Your Money: Blog

It is hard to believe that the first COVID-19 case in Australia was over 14 months ago, on 25th January 2020. Since then, there have been 29,240 confirmed cases in Australia, compared with over 131,000,000 worldwide. The ups and downs we have all had to endure, some obviously more than others, has taken both a ... Read more

  Source: Mackay’s Daily Mercury, Wednesday 24th March 2021

For many of us, the thought of having 8 digits in the bank account is a serious fantasy. But we know that for one lucky Mackay resident this is now his reality. This is no doubt a life-changing win but deciding what to do with any large sum of money is often a scary concept, ... Read more

A great relationship, a newborn son, and a successful career as an actor. In 2008, Matthew McConaughey was feeling pretty good about his life in California. Then an unexpected family health emergency took him back to his home state of Texas.   Of all places, McConaughey and his young family ended up renting a home … Read more

Double your money with this universal truth: the rule of 72. Would you like to double your money? Type this into Google and you will get no shortage of suggestions on how to do that. Some will urge you to gamble, others to borrow as much capital as you can, chase crypto, commodities, specky shares. ... Read more

It’s a new year. This year is going to be different. You have set your goals. Made sure that they are SMART goals and even written them down. Then life happens. Ever wondered why is it that some people seem to achieve whatever they set their mind to, while others start and never quite get ... Read more

GameStop. Hedge Funds. Wall Street Bets. Robinhood. What is going on? You can read about the story pretty much anywhere at the moment, so we’ll briefly run through it and then take a look at a few other areas we think are important and unlikely to see as much attention. A group of people on ... Read more

A New Year is often a time of reflection on ones’ goals and direction for the year ahead. Many of us ask ourselves what; what do I want to achieve this year, what do I want to do with my time and hard-earned money? But have you stopped to ask yourself why? Below is a ... Read more

Lurking just under the surface of the investment ocean is a risk waiting to devour desperate retirees. The danger – chasing yield. Yield simply means income generated on an investment over a particular period. It includes the interest earned or dividends received from holding various securities. Considering our current economic situation generating income is tough. ... Read more

To receive financial advice costs money, so it is no wonder the question arises - ‘Why do I need advice?’ or ‘We can invest ourselves via an app.’ A common misconception is that a financial adviser’s role is to generate returns on your investment, and whilst this is of course a key element to help ... Read more

The 2020 Federal Budget is all about jobs and spending to make more jobs.

What does a century of economic cycles teach investors about investing? Our interactive exhibit examines how stocks have behaved during US economic downturns. Markets around the world have often rewarded investors even when economic activity has slowed. This is an important lesson on the forward-looking nature of markets, highlighting how current market prices reflect market ... Read more

It was with great interest that I read the Australian Financial Review August 30th headline, “IOOF to buy NAB’s MLC Wealth.” Many moons ago when I started my career in financial services the three largest providers were AMP, National Mutual and MLC in that order. Sometime in the late 90’s our big four Aussie banks ... Read more

With most things in our life, we get a second opinion of some form or another. From purchasing a new car, changing jobs, getting a doctor’s opinion, or entering into a new relationship, we want to make sure it is right for us before we make a serious decision that impacts our future. In these ... Read more

Well in Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign he said, ‘it’s the economy stupid’. While playing golf I tend to get asked the following question often, ‘what do you think the share market will do this year?’ Lately, I am getting the following, ‘if the economy is doing so poorly, people are losing their jobs and businesses ... Read more

The Alman Partners Team have been reading a book called “Living and Leading with Heart, Above the Line” written by Stephen and Mara Klemich. We highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good read and a reflection on your own behaviours and why we act the way we do. The book talks ... Read more

Like every other year, it is here - the end of one financial year and the start of another. It has been an unusual 12 months for the world, and certainly the markets. As they do, markets reacted to all developments – good and bad – with a positive or a negative movement. We hope ... Read more

Join Paul Shepherd as he discusses what a Lifetime Wealth Map is and why it is important to have one.

