The Investor 6 February 2007
Help for those in debt. Repaying high-interest debt is sometimes called the best investment. And there’s a way to do it that, I suspect, many people don’t know about.
The Investor 23 January 2007
It’s the same old song. New data confirm the same old messages about share investing: hang in there, and diversify.
Holm Truths Summer 2006–07
The other B word: While some people find it easy to follow a budget, others struggle. Here are some tips for the latter group. Also in this issue: From the Mailbox — Couple who sold their house save heaps by renting. But should they wait for a price fall before buying again?
The Investor 5 December 2006
The investment games people play. Let’s say you’re playing a game in which everyone has been given $20. In each round, you choose whether or not to put in $1, and a coin is then tossed. If it’s heads, you get back $2.50. If it’s tails, you lose your $1. How often would you put in a dollar?
Holm Truths Spring 06
Mortgage moves: How you can make the big loans work better for you. Also in this issue: From the mailbox — Is it a good idea to increase your mortgage and invest the money elsewhere?
The Investor 21 November 2006
Look beyond the dividends: In share fund investing, keep your eye on the prize — the over-all return, not just the fees and dividends.
The Investor 7 November 2006
An exceptionally unlucky reader. International index funds, a favourite long-term investment of mine, don’t look good to one reader. “I bought about $2000 worth of WiNZ in 2000,” he writes. “They are now 27 per cent lower (have been for quite a while). Fortunately for me it was not a huge amount. “Twenty years is a long time to wait for the fund to claw its way back up. Hopefully all the investors in index funds can wait that long!”
The Investor 24 October 2006
Why some advisers don’t recommend index funds. A while back I wrote that I still think index funds are the best way for most people to invest in shares, even though they are scheduled to lose their tax advantage next year. That has prompted an intriguing question from a reader: “If index funds outperform all other forms of sharemarket investing over a long period of time (10 years?), then why do advisers recommend other forms? Is it simply due to their commission?”
The Investor 10 October 2006
Moving money across the globe is a risky tactic. The situation of a reader may not seem relevant to many others. But there are lessons here for practically everyone.
The Investor 26 September 2006
Australia is not good enough to get the spread. It’s a basic principle of wise investing: Spread your share investments around the world, to spread your risk. But proposed tax changes will increase taxes on overseas share investments beyond Australia. So should we stick with Australasia?