Yeah, I know! Nothing for ages, and then posts on consecutive days! But, this summary of where Australia is at economically right now is too good and timely to not share.

Hello, friends. Sorry that we've been a bit quiet while we deal with the fallout from COVID-19. While we haven't been active on social media very much, lately, we HAVE been communicating with our clients. Still, the messages we have been presenting to them are relevant to ALL of you, so we thought we should share. Here is the first of these just as it was presented to our clients.......

It’s been an extraordinary start to the year for many with devastating bushfires in Australia and now the outbreak of coronavirus in Asia. Certainly, a very difficult time for many and our thoughts are with all those affected. Our friends at Fidelity International have released this timely reminder of the value of advice which we thought you would find of interest.

We've always admired Peter Switzer and the way he views the financial world. This, his most recent effort, is bang-on! #playthelonggame

With the sharemarket experiencing conniptions in recent times, it is appropriate to consider the merits of playing the "long" game.

Will global shares set to enter the twelfth year of the current bull market, AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver issues a timely reminder of why it is important to play the "long" game when it comes to growth assets, how patience is rewarded and the folly of trying to "time" market movements

Most recent effort for Your Money, which ran in The West, Monday, Nov 11. Usually aim more at the public interest, but this is too significant an issue to not publicise.........

A market update from the desk of Amit Lodha, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Global Equities Fund

As one of the three “victims” of this FASEA nonsense named by Sen. Stoker in Parliament last week, I applaud her for the tenacity she showed in highlighting this farce. Nobody in their right mind would attempt to argue that a university graduate with one year’s experience in financial planning is better qualified to advise the Australian consumer than someone who has been happily, and ethically, engaging in the profession for four decades. Yet, that is exactly what FASEA (Financial Adviser Standards & Ethics Authority) are endeavouring to impose on the industry. #FARCEA

Wayne was interviewed for a feature on this topic in The New Daily online magazine

With stat's such as these being published, it's hard not to feel "bullish" about the prospects for WA's economy.

Nobody would argue that measures to regulate and improve financial advice were not worthy of merit, but there could be serious ramifications of the magnitude and pace of the changes, both inside and outside the industry. The West Australian, Monday, Aug 19, 2019.

Now that the post_GFC bull market run is over a decade long, many are suggesting it's due for a correction on the back of a global recession. Here, AMP Capital's Shane Oliver gives a logical explanation as to why these fears may be overblown.

This is a question that comes up frequently, with the banks copping significant criticism for not doing so. This bulletin from our friends at Mason Stevens explains why not.

My nine most important lessons from investing over the past 35 years are that: there is always a cycle; the crowd gets it wrong at extremes; what you pay for an investment matters a lot; getting markets right is not as easy as you think; investment markets don’t learn; compound interest applied to investments is like magic; it pays to be optimistic; keep it simple; and you need to know yourself to succeed at investing.

As we predicted here in our last blog, the Reserve Bank of Australia finally cuts cash rate to record low to give stalled economy a boost.

More for less: The RBA and banking regulator changes coming for your mortgage

Association of Financial Advisers CEO, Phil Kewin, addresses this vexed question in a very succinct manner.

If Australia votes to change the government on May 18, abandoning any plans for financial independence in favour of the Age Pension may become an appealing prospect, albeit one the country obviously can't afford!

Australia's inflation rate remains below target. What does this mean for the Australian economy and investors?

Wayne Leggett presenting on this topic at Corpus Christi College.

Paramount Director, Wayne Leggett, was interviewed for this piece in Lifestyle Magazine

A Christmas wish from us to you.

Future home owners will have to think twice about ordering in on a Friday night as banks look to follow customers’ financial footprint in a bid to better assess their borrowing capacity.

Last week, Paramount Wealth Accountants principal, Danae Coombs, took clients Dr Anjana Thottungal and Dr Gordon Das to the Premier's Breakfast to support Leeming Spartans Cricket Club. The three of them are pictured here with Premier, Mark McGowan.

