Westmount Financial, Superannuation, Investing, Investment planning
Rick Maggi
Strong returns, but sustainable?

With the 2024/25 financial year now in the rearview mirror, its safe to say that despite extreme volatility, the year was another winner for investors. But can this continue?

Strong returns, but sustainable?

Market/Economic Update

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World Cup of Investing...

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World Cup of Investing...

It’s been a banner year for New Zealand sport, with a world championship win in women’s netball, the narrowest of world cup losses in men’s cricket and an upcoming attempt by the All Blacks to win an historic third consecutive rugby world cup…

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And it's on!

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And it's on!

Some might be forgiven for thinking the wheels have fallen off Australian politics over the past decade with the same number of PM changes as Italy, a fractured Senate and “minority government” at times making sensible visionary long-term policy making hard…

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What does a swing to the left mean for investors?

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What does a swing to the left mean for investors?

When I was in my early 20s I thought socialism might be the way to go. Two things happened. One I studied economics which led me to the conclusion that socialism/heavy state intervention doesn’t lead to the best outcome in terms of living standards for most…

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The Rough with the Smooth

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The Rough with the Smooth

A key to a successful investment experience is understanding how markets behave and developing the discipline to avoid rash decisions based on short time periods. The recent performance of the Australia and New Zealand share markets drives this home….

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Share markets take-off

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Share markets take-off

Throw away your year-end investment statement and take another look. Since January 1st, local and global sharemarkets have been on a 'tear', defying last year's doomsayers, and rebounding by about 11% (for now)…

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Outlook for 2019...

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Outlook for 2019...

In this update, AMP’s Chief Economist, Shane Oliver, looks at what went wrong in 2018 (and its lessons), along with views of where 2019 is likely to go, and what to look out for. A straight forward, point by point report well worth a read…

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What happened??

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What happened??

Local share markets are now at a 22-month low. So what just happened and where are we headed?

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A Question of Equilibrium

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A Question of Equilibrium

“Sellers were out in force on the market today after negative news on the economy.” It’s a common line
in TV finance reports. But have you ever wondered that if there are so many sellers out there, who is buying?

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Australian Economy: 5 Things You Should Know...

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Australian Economy: 5 Things You Should Know...

For years now, many have told us that Australia is heading for an imminent recession. By contrast official forecasts have long been looking for several years of above trend growth. In the event neither has happened and we don’t see them happening anytime soon. Against this backdrop there are five things you should know about the Australian economy…

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Trumponomics

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Trumponomics

For the most part Trump the pragmatist has dominated so far. But we have clearly seen a swing to Trump the populist this year – raising risks for investors...

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Is a US recession imminent?

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Is a US recession imminent?

Ever since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) there has been an obsession with looking for the next recession…

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Strong returns, but storm clouds gather...

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Strong returns, but storm clouds gather...

After reviewing the returns of the last financial year, this note looks at the investment outlook for 2018-19 financial year…

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Global Debt: Be alert, but not alarmed

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Global Debt: Be alert, but not alarmed

As global interest rates bottom, concerns about rising inflation and interest rates, quite naturally, come to the fore, particularly in a time where global debt (country, corporate and personal debt) are an all time high. So as investors, retirees and superannuation members, how concerned should we be? AMP’s Dr Shane Oliver gives 7 reasons to be alert, but not alarmed…