Uncategorized Archives - Page 50 of 53 - Raiz Invest

 1.      An active
Acorns Grow Australia Account must be held (account balance greater than $5). Acorns account holders hold valid
accounts as set out in the product disclosure statement found on the website: www.acornsau.com.au.

2.     
Entries open Thursday 13^th October 2016 at 5pm and entries close Thursday 20^th  October 2016 at 5pm. To enter one must comment
on the designated post with the “reason why they are saving.” The finalists
will be selected by an independent adjudicator.

3.     
Four of the finalists will receive a $50.00 credit in their active Acorns Grow
Australia Investment Account. The winner from the five finalists will receive
$300 invested into their Acorns Account.

4.     
Finalists will be announced on Friday 21st of October 2016 and the Grand Prize
winner announced on Friday 28th of October. Winners will be announced directly
through Facebook.

5. Finalists must contact Acorns
via madison@acornsgrow.com.au
with the email address connected with their personal Acorns account. The prize
amounts will be made available in their Acorns within 3 days of this date.

6.     
The permit number in the format “NSW Permit No. LTPS/16/08287.”

7.     
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or
associated with, Facebook. 

8.     
The competition is promoted by by Acorns Grow Australia Limited, Level 11/2
Bulletin Place Sydney 2000 NSW, 1300 754 748. ABN 26 604 402 815, who is the
Authorised Representative of AFSL 434776. The Acorns product will be issued in
Australia by Instreet Investment Limited (ACN 128 813 016 AFSL 434776) and
promoted by Acorns Grow Australia Limited (ACN 604 402 815). A Product
Disclosure Statement dated 27 May 2016 for this product is available on the
Acorns website and App. A person should read and consider the Product
Disclosure Statement in deciding whether or not to acquire and continue to hold
interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out
in the Product Disclosure Statement, and include the risks that would
ordinarily apply to investing.

9.     
“Acorns” and “Invest the Change” are registered trademarks
of Acorns Grow, Inc. 

NSW Permit No. LTPS/16/08287

It’s
looking less and less likely as time goes on, but we have been thinking a bit
about what might happen in the markets if Donald Trump were to be elected
President of the USA.

He
hasn’t exactly inspired investors, and indeed the markets seem to be reacting
positively as his chances of being elected diminish. But are they making a
mountain out of a molehill? A good place to start is by looking at another big
political event in 2016, Brexit.

When
Britain voted to leave the European Union in June this year, the markets were
sent into panic mode. We saw the markets fall, then for a relative short period
movement up and down, as investors decided how they felt about Brexit. After
this period, everyone seemed to realise that Britain wouldn’t leave the
European Union any time soon, that a Brexit takes time, and that the world wasn’t
really burning down. The markets settled back and even rallied higher than the
pre-Brexit levels and calmness was restored.

Why
is this important?

Whilst
Donald Trump becoming President would certainly cause some uncertainty, it is
unlikely that he will be able to dramatically affect the USA or business as
many seem to predict. He does not have control of congress, he does not have
support of much of his own party and as President Obama found out, it is
difficult to enact significant changes or allocate funds for new projects –
such as building a wall between Mexico and USA – with this dynamic.

So
expect some short term volatility if the unlikely happens and Donald Trump
becomes President, but as we always remind Raiz investors, remain calm
and stick to a disciplined investment strategy!

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post

By Clayton Daniel

I
was in South America a month ago visiting Machu Picchu with my dad. The bloke
is a mad dog old school traveller but was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
As such we made plans to tick off the final item on his bucket-list together.

It
was awesome. Although between the both of us we have nearly seen every corner
of the globe, we had never travelled together. It meant a lot to both of us,
and I hope we get to do it again.

Now
before you hit the edge of the Amazon jungle and start the journey to the
mountain top ruins, the last main city you come across is Cuzco. Cuzco is a
strange melting pot of traditional Peruvian life, significant religious
influence and tourists.

