where a customer puts goods on hold that they could not otherwise afford. Buy now, pay later allows customers to receive their goods with a small down payment and future interest-free instalments. The majority of the purchase is other people’s money, but you’re not forced to save and wait.

The service is “free” to the consumer but the costs associated are priced into the product as the service company takes a small cut from each transaction. Retailers pay for the service.

Why would a retailer allow this type of payment?

Retailers want to do business and have seen an increase in average basket size and people shopping more frequently. It’s estimated that retailers have seen more than a 25% increase in transaction values[ii].  Or put another way, users of this payment service are spending more money than they have.

Here are 3 tips to help you avoid a small initial late fee and spend 25% less this Christmas

• Use cash to pay for Christmas gifts
• Get your family, friendship group and workplace to embrace Secret Santa. It’s the idea of only gifting to one person
• Set dollar limits in addition to Secret Santa

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

[i] 2019 CEO and CRO Presentation (afterpay touch)

[ii] FY2019 Results Presentation (afterpay touch)

AUSTRAC has recently begun civil proceedings against Westpac Bank (WBC) in relation to the alleged contraventions of its AML/CTF obligations. In particular, AUSTRAC has accused Westpac of $23 million breaches, including a small number of transactions that appear to be linked to child exploitation in the Philippines.

Although difficult to estimate, it is expected, WBC will receive a large fine well in excess of what CBA was given earlier his year.

Since the announcement on 20^th November, Westpac’s share price has fallen approximately 7.5%.

Despite the immediate issues facing the company, it is still a good cash generating business and there may be future opportunities that warrant further investigation and as the old saying in financial services circles goes, ‘don’t try and catch a falling knife – let it hit the floor and then pick it up.’

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

Whilst many Australians hold only one super account, there are many who hold multiple. Across the board the balances in these super accounts are often smaller and/or the account is no longer receiving contributions. The member is sometimes unaware that they have insurance cover within their super.

The Federal Government introduced the Protecting Your Super (PYS) Package Act on 1 July 2019. The PYS package is designed to protect members with smaller super balances from having their benefits eroded by fees and insurance premiums. Some of the key reforms covered by the package include:

• Super accounts with balances under $6,000 that are inactive for a period of 16 months, i.e. they have not received any contributions or rollovers, will be closed;
• Exit fees on super accounts will be banned. This means you can rollover or transfer your super to a different fund without being charged a fee;
• Super accounts with insurance that have been inactive for 16 months will have the insurance cancelled unless the member opts-in to keep it.

Whilst on the whole this will help protect the consumer, you need to be aware of these changes as non-response to communications may result in a loss of benefits to you.

If you are impacted by the above you will receive correspondence from your superannuation fund explaining the options available.  If you receive this communication it is important that you read and action any requests.  If no action is taken and this relates to insurance, your policy will be cancelled and you will be left without cover.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these reforms or the communication you have received please contact your adviser who can provide guidance.

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal, business or financial circumstances into consideration. If you would like more tailored advice, please contact us today.

As a financial adviser I have yet to come across anyone who actually wants to move into aged care.

The prospect of moving out of the family home and leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of one’s home is truly daunting. It’s always a step closer to ‘the end’ as no one ever moves from aged care back to home. As a result, many people simply do not wish to discuss the subject…until they have to.

Many of the conversations I have had regarding the finances of an elder family member follow an ‘incident’, such as ‘Dad falling over in the bathroom’. It then becomes glaringly obvious that the individual simply cannot remain in the family home.

In such a scenario, planning how to fund the upfront and ongoing costs associated with moving into aged care is often ‘done on the run’, which is unfortunate because it’s a ‘financial labyrinth’.

Typically, people tend to only plan for upfront costs (which usually range anywhere between $300,000 to $1,000,000). However, there is a myriad of ongoing costs that can run into the tens of thousands of dollars per year as well as the ever-increasing costs associated with moving into aged care.

As you may be aware, a Royal Commission into Aged Care was commissioned in October last year and is currently hearing submissions. Some of these are truly heartbreaking. The Commission is due to hand down its recommendations early in 2020 and if the recent Hayne Commission into financial planning is any guide, regulation and compliance in the sector will increase, followed closely by expenses.

I’d encourage people to have the conversations about aged care and if necessary, speak to your Investment Collective adviser. We can help.

When should I seek a financial planner?

Who should see a financial planner?

• “I don’t have any money to invest so there is no point in my seeing a financial adviser.”
• “We manage our own finances so we don’t need to see a financial planner.”
• “We struggle to make ends meet so we haven’t got any spare income to do anything else so we won’t be seeing a financial adviser.”
• “I’m only in my 20s, 30s, I don’t need to see a financial adviser.”
• “It’s too late for me to see a financial adviser as I’m retiring in 6 months’ time.”

All of these thoughts are far from the truth.

When should I seek financial advice?

There is a general perception that financial planning is only for people who have money to invest. That if I don’t have any spare cash and I’m having difficulty in making ends meet, financial planning is not for me. Having a personally tailored financial plan will assist you in every facet of your financial lives regardless of your current financial situation.  In fact, your financial plan will help you achieve other personal goals simply because these goals are planned for.

