Investors add record $33.5bn into ASX-listed ETFs in 2024 By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer ETFs Australia’s ETFs industry has reached new heights after huge inflows in 2024. ASX-listed exchange traded funds (ETFs) attracted a record $33.49 billion of investors’ cash inflows in 2024, smashing the previous $23.6 billion post-COVID full-year inflows record set…
Five financial steps for the new year By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer The basics The start of 2025 is a good opportunity to take decisive financial steps. The new year can often be a trigger point for many people to review their financial plans and strategies for the year ahead and beyond. It…
Australia’s economic growth set to recover in 2025 By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Markets and economy GDP growth is set to gain momentum despite sticky inflation and high interest rates. Vanguard expects Australia’s Gross Domestic Product will gradually recover and increase by 2.0% in 2025 after experiencing its slowest growth rate in 32…
Working longer or retiring earlier: Australia’s retirement reality By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Super and retirement When Australians are choosing to retire comes down to a range of factors. Vanguard’s 2024 How Australia Retires research found that nearly 50% of retirees have retired earlier than they would have thought. The average retirement age reported by…
Why many of us need a super savings nudge By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Super and retirement Making extra contributions into super can go a long way. Here’s some easy steps. Each year, October 31 is designated as World Savings Day. In fact, this year actually marks the 100th anniversary of the official launch…
The end of hybrids. What that means for investors By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Investing strategy Why high-quality bonds are a logical alternative to hybrid securities. Some of the biggest changes on financial markets that are likely to have a profound impact on many retail investors can occur without attracting too much attention.…
The biggest assets growth areas for SMSFs By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Investing strategy What five years’ worth of SMSF asset allocation data reveals. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) releases quarterly data showing where self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) are parking the retirement savings that they have invested within the super system. The…
Why the cash rate is being kept on hold By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Markets and economy The RBA is unlikely to start easing interest rates until the second quarter of 2025. “The board needs to be confident that inflation is moving sustainably towards the target and we need to see more progress…
Hidden fees are a super problem By Tony Kaye, Senior Personal Finance Writer Super and retirement The super fees you’re probably being charged. It’s key to compare like for like. Millions of adult Australians have superannuation that’s either held in a managed accumulation account, if they’re still working, or a managed account-based pension, if they’re…
Our investment and economic outlook, October 2024 By Vanguard Markets and economy Our latest forecasts for investment returns and region-by-region economic outlook. The upturn in U.S. unemployment before the start of the Federal Reserve’s rate-cutting cycle likely reflects a normalised labour market, not one poised for rapid deterioration. The unemployment rate has risen from 3.4%…