And
even though there are tourists, the good news is the city doesn’t bend its own
culture to appease us like Thailand or Bali. As such it still seems
authentically Peruvian. It’s mostly safe (although I was robbed there five
years previously on a backpacking sojourn under a higher level of inebriation –
I consider it my own fault), and many of the buildings are from Inca times or
early Spanish settlement.

I’m
trying my best to set the scene because there was one massive difference
between this visit and my first visit five years ago – large numbers of people
standing in one corner of the town all on their phones.

Okay,
so I’m sure you’ve heard of this Pokemon game. It took something like a week to
become the most downloaded mobile game of all time. And I’m all for a video
games getting people out of the house. The only problem was, I didn’t see
anyone interested in their surroundings, all I saw was people looking down to
an item right in front of them.

This
event didn’t really impact me as it was the first time I had seen it, and
thought it was a weird Peruvian anomaly. Alas, when I turned up in New York
only a couple of weeks later I saw the exact same thing – just more people this
time.

As
I walked up to the south western entrance to Central Park, I noticed I was
surrounded by hundreds of people staring at their phone. In disbelief I
realised that again, everyone was playing Pokemon.

In
my first ‘senior moment’ as a thirty-three-year-old, I pushed a small amount of
air out of my nose which can only be described as respiratory disdain and
thought to myself ‘why are these people so focused on the small thing in front
of them, when they have all of this to experience’?

“The
issue is what is constantly being taught by formal education, and by the media
is that you have to ‘pay attention’ to your money” 

Thankfully
as I choose not to hold grudges towards large non-descript masses of people
casually enjoying their lives, I was easily able to continue with my
exploration plans, but I did take away this story as it works so wonderfully as
an analogy for how we interact with money.

The
issue is what is constantly being taught by formal education, and by the media
is that you have to ‘pay attention’ to your money. Staring at the amount in
front of you is more important than the bigger picture – the outcome of your
money. The passive point being, the more attention you pay to your money, the
better you will be with it.

“Of
course if you pay attention to your money you will be better with it…. The big
trick. The point every financial commentator misses is this: you don’t have to”

Now,
caveat. This is actually correct. I can’t claim otherwise
because I would be lying. Of course if you pay attention to your money you will
be better with it. I’m a perfect example of this. Ten years ago I knew nothing
about money. I dedicated my life to understanding it, and now I’m here.

But
guess what. The big trick. The point every financial commentator misses is
this: you don’t have to.

My
entire life for the last decade has been dedicated to understanding money. I
did an accounting degree, worked as an accountant before turning to financial
advice. A decade later, I know a thing or two about dollar signs followed by
numerals.

I
had the type of personality to do so. But what if you don’t? What if you don’t
want to pay attention? Does this have to mean you won’t be successful with your
money?

“Thinking
about money all the time on top of thinking about your career, your family, and
your own personal goals adds up. It’s called decision fatigue and is the plague
of our generation.”

I
no longer subscribe to the concept you have to become a monetary version of a
Pokemon player. To have your head down, only concentrating on the thing in
front of you. And the reason is, you probably find it all sensationally boring.
And that’s okay.

Thinking
about money all the time on top of thinking about your career, your family, and
your own personal goals adds up. It’s called decision fatigue and is the plague
of our generation. In fact unless you work with money, you should be doing
whatever you can to put as much distance between you and it so you can focus on
things that are important to you.

Money
is simply a facilitator of what you want out of life. What you want out of life
– your ideal lifestyle – should be the focus. Your money will ultimately fill
in the spaces to meet the direction you want to go.

If
you want a family, mortgage, a new car on lease – you will get that.

If
you want time to tick off a bucketlist with your old man before he shakes down
the mountain – you will get that.

If
you want to become rich at the sacrifice of family and time to yourself – you
will get that.

“Whatever
you choose to do with your life, the good news is you do not need to understand
money as well as Warren Buffet in order to wield it….There are shortcuts”

We
can’t have everything – you only get one life after all – but I’m a big
believer in everyone getting what they want out of life. There’s no right, and
no wrong, there is only those who have sat down to think about it, and those
who let the decisions happen to them without much thought.