When it comes to planning for retirement, a common question I receive is “what’s a safe way to invest my money?” Suddenly, years of planning to grow your assets as large as possible are now flipped, and protecting those assets becomes priority number 1. In reality, what many people want is not an asset that ... Read more

Many people have taken advantage of the Coronavirus lockdown to learn new skills – from baking bread to knitting, to learning a language. But trading securities, like rewiring the house, is not something you should do without professional advice.

Risk. It’s a word financial advisers tend to use a lot. Most of the time what we mean is uncertainty. We know investors don’t like uncertain returns as uncertain returns are construed as “risky”. If there is uncertainty, we would at least want the prospect of achieving a more favourable outcome, or why would we ... Read more

As a financial adviser, I generally get into some interesting conversations at BBQs and dinner parties about people’s investment thoughts. One strategy comes up often, particularly with self-directed investors and it generally goes like this; “I am quite risk-averse, so I only invest in blue-chip shares like the banks, they pay regular dividends. What do ... Read more

COVID-19 has us spending more time at home either working or binging Netflix. This has really put the spotlight on the level of cyber security we practice at home. Alman Partners take cyber security seriously. We have been extremely fortunate to work with experts and like-minded firms who have educated us in this area. The ... Read more

Investment bliss and happiness can be achieved. The investment experience does not have to be stress and anxiety-inducing - as long as you are armed with the understanding and logic to provide you proper perspective, context and expectations. The challenge of being disciplined in volatile markets is no easy footing by any means, but instead ... Read more

As you watch the news and hear the continual developments around COVID-19 you would be forgiven for thinking maybe it is time to consider stopping your salary sacrificing to superannuation and recommence when markets are less volatile. This can be a natural thought in times of volatility and rightly so seeing superannuation tends to be ... Read more

Need to talk to a Financial Planner? Listen to the Financial Planning Association of Australia’s (FPA) latest radio advert: .

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.” - Voltaire I think the quote above from Voltaire is really apt for the current times. Given the heightened volatility in the market (year to date), one may be forgiven to think that markets have never been this volatile. This, as we all ... Read more

In 2018 the Royal Commission heard that Scott Pape, the “Barefoot Investor,” had contributed to over $2.5 billion flowing into Industry Super Fund Hostplus via his unsolicited recommendations made in his books and online, shouting out the benefits of this fund. Considering the following article which we are sharing below, and others recently published in … Read more

Well, here we are again with yet another event that will impact markets and therefore your portfolios. Before I put these things into perspective from a financial point of view, I do want to acknowledge that events like these are terrible for the world at large. The uncertainty, fear and noise can unsettle us all, and there will be impacts to markets as we are seeing.

Why would one of the richest men in the world make this statement time and time again? Because over the long term most fund managers tend to be pretty poor at trying to pick stocks and subsequently underperform markets. Plus, they are expensive. He is so confident on this fact that in 2007 he bet … Read more

Are you thinking of starting a Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF), or maybe you already have one? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to be in charge of your own superannuation money… You get to make the investment decisions, you’re held responsible for complying with super and tax laws, and you pay for this privilege in your own time and money (and potentially a lot of it!). Starting to sound a little more complex? Well, that’s because it is.

Are you owed your dues? If so – then you’re in good company! There are currently millions of Australians who are owed their share of the $20.8 billion in lost super monies (as at 30 June 2019). In fact, in our Mackay postcode alone, there is over $50 million worth of lost and unclaimed superannuation ... Read more

Can you boost your retirement savings and reduce your tax bill, at the same time? One easily overlooked financial planning strategy that is accessible from the current 2020 financial year is the superannuation five-year catch-up concessional contributions (“CC’s”) provision. For clarity, superannuation concessional contributions have a flat tax rate of 15% and individuals can contribute ... Read more

It feels like the new year and new decade just started, and somehow we are already in February. 2020 is well underway! This year we will focus on releasing a series of blogs on different topics. The first of these series focuses on Superannuation. Super is such a critical aspect of all our retirement planning ... Read more

Alman Partners are proud to be a founding member of the Global Association of Independent Advisors.

Have you noticed more money in your bank account? You may not be alone, with around 10,000 Australians receiving cash back from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in recent weeks.

