This article was originally featured on the Align Financial blog on 18 December 2018. If you’re reading the investment headlines in the news around this time of year, then you might start to feel a bit of anxiety around whether your investments are well placed. Reading the news is one thing but acting on it […]
Are we at the end of a bull market?
I read last week that the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500, which is a measure of 500 of the largest companies in the USA) closed at a record high for the 100th time since the election of President Trump. Finishing the day at just under 3,000, the closely watched index suggests the US […]
What are Bonds?
Investment bonds have been around for a long time, but many people are not completely familiar with how they work. Here’s a quick summary on what Bonds are, and their risks and benefits. What is a Bond? A ‘bond’ is essentially a loan. It’s where governments and large businesses borrow money, with interest and principal […]
7 Reasons Why You Should Invest Overseas
In the 2016 Russell Investments/ASX Long-term investing report, domestic shares, bonds and cash yielded sub-3% returns for 2015. In the last ten years, traditional asset classes have lost momentum and investors have been encouraged to diversify their portfolio to include global asset classes. Incorporating a global approach to your portfolio can provide valuable diversification and […]
Does an award-winning fund mean higher returns?
Chasing past performance is not such a good idea when it comes to investing. Investment markets are volatile by nature, and backing a winner based on last year’s returns is like backing ‘yesterday’s hero’. Each year, several organisations hand out awards for the top performing funds from the previous year. The criteria for winning is […]