Whatever
you choose to do with your life, the good news is you do not need to understand
money as well as Warren Buffet in order to wield it. You don’t need to dedicate
a decade of your life. You don’t need to stare at a screen infront of you and
miss the bigger picture. There are shortcuts.

Firstly,
decide what you want out of life. That’s a big point in a small sentence I know
– but it still deserves your time. If you don’t, the easy and default answer is
simply ‘more’.

Second,
put aside an amount for yourself to spend each week to fund your ideal lifestyle
today.

Lastly,
put aside an amount for yourself to spend later in life when you no longer
work. Medical science is getting quite good, so you’re not going to die anytime
soon. You’ll want some money to fund your ideal lifestyle in the future also.
And the best way to invest is low cost/low tax environments – but that’s an
article for next time.

Clayton Daniel author of upcoming book Fund Your Ideal
Lifestyle 

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post

I
have a confession. Even though I’m a personal finance guy – I still waste
money.

Okay,
that actually feels quite good to say out loud.

I
mean, I do fairly well with my money management, but I am no Patron Saint of
Savings.

I
did however meet one last night. And while in some quarters this may be seen as
a laudable pastime, I have to say by the sounds of it, the juice just isn’t
worth the squeeze.

Let
me share with you a conversation I had over dinner last night. As a bunch of
guys in our late twenties / early thirties, the topic of money came up as we
critiqued the latest (and greatest) iteration of my upcoming book’s cover. With
that came questions about what my career has been in the personal finance space
over the last few years, and then one of them casually popped out this
sentence:

‘I
save 75% of my after tax income’.

What?
Excuse me? As the rest of us queried his definition, I sat in disbelief.

How
can someone in their late twenties, living in a capital city in Australia,
survive on 25% of their after tax income? But despite our best efforts to get
him to ‘fess up to his obviously incorrect calculations, he stuck by it. He
said his goal was to retire by 40, in which case he had 12 years to put money
aside.

Now,
I for one am not going to diminish his efforts. To his credit, he was the only
one not to join us at Baxter’s Inn later that night, so perhaps he
wasn’t facetious, but I will question one thing – his intention of retiring
at age 40.

It’s
this part of the story which makes the least sense to me. As someone used to
teasing out lifestyle plans, and bringing to light the inherent conflicts which
exist for everyone, I found the concept of someone young and full of ambition
putting forward the goal of ceasing to work as young as possible to be a
complete non-sequitur.

And
here in lies why money management is far more important than money itself. The
uncomfortable truth is – it’s only those who can work hard enough and smart enough,
and are successful enough at an early age are able to retire at age 40. And if
I was to present to you the exact type of person who doesn’t want to sit around
all day doing nothing – well it’s the exact same type of person.

So
this young gent, earning lots of money, hard working, and not spending any
money is going to probably achieve his goal of retiring early. The only problem
is, when he gets there – he’s not going to want it. There will be too many well
ingrained habits of early mornings and full days for him to simply wave goodbye
to it all.

I
don’t mean to call this guy out all alone, he is just another one of us. He’s
caught up in the emotional effects of money, has chosen a direction, but hasn’t
really played the end scenario out in his mind. At some point he learned of the
concept of an early retirement and had been impressed with the idea. As anyone
does, he would have went about figuring out how to achieve it, and set the
process in motion.

But
it’s a half baked idea. Early retirement is certainly not what it’s cracked up
to be. Infact most people are forced into retirement, they aren’t looking for
it. Generally, people want to do whatever they can to stay active, stay
important, and be productive as long as possible.

If
your goal is to ‘own 150 properties’ by the time you’re 50 so you can retire
early – you can do it. Vendor leasing isn’t exactly a dark art and I’m sure you
can figure it out. If your goal is to continuously travel the world and never
get swept up in the stress of city living – you can do it. There are endless
ways to make a few bucks online these days.