Over the course of a year, it’s not unusual for the stock market to be a topic of conversation at barbeques or other social gatherings. A neighbour or relative might ask about which investments are good at the moment. The lure of getting in at the right time or avoiding the next downturn may tempt even disciplined, long-term investors. The reality of successfully timing markets, however, isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.

In the aftermath of the storm that hit the financial planning industry following Commissioner Haynes report on the financial services royal commission, which saw several big institutions exit the financial planning business, the one question that clients are (and should always have been) asking is – who is my Financial Adviser working for?

I do like a good book, and having just read a particularly interesting piece from philosopher Dr Simon Longstaff called Everyday Ethics: The daily decisions you make & how they shape the world, I felt moved to share my favourite quote from the book.

If you fail to plan you plan to fail. This is where our professional expertise comes in to play. Alman Partners will build and execute a strategic financial plan to help you achieve your personal financial roadmap.

This experience involves a Discovery meeting, and a Concept meeting, resulting in a tailor-made financial plan. Let’s take a look at what happens in our concept meeting.

Do you often feel like you’re on a treadmill when it comes to getting paid each week/month and having to meet all of the routine family expenses, loan repayments, bills etc? Like you’re running on the spot, and going nowhere? In our Mackay and Bowen Basin region, this is often amplified, because there are often very healthy incomes that make us feel like we should be getting ahead!

It has been said often that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Most successful businesses have a Business Plan, and most financially successful people have a Personal Financial Plan.

This experience involves a Discovery meeting and a Concept Meeting, resulting in a tailor-made financial plan. Let’s take a look at the Discovery meeting, or “Step 1.”

Did you know that when your superannuation/pension monies are passed down to your adult children upon death, that the estate can pay up to 17% in taxes on these monies?

Human nature calls for us to worry – this instinct goes way back to the days in which we had to protect ourselves against predators. 

Superannuation has always been a tax-friendly environment and, as such, over the years legislations have systematically reduced the amount one can contribute to super.

Money is a commodity that we can’t live without. As a result, we tend to focus a lot of our time on getting, and then keeping, our money. This only make sense. We work hard and don’t want to lose what we have earned.

Historically, the Australian stock market has delivered an average annual return of about 13%. However, most years have looked different than the average. The Australian stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 13% since 1980. But short-term results may vary, and in any given period stock returns can be positive, negative, or … Read more

Well here we are again, with another financial year at an end! The magical line in the sand that says pens down and step away, all you could have done is done and now it’s time to check the scoreboard.

“Clients must expect that they are the client and the focus; not their funds.” This has always been the case at Alman Partners, but we recognise the difficulty for our community in truly differentiating between an adviser that meets the minimum legislative requirements, and an investment fiduciary. We also recognise that our clients don’t always … Read more

How to manage your money as a couple Ever heard of a Pronup? Well, it certainly is not to be confused with a Prenup, which in legal terms is a legally binding agreement about what will happen to assets you bring to a relationship – if things don’t work out.  On the other hand, a … Read more

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Protecting Your Superannuation Package) Act 2019, received assent on 14th March 2019 and the legislative changes contained therein will take effect from 1st July 2019. Here are some of the key changes that you may be affected by:

It’s the great Australian dream to own your own home. Whilst in our younger years, when it comes to buying (or upsizing) our homes, it can be seductive to “keep up with the Joneses”. Later in life, it can be just as alluring to downsize them. Lowered costs of electricity, insurances. Less maintenance. More time … Read more

The 2019 Federal Budget release was revealed last night with a focus on bringing Australia out of the red and into the black for the first time in 12 years. There were very few changes when it came to superannuation and the main focus of the budget was to accelerate the program for tax cuts.

Have you ever found yourself hesitating to make a decision?

If you ever want to access a loan in the future, you must read this blog.

True Wealth is not just having money in the bank, it’s an inner condition of wellbeing. It’s about your financial health, your personal growth, your life and love, your passions. Your health is also your wealth.

What is the value of great advice? For advisers who have perceived their value to clients as the ability to deliver positive returns year after year or be accurate forecasters of markets, they will be finding it hard to enunciate their value proposition in this complex age we live in.

