Borrowing capacity is usually an investor’s scarcest resource. Because it’s limited, it should be allocated with great care and consideration. The goal is to ensure every dollar of borrowing capacity is put to its highest and best use. One way to measure this, is by considering the return on borrowing capacity – a simple framework for…
One good financial decision will have positive consequences. But five good decisions in a row will be life-changing. It will create a lot more than five times the positive outcomes that one good decision will. That’s because good decisions are a compounding asset. Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made…
When the weather gets warmer and you start enjoying those longer, lazier days with summer coming up, it’s easy to get caught up in the romance of acquiring a holiday home. While there’s not necessarily anything wrong with owning a property intended more for vacation fun than financial gain, purchasing a holiday property is usually…
A lot has been written about the good fortune of ‘baby boomers’ in that, overall, they have enjoyed a long period of economic, share market, and property market prosperity. Whilst they haven’t enjoyed the full benefit of compulsory super (which only began in 1992), other assets such as property have certainly compensated for that. This…
I was listening to Morgan Housel’s podcast recently (which I highly recommend by the way), and he said something along the lines of “Once you define your investment philosophy, you won’t be distracted by any noise that doesn’t align with it.” It really resonated with me. Success with investing is more about avoiding mistakes than…
One of the most challenging aspects of investing is figuring out if you should sell an underperforming investment or whether to hold and be patient. We’re often told to track investment returns closely and sell investments that aren’t performing. But the reality is, that some investments just need more time. Charlie Munger, the legendary investor,…
Every few months, there’s a story online about an investor in their 30s that has amassed a property portfolio of 12 properties…and how you can do it too. Firstly, we shouldn’t be impressed by the number of properties that someone owns, as it doesn’t tell us anything about their wealth (equity). Boasting about the number…
Every time interest rates move up or down, we are asked the same question: “Should I fix my mortgage rate?” It’s a fair question – especially after the rollercoaster of recent years. Many borrowers are still feeling the sting of higher repayments and are tempted to lock in some certainty. But as with most financial decisions, the best answer is not based…
There are three ways to generate passive income; start a business, invest or speculate. The keyword in that sentence is passive. Passive means you can generate economic benefits without the requirement of your personal exertion. Since it doesn’t require personal exertion, it frees up your time to spend it on activities or with the people…
Over the past few decades, one of the most hotly debated topics has been housing affordability and the sustainability of annual property growth rates exceeding 7%, a trend that’s persisted for the past 45 years. Remove the impact of inflation A podcast listener recently asked me how a $1 million inner-city terrace home in an…