Whatever
your plan is – that’s great – just make sure your behavior and lifestyle
adjustments match the outcome. For our young and successful hero who wants to
retire at age 40, all that is going to happen is he is going to miss out of
some pivotal life stages with friends while his asset base grows, only to find
it wasn’t worth it when he gets to age 40.

So
what does your ideal lifestyle look like? What is it you want to build an asset
base for? Knowing this, and thinking it through clearly will not only give you
a target to hit, but ensure you are spending your time as well as your money in
a way that benefits you the most.

First
thing is to decide what you want out of life without any external pressures
pushing you in any direction. Then you figure out what to do with your money to
make it happen.

And
building a large asset base will absolutely be a part of ensuring you live your
ideal lifestyle in the future also, so how do you go about doing this.

Well,
once there was a time where you needed a real estate agents, solicitors, stock
brokers, or financial planners to invest.

These
days you need a smart phone and the Raiz app.

One
is expensive, time consuming, inaccessible, and overly complicated.

One
is cheap, quick, transparent, and easy.

I’ll
let you decide which one’s which. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

–
Clayton

Author
of upcoming book Fund Your Ideal Lifestyle

www.fundyourideallifestyle.com.au

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post

As
we enter the 3^rd week of August,
the Northern Hemisphere is on holiday and it is no surprise that the markets
are confounding investor expectations, as they are meant to do in August.

In
the current low interest rate environment, it is all about yield!

Yield
is the income return on an investment, such as interest, a bond coupon, or a
dividend from and equity investment.

Negative
yield in debt means that the holder of a bond loses money on their
investment. With the amount of debt in negative yield
now at a staggering $13tn, it is no wonder that the main driving force for
equities will be the global hunt for yield. Which in turn is seeing increased
investment into the local Aussie market.

Thanks
to years of continued investor activism, top Australian companies pay higher
dividends and help produce one of the highest yielding markets in the world.
Compared to the S&P 500, which yields about 2.3%, the yield from ASX 200
companies is attractive, resulting in foreign inflows and leading Australian
companies being included in global yield ETFs listed in the US.

…and
it’s not just equity yield that is attractive in Australia, with AAA-rated
government bonds producing significant yield when compared to negative yields
you would receive from both countries and corporates with lower ratings.

Foreign
investment in the Australian market are also having an effect on the Aussie
dollar, which is on the rise despite the RBA cutting rates to record lows in
August. This rise in the dollar, coupled with mortgage lenders not passing on
the full rate cut to borrowers, has seen the RBAs recent decision completely
wasted. If it is a weakening in the dollar that the RBA are interested in, then
they may think twice about cutting again.

Investors
will be keeping a keen eye on the Australian employment report this week for an
indication to the strength of the economy!

Important
Note: The information is general advice and does not take into account any
person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment
needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before
acting on any information contained in this website.

Investors
only: The information in this Document is confidential it must not be
reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person unless it is part of their
statement of advice. The information may be based on assumptions or market
conditions and may change without notice. This may impact the accuracy of the
information. In no circumstances is the information in this Document to be used
by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of making a decision about a
financial product or class of products.

General
advice warning: The information contained in this Document is general
information only. It has been prepared without taking account any potential
investors’ financial situation, objectives or needs and the appropriateness of
this information needs to be considered in that context. No responsibility or
liability is accepted by Instreet or any third party who has contributed to
this Document for any of the information contained herein or for any action
taken by you or any of your officers, employees, agents or associates.

Read Post

Any
marathon runner will tell you: You don’t think about all 42 kilometres at once.
That would be too overwhelming. Instead, picture the race in chunks: 5km, 10km,
or even one kilometre at a time. Manageable chunks.

This
same philosophy can be useful when saving for your post-work life,
especially when it’s still decades away. While the idea of saving $1
million may feel like a near-impossible feat, putting away just $150 or so
per month in your 20s seems completely reasonable—and that still may get you to
the million-dollar mark by retirement age, provided you’re disciplined, start
early and hit your “splits,” as runners would say.