On Monday Commissioner Hayne made public his findings and recommendations on the Financial Services industry.  His report appears measured and pragmatic but will take time to implement.  The Federal Government has said it will act on 75 of 76 recommendations.  We have identified a few pertinent matters to share with you.

A number of years ago our team and their partners celebrated Lunar New Year together with a huge Chinese banquet. Of course, no Chinese banquet would be complete without the Wisdom of the Fortune Cookie. Have a read of the one Frances received…

Welcome to Alman Partners’ very first Vlog! In the first in our Vlog series, Paul Shepherd discusses Compound Interest.  

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in Physics

In Leo Tolstoy’s great novel ‘War and Peace,’ a Russian general charged with defeating Napoleon and expelling the French from Russian soil argued against rushing into battle, saying the strongest of all warriors were “time and patience.”

Superannuation – all workers have it. But why is it important to be engaged with your super?

With the Banking Royal Commission in full swing, the spotlight is squarely on financial services regulators. Future Fund chairman and former federal treasurer, Peter Costello, stated it plainly: “The next step of the royal commission is to actually find out why the regulatory agencies weren’t awake and at the wheel.1“

How can we teach our children that money doesn’t grow on trees, when the trees have become digital and invisible? For most of us, our first memories of money are of collecting small change, and witnessing our parents using cash to make everyday purchases. This experience, however, is no longer common – the game has … Read more

Insurance inside super, can you count on it? We hear the statement “I have that insurance inside my super” often. But do you really know what you are covered for?

Happy Financial Year to All. Now that we are into the 2018/19 financial year, this means that the recent approval from the Senate of the seven-year personal Income Tax Plan comes into effect, and you may find yourself with some loose change in your pocket! The first step of this plan is to provide small … Read more

I get it, numbers – not everyone’s cup of tea, especially when there are too many of them being thrown about. But sometimes numbers help – numbers are facts, they are not open to misinterpretation – the context in which they are used of course can be (misinterpreted) but not the numbers themselves. As Pythagoras, … Read more

What an extraordinary week at the Banking Royal Commission. AMP’s reputation has been shredded when the head of advice Jack Regan admitted that the financial services giant blatantly lied to ASIC 20 times and that they continued to charge advice fees for orphaned clients. Then it was CBA’s turn when the commissioner accused them of … Read more

Australia, earth’s driest continent, experienced national rainfall in 2017 that was 8% above the historical average. The year was the 30th wettest on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.1 But the story is more complicated than that.

Imagine a mid-size Mackay based financial advice firm operating on the global stage. For clients of Alman Partners, this is a reality. As members of the Global Association of Independent Advisers (GAIA), our firm is at the forefront of Global Best Practice.

Everyone has an opinion about what caused this latest bout of volatility in markets, coming after a long period of relative calm. But the key point for long-term investors is that markets are volatile by nature. Stocks go up and down as information and expectations change. Sometimes, this happens very gradually. Other times it happens … Read more

I received these two messages within three minutes of each other recently:

Investors at year-end are inclined to reflect on the 12 months gone and muse on what the coming year might bring. Aware of this appetite for speculation, the media tends to feed it with forecasts. These articles can be fun to read, but are even more so a year later.

With an overwhelming response from our clients this year, the AP Bear Photo of the Year Award goes to: Graham & Bev Hampton – Congratulations! Keep an eye out on the post for your prize. AP Bear catching up with a cousin in Canada. Visit our Facebook page to see more of AP Bear’s adventures. We look ... Read more

As an investor you are constantly inundated with information: Where is the market heading, top 5 buys, top 5 sells etc. This clamour will increase in pitch as we approach the end of the year with predictions for which way the market is headed next year, it will roll in to it elections, status of … Read more

The financial media is drawn to catchphrases –acronyms and buzzwords that can be sold as the new thing. ‘FAANG’ (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) is the latest of these. But does this constitute an investment strategy?

The travelling adventures of A.P. Bear! A number of years ago we introduced this cute little fellow to our Alman Partners Family. We encourage our clients when they are travelling to collect an ‘A.P. Bear’ from our office and take him on your trips, take photos, and share them with us.

