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Allocated Pension

Allocated pensions are by far the most popular product around for retirees looking to live off their super savings in retirement. So why are allocated pensions so popular? Why don’t retirees just withdraw their funds out of super and dump the lot into a term deposit or savings account, or even use their super to…

Why commodities will remain the best-performing sector

Out of their dismal lows in early March, the stock markets rocketed 27% higher in a single month!  After such fast gains, Wall Street remained skeptical.  Was this a typical bear rally that would soon collapse?  But as the last couple weeks have shown, it didn’t.  Stocks not only held their rally gains, but they…

Stock in focus – Coca-Cola Amatil

Company: Coca-Cola Amatil Limited ASX Code: CCL Current Share Price: $8.37 1 Year High/Low: $9.79/$6.65 Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (CCL) Operations Coca-Cola Amatil (CCL) is the Asian region bottler for the Coca Cola Company. CCL manufactures, sells and distributes Coca-Cola products throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The company’s portfolio of products includes carbonated soft drinks, mineral waters,…

Top 10 CFD stocks for the week

Shorting the banks was a popular strategy last week following weak offshore leads. Westpac was downgraded to Neutral by Macquarie as its 3Q update disappointed the market. Diawa cut its target for NAB from $29 to $26.10. The uncertainty surrounding its bid for AXA is also weighing on the stock. ANZ, too, was out of…

Copper bull market

Most analysts believe this deep global recession has abruptly ended the powerful secular commodities bull that was born at the turn of the 21st century.  And it is certainly hard to argue this point considering the dismal panic-selling-induced performance of nearly all commodities. The volatility and fear that took hold of the markets have given…

Be careful of junior gold miners

By Scott Wright, Zeal Junior gold stocks are a contingent of the greater junior resources circuit that has simply been obliterated in the recent stock panic.  Even though gold has been strong over this stretch, the risk capital that usually finds its way into these gold explorers had all but left the scene. Measured by…

The Aussie housing bubble is worst than the States

The First Home Owners Boost (as it is officially known) has certainly given the Government bang for its buck. By spending roughly $200 million of its own money to date, it has added about $3 billion to the housing market. But the additional $2.8 billion has come from increased mortgage debt taken on by those…

At 65, can I live off saved income and let my super accumulate for another 12 months?

I have a SMSF and turn 65 shortly. At aged 65 can I live off saved income and let my super accumulate for another 12 months before converting it to an allocated pension. Thanks, Dave. Answer: The rules applying to Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF) are no different to those affecting all superannuation when it…

Time decay

Traders beware: warrants become less valuable as they approach their expiry date, often declining rapidly in the last third of their life. Time decay happens regardless of what’s happening to the underlying share price, which means that buying a warrant close to its expiry date is a risky practice indeed. And if the warrant happens…

Venture Capital

Investing in venture capital goes against everything the text books recommend as an appropriate investment. Venture capital in Australia has a minimal track record, the funds are mainly illiquid and the risks inherent in the portfolio of companies chosen by venture capitalists are pretty well as high as you can get. Having said that, venture…