Just
get started, save regularly, experience the power of compounding returns and
learn about market risks– and track your progress. 

For
the sake of simplicity, let’s set aside inflation, fees, taxes and dividends.
Yes, those things are important, but it’s more important that you just get
started, save regularly, experience the power of compounding returns and learn
about market risks– and track your progress.

Here’s what this example could look like:

Okay, deep
breaths. I’m going to walk you through these targets, and explain why
they’re more reachable than you might think—and why, if you’ve hit 30 and
haven’t saved that much, it’s not too late.

The
first thing you’ll probably notice about this chart is that your money doubles
every seven years. I’m basing that on an investing concept known as the rule of 72, which says that if you earn 7.2
percent interest annually your money doubles in 10 years. Roughly, the reverse
is true, as well: If you earn 10 percent on your money, it doubles in 7.2
years.

You
also likely noticed that the larger you’re starting point in each doubling
cycle, the larger the growth….That means the most important consideration is
starting the doubling clock. 

For
the milestones listed above to work, you’ll likely need growth from both equity
market returns (say, 7 percent) and additional cash saved (3
percent). Any percentage variation works—bigger investment returns, less cash
added; more cash added, smaller returns—so long as you get to about 10 percent,
your money will double every seven years or so.

You
also likely noticed that the larger you’re starting point in each doubling
cycle, the larger the growth. Under the example above, the balances really
start to grow—to $200,000, $400,000 and beyond—during your 40s and 50s. That
means the most important consideration is starting the doubling clock. If
you embarked on this particular milestone chart at 37 instead of 30, for
example, you may be missing $800,000 by retirement age.

Now,
let’s talk through my assumptions, and how I got there. Again, it’s not that
difficult to get from $50,000 to $100,000 in just seven years. You can do it by
earning 7 percent in returns—a fair guideline for market returns—and contributing
about $150 per month to your account.

Note
the difference saving regularly makes, by contributing larger cash you may
significantly reduce the time to double your money.

it’s
entirely possible to start a humble retirement account, add $150 per month in
your 20s and 30s and still be on target to retire a millionaire. You just have
to hit your splits. 

Another
thing to keep in mind about your contributions: As you get older, the amount of
cash that must be added in order to keep up the doubling effect—the 3
percent—needs to grow substantially. But you’re likely making more money, so
that’s not unrealistic. For example, between ages 37-44, you’ll grow your
retirement balance from $100,000 to $200,000 by earning 7-percent returns, for
example, and depositing at least $250 per month (based on 3 percent of
your starting balance, and assuming you’re getting 7 percent returns). Then
from ages 44-51, your balance will balloon from $200,000 to $400,000 with 7
percent returns and at least $500 in monthly deposits (3 percent of $200,000
divided by 12).

Raiz
fully automates this process, with the Roundup and Automatic Investment feature
you can hit your splits whilst living your everyday life. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

So
yes, it’s entirely possible to start a humble retirement account, add $150 per
month in your 20s and 30s and still be on target to retire a millionaire. You
just have to hit your splits.

It
is time to start thinking about saving for retirement, just like you would if
training for a marathon.  This is where Raiz can comes in.  Instead
of just waking up one day and trying to sprint 42km, you need to train, and
start working on your financial fitness. Raiz fully automates this process,
with the Roundup and Automatic Investment feature you can hit your splits
whilst living your everyday life.

But
none of those facts detract from the undeniable power of regular savings, time
and compounding. A journey of a mile begins with the first
step. A journey to $1 million begins with your first $100 investment.

Important
Information

The
examples above are for display purposes only and to illustrate a point – actual
returns will be different and could be significantly less than the examples.

This
blog was written by Raiz Limited– Authorised Representative of AFSL 434776. The
Raiz product is issued in Australia by Instreet Investment Limited (ACN 128 813
016 AFSL 434776) and promoted by Raiz Limited (ACN 604 402 815). A Product
Disclosure Statement dated 27 May 2016 for this product is available on the Raiz
website and App.