Technology, it makes our lives simpler with ever-advancing, smarter access to our bank accounts and social media. Our lives are online, and the fraudsters know it. They are keeping up with technology and it’s up to organisations and ourselves to keep one step ahead of them to avoid falling victim.

An advisor once said he did not so much have people with investment problems as he had investments with people problems. Your assumed rationality can vanish in a crisis. So why not build your human imperfections into your game plan? When unsettling news is breaking there’s a natural inclination among people to want to adjust … Read more

Have you ever considered the psychological impact of moving from 40 years of working or earning an income to retirement? Over the years we have seen many clients successfully retire. The key to their success was planning early and being committed to their plan. But that is not where the journey stops. Below is a … Read more

Among wealth advisers there is a saying, the first generation makes it, the second spends it and the third blows it.

In March this year, Lia, Kelsey and Paul attended a conference in Sydney, where Ken French was one of the speakers. For those of you who don’t recognise the name, Ken French and Eugene Fama are co-authors and founders of the three-factor risk-return model research that our investment strategies are designed around. These guys write … Read more

Over the years our firm has argued that it is virtually impossible to beat markets consistently. Our research of professional active fund manager performance, against the market, highlights just how efficient markets are. The 2016 SPIVA report which evaluates the performance of 608 actively managed Australian investment funds & 294 International equity funds highlights this … Read more

Drum roll please….. and the winner is Tony & Marina Upton! Keep an eye out in the post for your prize.                 AP Bear enjoying some music with a Cobra in India with Tony & Marina Upton. We look forward to seeing what adventures AP Bear will get ... Read more

AP Bear again saw some fascinating sights in 2016. From India to Antarctica and all around Australia he certainly has racked up some miles. If you are unfamiliar with AP Bear, he has become our travel mascot in recent years. Several years back, partner Steve Lowry and his wife Sally visited the US and sitting … Read more

What’s the ideal investment strategy? Is now a good time to be in shares? How do you get a decent return on cash investments? Should currency risk be hedged? Questions of this kind, often seen in the financial media, tend to confuse means with ends. The answer in every case is “it depends”.

At Alman Partners True Wealth we have always advocated our clients to be diversified and patient investors. In the example below, this portfolio is invested into the top 300 Australian shares be size. If you stayed invested for the full time you received an 8% annualised return. If you missed the best 25 days your … Read more

MACKAY tops the list in Australia with over $49M in lost superannuation accounts.
This reinforces what Alman Partners believes is…

Every night on the TV finance news, you’ll hear about the ups and downs of household name stocks, like the big four banks, Telstra, CSL, Wesfarmers, Woolworths, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. But the market is more than that handful of names.

Bad investing habits are the norm, not the exception. They include panicking and bailing out at generational market lows, like what too many did in 2009. Conversely, the same people often buy aggressively into market bubbles, like the technology debacle at the turn of this century. Often these behaviours are the result of conditioned responses. … Read more

Savouring a vintage wine is one of life’s great pleasures. But often overlooked in the joy of consumption is the carefully calibrated journey from grape to glass. Similar levels of care are critical to good investment outcomes.

Warren Buffett is the second richest man in the world because of his extraordinary performance as an investor. In contrast to his skill and good fortune, he has been quoted many times that he believes most institutions and mum and dad investors are better off investing in low-cost index funds. In fact, he has instructed … Read more

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” Steve Jobs

                With an election year coming up, the media is rife with speculation around proposed changes to tax law and superannuation. The Federal Government is planning to announce their policy in the May Budget. Certainly superannuation is in the sights of both parties, and as you would know … Read more

Budget! Ugh, it’s almost a swear word. After the holiday period, it’s pretty easy to hide the budget away in fear of what it’s telling you: it’s time to reign in those costs again.

Almost weekly we have the pleasure of meeting with couples who are embarking on planning their retirement.

It’s often said that the secret of success in any endeavour is “stickability,” your capacity for staying committed to a goal. But success also depends on having goals you can stick with. Managing that tension is what an advisor does.

