In This Issue
Dear Friends
Looking ahead!
I hope your Christmas and New Year was both festive and relaxing, surrounded by people you love. From first-hand experience I am aware too, that this season can be tough. If you were among those people who were alone or mourning a loved one, our hearts go out to you.
Looking forward (minus my crystal ball) I still see some further economic pain in Australia with further interest rate rises likely. Overall, however, I expect the future trend to be down.
Unfortunately, as the blunt instrument for inflation control wielded by the Reserve Bank, interest rate rises have impacted directly on just a quarter of the population, placing the onus on home mortgage borrowers alone to put the brakes on the economy. This seems particularly unreasonable when inflation is being fuelled by the government at so many levels – including continued annual increases in immigration, despite the current housing shortage.
We also have a US presidential election on the horizon, which looks increasingly likely to be between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. (An interesting quirk of history is that there has never been a bear market in a Presidential election year, usually as a result of pump priming by the incumbent, so perhaps that bodes well in the shorter term).
However, regardless of what happens in Australia or globally, the same investment principles apply: Stick to your strategy – and stay conservative. It is a recipe for success that has lasted the distance, and it has many parallels. For example, in conversation with Sturt Football Team Captain James Battersby late last year, he commented that regardless of the pressures during a game, the team stuck to its plan and were rewarded by that approach.
Should you be discussing finances with the young people in your life, I would always recommend they read “The Bare Foot Investor” (or listen to the audio book). Author Scott Pape does a tremendous job of making the simple steps to wealth creation straight forward. My team and I are also always happy to meet and ‘get the young ones’ on the right path – with a no cost initial appointment.
The wonderful prospect for these young people is that unlike many of my school mates, this cohort will have access to a reasonable chunk of super just for working and being paid in the current era. Within my generation, the average worker started receiving around 3% Super Guarantee (SG) in their mid-30s – currently this figure is 11% of annual salary from the first day of work.
I have attached a copy of Dr Shane Oliver’s economic outlook for 2024 for those of you who would like to read a more detailed synopsis. You can find it here.
And one more thing:
My wonderful team have been hard at work redeveloping and upgrading our Resources page on our website – http://www.marinisgroup.com.au. This is where we now store – and make available – our most widely used articles and media releases.
We will be updating this page further in the coming months to add ‘How to videos’, so watch this space!
Do not forget: https://www.cyber.gov.au/protect-yourself
As always, if I or any of the team can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us on either (08) 8130 5130 or via email admin@marinisgroup.com.au
On behalf of the entire Marinis Financial Group team, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely
Theo Marinis CFP®, B.A., B.Ec., CPA., MCIFAA
Financial Strategist
Authorised Representative