The Latest News and Views from Ascent Wealth Management
Hi everyone,
Here we are flying through another year.
We've certainly had an eventful few months in markets, with high levels of volatility recently giving way to some level of recovery, with major indexes now back to where they were before October last year. There is still enough volatility triggers out there to continue to make life interesting for the short term investor, what with Teresa May's BREXIT deal being voted down in the Commons for the second time just today, Donald Trump's on again, off again bromance with Kim, Jong Un and his domestic machinations. Australia has seen stronger performance, however with a Federal Election looming and the major parties commencing to stake their claims on the electorate, things continue to be interesting here too.
Our first article is an Economic Update expanding on the above. Bob Cuneen highlights some of the things to look out for coming up in this short video.
There have been a number of changes to super in recent budgets; probably the one that can have the biggest impact to the greatest number would be the ability for employees to now claim a tax deduction for their contributions to super, on top of the salary sacrifice and their employers Super Guarantee contributions. This means that people can make better use of their contribution caps by "topping up" toward the end of the year, should theire be unexpected funds available (something we all wish for!). My next article discusses this improvement to accumulation of super.
Market volatility has been around as long as markets themselves; and needs to be a significant consideration in your decision about where and how to invest. My next article discusses a number of other things that are worth considering in the quest to becoming a better investor. We are here to help you along this journey and can keep you honest to your initial plan. Many of our clients appreciate this support and partnership.
Making great investment decisions are a big part of planning for a long and successful retirement. These decisions really need to be made in the context of where you areon the journey, the resources available and having an understanding of the limitations of the "backup plan", the Aged Pension. My next article discusses how we apply sound investment planning toward the overall retirement plan; how mastering both can put you in the driver's seat in achieving your retirement lifestyle of choice.
Over the past couple of years, planning for a possible adminttance to Aged Care has become a key part of retirement planning, seeing as we are living longer; it becomes increasingly likely that our later years will require some support from friends, family and community services. We've developed an E- Book that explains the aged care landscape and how to plan for it. For further information or to order your copy of the book, please follow this link https://www.ascentwm.com.au/education-centre/ebook-aged-care.
Lastly, I have decided to again join the MS Brissie to Bay bike ride to raise funds for MS Research and support services. You may recall, this event from recent years; there's more to do and I'm glad to be able to make a return to this valuable event. If you'd like to make a donation please follow the link below to my MS QLD Fundraising page. I really value the support I've received in past years, and will keep you in the picture as I prepare for this year's ride.
Thanks for your continued support of our practice, we're happy to be here for you !
Steve and Katrina
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