A
person should read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding
whether or not to acquire and/or continue to hold interests in the product. The
risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure
Statement, and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

Read Post

We
at Raiz take great pride in the design of our app – and having won the 2016
Good Design Best Digital Design and multiple national awards in the US
it looks like our designers’ hard work is paying off.

We’ve
turned to Raiz’ VP of Design in the USA, David Keegan, to let you
know a bit more on the design of Raiz, and why it’s so important.

Why
is design important?

“Design
is how people see and engage with a product. This is important because it’s how
people use and interact with the technology behind Raiz. We think a lot about
ways we can make Raiz beautiful and delightful while at the same time easy to
use and understandable.”

What
is the most important thing to consider when designing an app?

“The
most important thing to consider when designing an app is to think about how
people are actually going to use it. Above all else we strive for simplicity.
When designing mobile apps people are often on the go, using their phones here
and there hundreds of times throughout the day. Everything from the signup
process to depositing money, or simply checking your balance needs to be quick
and easy, never more than one or two taps away.”

What
are the key elements to the design of Raiz?

“The
most important element to the design of Raiz is its simplicity. Raiz makes it
easy and streamlined to get signed up, and to start saving and investing. We
also use beautiful graphics the help make the app enjoyable. Investing is often
an emotional experience so we try to infuse the app with calming natural
colours and gradients.”

What
other apps, products, or brands do you admire?

“My favourite
brands are ones that embrace elegant and simplistic design. Some of my
favourite brands that exemplify this are of course Apple as well as Audi and
Tesla. I try to draw inspiration from these brands, with a dash
of Lamborghini colours for aspiration 😉 I constantly keep these brands in mind
when working on the branding and design of Raiz.”

Let
us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages what you think of our design, and
what other brands inspire you!

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post

Unless
you have been living under a rock, it would have been impossible to not notice
that Pokemon Go has taken Australia by storm.

Launched
last week, Pokemon Go is a mobile game which has reinvented
the popular 90’s cult franchise Pokemon. The game uses GPS to track players and
through their smartphone cameras, incorporates the game’s monsters into the
player’s surroundings.

The
game has been an instant hit, with the app currently topping several charts on
Apple’s App Store.  Nintendo shares are up 60% in the past three days
since Pokemon Go was launched on the 7^th of July – illustrating the power
of pop culture!

Nintendo
has enjoyed a whopping AUD$12bn increase in market value. It should give a new
lease of life to the conservative Kyoto-based firm, which had long steered
clear of smartphone gaming.

The
app is free to download and is estimated to have been downloaded 7.5bn times in
the US alone. The lucrative value of the app is seen in its in-app purchases,
which occurs when a player is tempted to buy more useful items within the game.

Excuse
the pun, but Pokemon Go is literally ‘changing the game’ when
it comes to mobile apps. We can’t wait to see how more apps like this push
boundaries and sail into uncharted territory.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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By the Superfitdad

It’s
the end of the Australian financial year which means, for those who have
incurred personal expenses in the course of their business, it’s tax return
season and, ideally, tax refund season.

Much
like the truffle season in Alba or the Indian wedding season for Gold prices,
this can mean a flurry of expectant spending or, at the very least, plotting
about what spending might ensue, assuming things work out favourably.

And
irrespective of whether you have a tax refund in the offing, any time you have
a lump sum coming your way, it’s a great opportunity to start building or
growing your asset base.

So,
in no particular order, here are some things to consider.

1.Clear Debts (Especially Credit Card)

You
might think: so what? A measly $1k on the credit card. No need to worry
about that. Let’s buy some shares or a holiday or some fun – pick your poison!

NO.
Not on your nelly, my friend. The reason? Unless you have an interest-free
card or have transferred a balance, you’ll be paying 15-25% on the credit card
debt. All your other investments will NOT be paying you anywhere near this
much. At least on a consistent basis.

