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Joanna Mather

This Month

There may be good opportunities as shares fall, but advisors say it is difficult to find a bargain while things are so heavily in flux.

Six things for investors to do right now (and one to avoid)

Retail investors, superannuation savers and retirees are understandably jittery, so we asked financial planners for advice. 

Recently retired Jo White at home in Coogee in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

This retiree expects a market ‘bloodbath’. Here’s what will help

Jo White, 64, refuses to look at her super balance given what’s happened in financial markets over the past few days. These wealth experts lay out a game plan.

For a second year in a row, active managers in Australian fixed-income investments outperformed the passive benchmark in 2024.

Passive investors are smashing active ones – except in one key area

One of the fastest-growing asset classes in Australia is also a rare happy place for active managers. We explain why.

March

Tiana Miles with dolphin Zippa in Sea Wrold.

‘Superhuman’: Sea World staff slept at work to keep dolphins safe

As Tropical Cyclone Alfred crept towards south-east Queensland, Sea World set in motion a massive operation to ensure the park’s dolphins were safe.

Local residents wade through flood waters in Tingalpa on Brisbane’s Eastside.

Mayor marshalls ‘ute army’ to clean up Brisbane

Major developers say the effects of ex-typical cyclone Alfred will exacerbate pent-up workforce shortages and productivity problems that mean every project in South East Queensland already costs 20 per cent more than it should.

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A rescue operation got under way after an army tanker rolled south of Lismore.

Army truck flips in storm zone as storm kills one

The body of a man swept away in floodwaters was found Saturday afternoon as Queensland and NSW authorities fear the looming flood threat of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

Bruce Mathieson’s six-bedroom, two-storey, $16.8 million Albatross residence at Mermaid Beach has one of the biggest beachfront exposures in the area.

‘It’s scary’: Gold Coast business titans hunker down

Wild winds are battering Bruce Mathieson snr’s beachfront mansion while property developer Soheil Abedian is watching monster waves from his penthouse.

Tom Neville aboard his yacht Postremo at Brisbane East Coast Marina.

This yachtie parked his boat in Brisbane to avoid Cairns’ cyclones

Tom Neville sailed Postremo south thinking it would avoid the summer storm season. Now he’s battening down the hatches in Cyclone Alfred’s landfall zone.

February

Retirement spending is a bit of a maze to wind yourself through, but having confidence is key to living a life with lower financial anxiety.

Six big retirement risks and how to overcome them

Growing older means less time to recover from market crashes but ultra-conservatism carries its own risk.

The average uplift in age pension payments among AMP clients has been $8000 a year.

Doing this could increase your retirement income by thousands

Retirees may not know that using their superannuation to buy an annuity can boost their Centrelink age pension payments.

Think a will is unfair to you? You’re part of a growing number of people.

The reason so many adult children are challenging wills 

Soaring property prices have increased the size of the prize in inheritance disputes. And the bigger the estate, the better your chances. 

January

ASIC commissioner Simone Constant wants super funds to double down on customer service – or risk court action.

‘Weak’ scam protections put trillions of super money at risk

Superannuation funds have been warned they are at risk of becoming “soft targets” for scammers.

December 2024

Sibling rivalry can turn nasty when it comes to inheriting the family home.

Sibling rivalry: what to do when inheritance goes horribly wrong

Millions of Australians will jointly inherit the family home with siblings. We explore four common scenarios, what can go wrong and how to resolve disputes.

Joanna and Justin Ryan are giving to charity using a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Fund.

Giving booms as donors maximise tax benefits

Joanna Ryan and her husband have established a sub-fund with an initial donation of $1 million.

Cbus chairman Wayne Swan.

Cbus’ Swan has ‘serious questions’ to answer: Coalition

Fundamental transparency and accountability failings at the industry super fund may yet claim the scalp of its chairman.

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Michelle Levy recommended a shake-up of the financial advice sector.

Labor unveils plan for army of advisers to help Baby Boomers

Labor will attempt to re-write financial advice laws to relax the regulatory requirements that have made advice prohibitively expensive for many.

November 2024

Esther Freeman at home with husband Rob and children Benji and Rose.

Parents are investing on behalf of 2m Australian kids

Finder analysis shows that $15,000 invested over 15 years at an average return of 8 per cent could turn into over $49,000 by a child’s 18th birthday.

Amber Daines was disappointed when she found out what was in her father’s will.

‘Hurt badly’: When Dad leaves everything to his new wife

Two women share their heartbreak at being overlooked in their fathers’ wills and 10 strategies for safeguarding inheritances.

Stephen Pastor is working hard to reframe his attitude to money.

‘I’m worth millions but I still fret about money’

Money mindsets are established early in life and can lead to poor financial decision-making, but there are ways to reframe your approach.

He’s back. A Trump presidency will shake up global trade and markets, but investors warn against making sudden moves.

What Trump’s victory means for your money

From a sugar-hit to your super, to higher-for-longer interest rates, and a trade-war on the horizon, here’s what Trump 2.0 means for your finances.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/joanna-mather-j7gd3