There’s a story that Henry Ford was having problems with a generator in one of his plants so he hired General Electric (GE) to fix the problem. The engineer from GE climbed up on the generator and made a chalk mark and told Ford’s people to replace sixteen windings from the field coil. The job…
An understanding of basic economic principles will set you in good stead to understand financial commentary, and political rhetoric and make your own assessment of economic risks and opportunities. That is not to suggest you need to become an economic expert but understanding some basic principles will go a long way. The foundation of economics……
The recent decision by the RBA to raise interest rates may have surprised some people. While some argue that rates have already increased significantly and coupled with rising living costs, this could eventually control inflation, it is important to recognise the persistent threat that high inflation poses to an economy. Furthermore, central banks aim to…
Property investors should think about the investment returns they can anticipate over the next decade and beyond. This process assists in shaping realistic expectations to make informed financial decisions. It’s most advisable to create these expectations based on evidence and data. The past decade has delivered below-average returns The chart displayed below illustrates the rolling…
This blog’s title is a bit deceptive, because every property you buy is important, for either lifestyle or financial reasons. I contemplated using the title: “why the first property you buy is the most important one”. But the reality is, if you have made a mistake on your first property, you can always start again. The…
Warren Buffett’s long-time business partner, Charlie Munger, who incidentally, will turn 100 in January next year, famously said, “The big money is not in the buying or the selling, but in the waiting.” The more investing experience I accumulate, the greater the appreciation I have for how true this statement is. It is interesting to…
Commentators often refer to the price of property relative to household incomes. For example, it is estimated that property in Melbourne and Sydney now costs more than 10 times the median household income. But is this really a meaningful measure if it is, property cannot continue to grow at a faster rate than incomes (a…
Engineers know that for a building to remain structurally sound for many decades it must have strong foundations. It doesn’t matter how good a building is above the ground, if the foundations are substandard, the building won’t last. The same is true for building wealth. There are several foundational matters that investors must optimise before…
A common property investing rule of thumb is that you should “buy property and never sell”. That’s because prices always trend higher over time which means you benefit from compounding capital growth. Of course, the rule-of-thumb should be adjusted to include “buy quality property and never sell” to ensure you maximise investment returns. But the reality is, that…
A property’s value is typically divided into two components: the land value and the value of any improvements, such as the dwelling. Conventionally, land tends to appreciate over time, while buildings depreciate as they get older and suffer more wear and tear. However, the rise in construction costs poses an interesting question: what impact do…
