First Financial Blog

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During challenging times, it can be extremely beneficial to have a trusted financial adviser. Someone who knows your personal situation and can help you navigate the uncertainty with sound advice and professional assurance.

Have you thought about how you would like your estate to be distributed? What do you want to happen to your assets when you’ve gone? Do you want your grandchildren to benefit… or do you have a favourite charity you would like to support?

It’s a First Financial tradition to celebrate the end of the financial year. This year with coronavirus restrictions enforced, we turned the party digital to make sure we still said “Cheers” to another successful year.

There is never a good time – or age – to be out of work. But for those over 60, it can feel particularly painful. If you have lost a job or been made redundant, the hardest part is knowing what to do next.

We discuss whether implementing the new reduced minimum for your pension payment is a viable option for this financial year. Reducing your retirement income is an important decision that can impact your lifestyle, so we have outlined some of the points to consider.

Taxes… they are one of the two certainties of life. You can’t avoid them, but there are ways to reduce your liability… especially when it comes to capital gains tax. We look at strategies within your super to help minimise the amount of CGT you pay when you successfully sell your assets.

The end of the financial year is almost here… and that means it’s tax time! With 2020 being an extraordinary year, the ATO is already expecting that this tax season will be like nothing ever experienced before.

March 2020 was an extraordinary month on the stock markets. The uncertainty surrounding a global pandemic saw the All Ordinaries index at 7,230 at close on 21 February… 30 days later we closed at 4,560 – a 37% drop.

Sequencing risk can impact your retirement income… but our unique Investment Philosophy allows us to build portfolios that are robust enough to withstand the market volatility that triggers the effect.

Scammers love to prey on people who are emotionally drained… and the heightened anxiety felt across our society during the recent health crisis has unfortunately provided them with new opportunities.