2.
Pay Down Mortgage / Save For A Mortgage

Paying
down your mortgage might not seem sexy. In fact, there an entire industry
geared around enticing you to do other things with you money. Ignore them,
though, and seriously consider paying down your home loan.

But
being mortgage-free, early, is a pretty cool thought. If you don’t have
own property yet, start thinking how you can accelerate the process.

3.
Invest In Yourself

How
many new skills have your learned since you were 25? For many of us it’s
hard enough mastering the meagre skills we’ve been given or acquired so
far. But investing in ourselves and our future by cultivating our
skill-set or talent stack is probably the most important investment we can
make.

To
a certain extent, it doesn’t even matter what you’re learning. Whether it’s
learning a foreign language, taking a course on public speaking, learning to
write code, the key thing is to be challenging and stimulating ourselves to
develop and grow. Do this and, almost by osmosis, your performance in all
areas will soar.

4.
Top Up Your Superannuation / Pension Fund

Propping
up your pension with an after-tax lump sum isn’t as attractive as chucking in
pre-tax and reaping the tax benefits offered by salary sacrificing, say.

And,
it’s not really sexy.

BUT…

Don’t
you want to have a comfortable retirement, especially given that there’s no
telling how long we might live nowadays? Also, once you’ve tucked it away
in your pension, it’s there for a very long time, giving it a very
love-you-long-time cogitation period. Which, in plain English, means it’s got
plenty of time to grow and accumulate.

5.
Become An Owner

Feeling
emboldened now that you’re newly flush? Hit the markets. Not the Farmer’s
Markets, silly. The Stock Markets. A good way to get some exposure to the
markets and become an owner (in a very tiny way, of course) of some of the
world’s biggest and best companies is via index funds.

Index
funds are popular because they don’t carry the same kind of costs associated
with actively managed funds. [Question: have you ever met a poor fund manager?
No, me neither. It’s because your fees are paying for the Jag, the Rolex and
their kid’s school fees.]

Not
only are index funds cheaper than managed funds – often by 1-2.5% per year –
they routinely outperform the funds with managers. Strange, huh? So if
you’re looking for a proven way to create and grow wealth over a long
time-frame (10+ years), the stock markets and index-linked funds tread a proven
path.

Or
you could…

6.
Buy Individual Stocks

Not
for the faint-hearted, this can be an exciting ride.

If
you get a tip from a mate about a firm that makes mining valves and supplies a
firm who’ve just found a massive unknown copper deposit somewhere in the middle
of Whup-Whup, well, you could be quids in.

You’re
unlikely to get any information before hundreds and thousands of others have
that same information. That hot tip your mate gave you has been through brokers
and dealers and market-makers. People will be all over it.

The
golden rule, though: always tick the box to have your dividends invested. Never
deviate from this and you should be okay [assuming your stock pays a dividend].

7.
Travel

They
say nothing broadens the mind like travel.

Which
is tricky because if you’re a new-ish parent, the idea of transporting your chaotic
sleep-deprived existence to somewhere unfamiliar where you don’t know the name
of the barista or the nearest 24 hour petrol station for the late-night banana
dash. But whether you’re encumbered by kids or not, it’s never that bad.

It’s
actually wonderful. The whole family seem to recognise the importance of the
trip and improve their behaviour tenfold.

8.
Buy Art

If
none of the options listed before appeal, then there are a couple of other
options to consider.

I
select them because they have the potential to be appreciating assets.

If
you can cultivate an appreciation of art, I think it can be useful. Finding
something (as in, a piece of art) that resonates with you and can calm you when
seas get stormy can be a real comfort.

9.
Buy Jewellery

This
is basically: a watch.

As
we’ve seen there are a myriad of options and we’re in danger of suffering from
a Paradox Of Choice when it comes to using our tax refund
wisely.

There
are other things I couldda and shouldda mentioned – But, in the interests of
expedience, we’ll leave it there for now.

At the very least, buy something that will appreciate and grow or will help you or someone else appreciate and grow. As long as you do that, you’ll be winning.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post