There’s a never-ending cast of characters out in the world who have big opinions on the direction of financial markets. They might run their own newsletters or even their own funds. A number of them are permanently bearish. It’s a way of life and they can’t see things any other way (or their wallets don’t allow them to).
Read MoreOne of the nice things about modern life is we all get to share our opinions. As much as being opinionated is now something of an economy, the validity of rampant opinion making has always had a question mark hanging over it.
Back in 167 AD Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgements.” If we’re allowed to interpret Aurelius’ words, he’s suggesting opinions are a choice and no harm comes from not having one.
The eternal investment question – “do I invest my money all at once or do I invest smaller amounts at predetermined intervals?” Otherwise known as lump sum investing vs. dollar cost averaging, or in other cases: wading vs. plunging.
What’s the best option? Before that, what’s behind the question in the first place? Fear and uncertainty. Fear of making a financial mistake because of uncertainty about the future. Both losing money and making a mistake can make us feel a little silly, but we need to acknowledge uncertainty is merely life we haven’t yet lived and there are no right or wrong decisions about things we couldn’t see.
At the end of 2017, Bitcoin was indisputably the hottest topic in the investment world. Christmas parties and family barbecues alike were filled with curiosity surrounding the rapid rise of cryptocurrencies. It truly felt like everyone else was making a fortune from an investment that didn’t seem well understood. Now, three years down the track, Bitcoin is once again back in vogue. Having quadrupled in value last year and comfortably eclipsing its 2017 heights, we ponder whether this is simply a case of déjà vu or if there is evidence to suggest that it might be different this time around?
Read MoreIt’s very tough to earn a dollar without risk and effort these days. While that’s always been the case for our labour, we’ve previously enjoyed the illusion of some free cream from our money in the bank. We may have even neglected the reality of tax and inflation eroding our savings, while there was still a certain risk free return. If an investor thought they were getting a good enough return, then they wouldn’t go out of their way to chase one. However, an RBA cash rate of 0.10% presents a whole new mind game for investors.
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