The Latest News and Views from Ascent Wealth Management

Seasons greetings !

Well we're nearly through another year, one that I personally will be glad to see the back of !

As you've probably seen, markets have been quite volatile of late with some big falls in recent times all but cancelling the 12 month return until the end of November. Economist, Bob Cuneen, provides some interesting perpective in the video below.

Next, the current volatility (like all volatility) is quite concerning to many. While it really is just a normal (and expected) part of the investment cycle, retirees particularly can do some preplanning to reduce the impact. "Bucketing" of some cash within your pension is discussed in this next article- it is a good way of reducing the need to draw on growth investments while prices are down, leaving more units to go back up when the price recovers.

Next I have a look at how a little planning can go some way to addressing the gender gap. We all know that due to many circumstances, women have reduced opportunity to build their super. Thankfully, there have been some policy responses to this question that I discuss in the next article.

In the same vein, there is a lot that everyone (men and women) can do to boost their super. Again the government have been very supportive of this goal in introducing measures such as the ability to "catch up" on years where the contributions cap hasn't been fully utilised. Also there is now the ability for employees to top up their existing SGC and Salary Sacrifice contributions ( if these don't reach the $25,000 concessional cap), with personal contributions that are tax deductible. This possibly introduces new options for funding insurances and getting a benefit, as well as getting more funds into the retirement savings environment.

We all know we have it pretty good in many ways here in Australia. Latest research proves this with our retirement income system rating as among the best in the world. Better is yet to come as governments on both sides are putting their mind to how the system can be improved by better balancing their support with our increasing ability to self fund.

Lastly, holiday time brings with it thoughts of travel and the truly beautiful places we are fortunate enough to have here in Australia. I am learning about many of these through the stories and photos shared by you when we see you following your travel. Here's a few more to investigate (some of you may have seen most of these !)

Katrina and I wish all of you all the best for Christmas and the New Year. We hope you and your families enjoy some special time together.

Our office will be closing at 5pm on Fridy 21st December. We will start again for 2019, bright and early on Monday 7th January!

November Economic Update with Bob Cunneen

Which key events have been driving markets? Watch this video of Senior Economist Bob Cunneen in discussion with Portfolio Specialist, Sinead Rafferty.

They discuss:

volatility in share markets in October and the falls in shares globally,
what’s been happening in markets in Australia, and
the US mid-term elections and how the outcome might impact markets.

November Economic Update - Watch the video

Retiree self-protection: A volatility-and-downturn 'bucket'

The latest fall in share prices close to the 10-year anniversary of the global financial crisis (GFC) is likely to prompt more retirees and near-retirees to think about creating a volatility-and-downturn cash bucket.

Women face big challenges when it comes to saving for super. Often they earn less than men and take breaks from work to care for children and parents, all of which plays a role in reducing super contributions and investment earnings.

Salary Sacrifice - no sacrifice at all

You can put extra money into your super before your salary reaches your bank account – this can potentially reduce your taxable income and you may be able to pay less tax and save money in the process.

You may have read about the latest ranking of Australia as one of the best countries for retirees in terms of lifestyle and retirement-income systems. And you may have wondered what such rankings personally mean for you – apart from perhaps making you feel fortunate about where you live.

In the words of Captain Obvious, Australia provides some amazing experiences.

What the captain fails to mention, though, is that this wealth of remarkable attractions means some truly incredible experiences are often overlooked.

Ascent Wealth Management Pty Ltd, Stephen Nielsen and Gavin Hammond are Authorised Representative of GWM Adviser Services Limited, ABN 96 002 071 749, AFSL number 230692 an Australian Financial Services Licensee, Registered office at 105-153 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW, 2060 and a member of the National Australia Group of companies.

This advice may not be suitable to you because it contains general advice that has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek personal financial and tax and/or legal advice prior to acting on this information. The material contained in this newsletter is based on information received in good faith from sources within the market, and on our understanding of legislation and Government press releases at the date of publication, which are believed to be reliable and accurate. Opinions constitute our judgement at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither, the Licensee or any of the National Australia group of companies, nor their employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy, nor accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in this email.

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