Hearing about someone’s problem in the media? A lobby group has probably been doing their job. Right now, it must be some sort of record. Very few people haven’t been affected by COVID-19. Very few people are quiet about it. They’re airing their woes. Many want something. Alternatively, they want something changed. It seems every media story is about someone’s demands. Fair enough. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. When it touches on the investment space, we’re interested. Self-funded retirees are the ones currently featuring in the media. It makes sense. They’ve exited the workforce and there is a…

The good thing about our clients is they often provide us with new ideas and different things to think about. There’s always a question. A scenario. A change in circumstances. A lifestyle challenge. A different behaviour. A new personality. Encountering different people and different situations broadens our scope. Hopefully it makes us better advisers. More experience benefits the needs of our existing and future clients. After our last story on gold, there were some questions. A couple of clients wanted to know more about winners and losers post the 2008 financial crisis. If we use sharemarkets as the measure, they…

A crisis may not be welcome, but it can be valuable. When the world is spinning gloriously without interruption, complacency can emerge. That’s when bad habits start. Forgetting the lessons of the past. A little bit of hubris that outcomes were determined by skill, not luck. Believing that things work differently now. For investing, it’s a reminder why you stay within the lanes. Swim between the flags. Ski on-piste. Colour within the lines. Have some rules that apply no matter the conditions. COVID-19 came out of the blue. Those who’d made assumptions based on the recent past becoming the near…