First Financial Blog

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From 1 January 2017, government changes to the age pension are likely to reduce many age pension recipients’ entitlements.

Overnight, we witnessed America’s Brexit moment. Republican Donald J. Trump will now occupy the White House as the 45th leader of the ‘free world.’ Was this a Trump vote, or merely a protest vote against the establishment?

Tim Rocks, Head of Market Research and Strategy, BT Investment Solutions looks at what could happen to markets should Donald Trump win the race to the White House.

Term Deposit Rates and Government Bond Yields have fallen dramatically on the back of the RBA’s efforts to stimulate the Australian economy. An alternative to Term Deposits that we have been using for many of our clients over the last 10 years are hybrid securities.

On Tuesday 3rd of May the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, released the Government’s 2016 Budget – an economic plan for Australia’s transition from a mining boom to a more diverse economy.

Australians love their dividend paying stocks. They pay a regular, tax effective income that provides cash flow for many of us. But is our love affair with these fully franked dividends detrimental to our market performance?

In this winter edition of Investment Solutions magazine, we focus on five take outs you should be aware of post federal budget 2016.

We have all been affected by lower interest rates in one way or another. It is great news if you are a mortgage holder. However, if you rely on income from your cash and term deposits to fund your lifestyle, low interest rates have indeed been bad news.

Britain has voted to ‘Leave’ the European Union (EU) with a vote of 52% leave to 48% stay. There is little doubt there will be implications following the exit vote, however the magnitude of these implications is up for debate.

On 3 May 2016, the Turnbull Government delivered its first Federal Budget. And it is also the last Federal Budget to be delivered by the current Government given the impending election.