Mark Beyer

THE practice of salary packaging has continued to be surprisingly popular, despite the introduction of the fringe benefits tax in the mid 1980s.The FBT has greatly reduced the scope for packaging but has certainly not ended the practice.

IN the current financial climate the launch of a new online investment and share trading service seems an unlikely proposition.

DO you have a will? If so, is it up to date? While many people will answer ‘yes’ to the first question, most of these will reply in the negative to the second.

MANAGED funds, also known as unit trusts, are one of the most significant elements of Australia’s investment landscape.

INVESTORS wanting to assess the growing range of ethical investment funds now have the assistance of a specialist ratings agency.

CASH management trusts have long been a popular option for savers and investors, but a new variant of the traditional product is attracting increased support.

AUSTRALIA’S superannuation funds have just produced their lowest annual returns for the past 10 years. And for the first time in a decade, inflation (6 per cent per annum) was higher than the median return.

ALL Western Australian workers have compulsory superannuation, but how many people have compared their super fund with the alternatives?

INVESTORS in two cash-based managed funds have received an untimely reminder that even ‘low risk’ investments can run into serious problems.