Insights

Just like any other listed stock you might own, one of the primary goals of an exchange traded fund (ETF) is to increase in value over time. It's not rocket science, you know your stocks are performing well if the price they're trading at continues to exceed the price you originally bought them for.

As discussed in the first three chapters of the investor psychology series, the human psyche and investment structures do not always align, as our social norms and cognitive processing can lead to 'clashes of theory' and the misuse of investment information.

The world of money is always interesting and ever-changing. In 2020 alone, we've seen the cash rate fall to a previously unthinkable 0.1%, home loan rates below 2% are now commonplace, and in the space of less than 12 months Australian shares have experienced their worst ever fall and also their highest 1-month gain in almost two decades.

InvestSMART Capped Fee Portfolio review Monthly Musings November - Smashing Records

How our perceptions of ageing have changed. Forget 50 being the new 40, it could be that 80 is the new 60 - and this has profound implications for our retirement savings.

ETFs pay dividends just like any other dividend-paying stocks, and like individual stocks, these dividends are typically in the form of cash payouts, or issuance of further shares (aka as dividend reinvestment plan).

Heuristics in cognitive psychology can be defined as shortcutting or the use of rule of thumb decision making, especially under conditions of uncertainty.

After my personal anecdote about my mother's experience with starting her investment journey, your feedback was clear - can we please hear more of these stories.

Fees charged by ETFs depend on the market, region or industry that a fund is tracking, but generally speaking they're low-cost investments.

The 'fear of loss' is one of the biggest human emotions to overcome. We see it time and time again where investors put 'loss aversion' ahead of opportunity.

Interested in investing in ETFs yet overwhelmed by the sheer number and diversity of options to choose from? Here's a snapshot of the most common varieties of ETFs and what they invest in.

Helping your kids' amass a 20 percent deposit for their first home shouldn't mean compromising your retirement or family relationships.

The most unfortunate statistic about the Australian retail investor throughout the 2000s is how underexposed they are to international equities, and it's a statistic that still holds true even today.

Given that it's the world's third largest economy with the largest stock market in Asia, Japan's stock market is too big and too dynamic for you to ignore.

I suspect there are few times in life when we take more notice of our investments, and the performance of asset markets, than in the years just before and during retirement. While many people in these life stages worry about the potential for market downturns, their wealth can be impacted far more profoundly by something much simpler - providing financial support to their adult children.

InvestSMART Capped Fee Portfolio review: Monthly Musings: October - economic expansion with second waves