Don’t Be Short Sighted  The more often you update yourself on the market’s fluctuations, the more volatile and risky it will appear to you — even though short, sharp declines of 5% to 25% are common. The U.S. & Australian stocks market have, in the past few years, been extraordinarily placid by historical standards. Even … Read more

When it comes to life insurance, it’s not as straight forward as you might think. As with many things in life, you tend to get what you pay for. For some, Group Life insurance offers the benefit of providing some level of cover at a relatively cheap cost. But what are you forgoing for the … Read more

When it comes to setting up a Self-managed super fund (SMSF), there are some common mistakes that a lot of people seem to make. These points are too often excluded from the conversation and should be clearly considered before setting up an SMSF in the first place.

When it comes to insurance, it can sometimes be hard to see what you’re really paying for. It’s one of those costs that is easy to cut from the budget when times get tough, but before you make a decision to cancel your cover, take a moment to think of what the true cost impact … Read more

Digital innovation has democratised access to financial information to the point where anyone with a smartphone, a few apps and real-time news and data feeds can be like a pro trader. But who wants to do that? And do you need to?

What is the value of working with a financial adviser? One view is that advisers have unique insights into market direction that give their clients an advantage. But of the many roles a professional adviser should play, soothsayer is not one of them.

I admit it, I am hooked on My Kitchen Rules this season. Sad I know!

The media would have you believe that a successful investment experience comes from picking stocks, timing your entry and exit points, making accurate predictions and outguessing the market. Is there a better way?

Nick Bennett & Rowena Hardy, Partners of Minds Aligned have provided this thought-provoking article. Nick and Rowena are not only long term valued clients of Alman Partners but great friends also. Look up their business at http://www.mindsaligned.com.au/

The world’s third richest man has revealed how he made his billions — and it’s not as complicated as you’d think.

The one concept that will help you to feel better about your wealth.
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
Albert Einstein

Recently Scott Alman, Paul Shepherd and I took the opportunity to travel to the USA, to attend, amongst other meetings, a global investment symposium in Austin, Texas. In attendance were a number of the leading independent advisory firms from around the world.

Recently I stayed at a lovely hotel with Sally. On our bed was a cute little teddy bear. The bear had a note attached which read. “Hi my name is George, please take me on your trip, take some photos of us all having fun, and post them on our face book page to highlight all the wonderful places we have visited”.

As financial advisers, we take on many roles in our clients’ lives, such as; Strategic Planners, Coaches, Trusted Advisers, Counsellors and of course Investment Advisers. In this article, I wanted to highlight the benefits of the outstanding academic investment philosophy we deliver to you.

Alman Partners vision is to be the firm our community turns to for world class investment solutions

When considering one’s legacy, deciding how much to leave your children, grandchildren and other beneficiaries is one of the most important questions families face particularly the wealthy. The range of possible answers is ‘everything’ to ‘nothing’.

When the media raises the subject of beating the market through astute stock picking, the name ‘Warren Buffett’ is usually cited. But what does this legendary investor actually say about the smart way to invest?

Over the years we have attended many local schools and presented financial seminars to Year 11 students on the fundamentals of managing money. What really amazed me was the reaction we would receive when handing out the following projection showing them the benefits if they were to start saving earlier in life. Silence would usually descend on the classroom and amazement as to how someone could put less away over a shorter time period and have more money in the future, as opposed to someone who has saved more over a longer term.

Financial literacy is one area that is not widely taught at school but is definitely required for everyday living.

For this week’s blog we have attached a Cover Story Article from Money Magazine written by Frances Easton as the contributing expert.

Hope you enjoy the case study.

In many areas of life, intense activity and constant monitoring of results represent the path to success. In investment, that approach gets turned on its head.

Why are you working, saving and investing?

When you haven’t got much capital of your own, the road to financial security can seem long, hard and complex. But the truth is that wealth building is relatively simple. All it takes is time and the price of a cup of coffee.

People who make bad money decisions can often rationalise them. Here are 10 common excuses.

“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people”
Sir Isaac Newton, 1720

All humans have inbuilt biases when making decisions – they have evolved over time as part of our survival instincts. Unfortunately, many of these behavioural biases are completely opposed to the systematic approach one should adopt for the ongoing management of investments.