Your financial adviser will fully assess your current financial situation. This means that the adviser will be obtaining information on your earnings, what it costs you to live, the value of all your assets including superannuation, and of course, what you owe.  The adviser will also assist you in identifying what you want to achieve, both now and into the future.  We consider your life risk requirements so that your family and wealth are protected in the case of death, serious injury or illness.

Once the data has been collected and analysed, the adviser will write your financial plan.  The plan will include a summary of the current situation and this in itself can be an eye-opener for the client because many of us do not take stock of our overall financial picture.  Taking into account your goals and objectives and the things that have been identified during the collection and analysis step, the adviser will make recommendations to improve your situation and to help you to meet the goals you have identified.

Sometimes the recommended strategies can be confronting, but always valuable.  For example, if cashflow is a problem for you, the plan will include budgeting advice and strategies.  If you have surplus funds for investment, the plan will include recommendations as to how those funds should be invested.  If you are nearing retirement, the plan will address streamlining and consolidating your financial affairs ahead of retirement and strategies to maximise potential Centrelink payments.

If your superannuation investment option does not match the risk profile identified during discussions, there will be recommendations to adjust the investment option. If you have debt, there will be advice as to how best to manage that debt and if a restructure is required, the plan will address that point.  If your life risk protection is inadequate, we will include recommendations to bring this protection to the correct level.

Your financial plan will also contain information on any ongoing costs you may incur if you accept the proposals, and there will be comparisons and projections between the current situation and the recommended strategies, including current and future costs.

To answer the question posed above as to when you should see a financial adviser – the answer is – as soon as possible!

For young people, a tailored financial plan will set them on a path to growing their wealth, perhaps via a savings plan.  For pre-retirees, it is essential that you consult with a planner to ensure that what you have worked a lifetime for will support you in the way you want during retirement.  Centrelink payments and health care cards are very important and this is a major part of the planning for those either in or nearing retirement.

If our recommendations are accepted and you proceed with the plan, we manage the implementation of the plan and if there is an ongoing component, this activates. Centrelink management is part of the ongoing work and it can be invaluable to retiree clients to have this onerous task managed.

Beginning the process of seeking financial advice is very simple.  It is a matter of contacting either our Rockhampton or Melbourne offices with a request to see an adviser.  Your meeting confirmation includes a list of things to bring with you to your meeting and from there the adviser will lead and guide you through the process.

What are you waiting for?

If one of your new financial year’s resolutions is to start paying off your home loan as quickly as possible, here’s a few tips to get you on your way.

1. Interest rates are at record lows due to the consecutive RBA cuts in June and July. Most lenders have passed on the reduction in their home loan rates.  One strategy to pay off your home loan faster would be to maintain the repayments which applied before your lender reduced their rates in June and July.

2. If your lender didn’t pass on the full rate reductions, contact us to refinance with an alternate provider with a lower rate/ongoing fees than your current loan. Some of the lenders on our panel are offering owner/occupier principal and interest rates as low as 3.29%.  If you are not considering refinancing, at a minimum, you can ask your lender if they will match the rate, or reduce your home loan interest rate and/or fees.  Your bank may be willing to reduce your home loan rate and ongoing costs as an alternative to losing your loan to another lender.

3. On a principal and interest loan, in the first five or so years, most of your payments go towards paying off the interest. If you are able to make additional payments during this period, or at any time during the loan term, this will reduce the interest payable, and decrease the lifespan of the loan.   If you receive a bonus payment from your employment, or a tax refund, resist the temptation to splurge and put it to work for you by making an additional repayment on your mortgage.  If you are able to increase your regular repayments, this will save you thousands over the life of your home loan.  For example, by paying an extra $100 a month, a typical $400,000 home loan could be reduced by nearly 3 years, with a saving of almost $30,000.  Before making additional repayments, check if there are any conditions or limits on extra payments.

4. One of the quickest ways to save on your home loan is to make more frequent payments. If your home loan is on monthly repayment, switch to a fortnightly repayment.  Split your existing monthly repayment in two, and make these payments on a fortnightly frequency.  You won’t notice the difference in your cash flow, but it will save you time and money on your loan.  Repaying your home loan on a fortnightly basis means you are effectively making 13 monthly payments every year.

5. If you have an offset account with your home loan, ensure that your savings and ongoing salary are deposited into the account. An offset account can accelerate paying out your debt as the balance will reduce the interest payable on your home loan.

6. Be disciplined with your discretionary spending! Every dollar you save by cutting back on some of your luxuries can be put to work by making additional repayments on your mortgage, and saving you more in interest repayments over the life of the loan.  I’m not suggesting that you adopt a monastic existence and abandon all of your pleasures, but as an example, if you reduce your daily take away coffee consumption by 1 cup a day, you will easily achieve the previously mentioned saving of almost 3 years and $30,000 on a $400,000 mortgage!

Please note this article provides general advice only and has not taken your personal or financial circumstances into consideration. Please contact us today for a confidential, cost and obligation free discussion about your lending needs.  We would also be happy for you to refer your family or friends so we can also assist them to locate a cost-effective home loan which suits their needs.