Talking investment specifics isn't my usual "go", but happy to be interviewed by "Money" Magazine

I wrote this piece quite some time ago in response to a column at the time in Your Money. It finally ran Monday last week. If you're wondering how to get your $1m+, call us for a complimentary initial discussion.

September 15 marks the tenth anniversary of what is generally recognised as the beginning of what we in Australia call the Global Financial Crisis, or GFC, for short. As we look back over the last decade, it is worth contemplating what we should learn from those disastrous events.

WEEKLY COMMUNICATION 28th August 2018 Summary Last week Australian equity markets didn’t fare too well, but the AUD showed some strength with the announcement of Scott Morrison as the new Prime Minister The US Federal Reserve had their famous annual meeting in Jackson Hole, where Jerome Powell gave what was perceived as ‘dovish’ sentiments to the markets – Dovish meaning he was interpreted as being more likely to slow down rate increases than accelerate their pace (that would be a ‘Hawkish’ stance) Emerging markets had a well needed rally, as the ‘Dovish’ sentiment from Jerome Powell led to slight weakness in the USD. Generally, market participants consider a strong USD as bad for Emerging Markets (we think this is a very one dimensional view of the world - it’s also a lazy way to think because all one is doing is looking at history to draw inferences about future outcomes, whilst neglecting contemporary context) Bonds in Australia did very little, while they rallied in the US. Most commodities did well over the week

Last Saturday, my wife and I spent a couple of hours selling raffle tickets on behalf of read more

We don't publish these EVERY week, but where we feel the content is of interest to our followers, we do.

In case you didnt know, its Financial Planning Week. As part of the public awareness campaign, an ebook entitled How to talk money with children

The findings to date of the Banking Royal Commission have cast very large shadows over much of the financial services industry.

There is no magical formula, but AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver outlines some sound principles here....

Investment skill is a key justification behind investment decisions. So why does regression to the mean explain so many results? Dan Miles takes a closer look.

With the end of the financial year just around the corner, it's time to get things in place to maximise your entitlements and benefits. Here are some strategies you can still take advantage of this financial year.

Our clients are aware of why we hold Innova Asset Management in such high regard; their ability to sift out the hype and hysteria often associated with investment and make dynamic investment decisions with a cool head. Their most recent weekly client bulletin is a clear example of this.

In the April issue of Money Magazine, Paramount Director, Wayne Leggett, was asked to contribute a few money tips from the perspective of a financial adviser.

While mining is not the most sustainable industry you could choose, the net environmental gains from lithium mining, compared to other means of energy production, are hear do argue with. It also provides a source of jobs and growth for future generations of Sandgropers.

We've always been bemused by the measurement of houshold debt as a percentage of household income. While it is rising, and perhaps at a disconcerting rate, AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver, explains why it is not as alarming as you might think and why other measures are more relevant.

This column by Wayne published in Your Money in The West Australian , Monday, Feb 5 is very timely, given the events on markets over the last couple of days.

Nothing says, Thanks for doing a great job more than when a client recommends your services to their friends. And when that results in a new client,

Even though summer is here, it’s not too late to do your financial planning for the holidays – or start planning for 2019. Here’s how to minimise your financial stress for a well-deserved break.

As many of our clients have an interest in this business, we provide an update on the most recent meeting of shareholders.

May not have Rowan Jones' profile, but at least the message is out there. Stand my for more money guidance in 2018.........oh, and don't blame me for the spelling of "dammed". That's on the editor :P

AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver asks whatever happened to the renowned Aussie "She'll be right" attitude, addresses the possible reasons behind our current pessimistic sentiment and proposes why, in his view, such pessimism is unwarranted.

Myself and a few industry colleagues were interviewed by journalist, John Collett for this piece in the SMH.

This new phenomenon is engendering a great deal of interest and enquiry of late. One of our regular sources of research, Dr Shane Oliver, Chief Economist at AMP Capital, has put together this excellent paper on the topic.

We're always happy to be quoted in the press. In a feature on retirement issues in The West Australian, Wayne was asked his views on the government initiative of encouraging retirees to "downsize" the family home to free up funds to add to super.

Like the race that stops the nation, past performance, management and weight can be indicators of super success, says a KPMG super and tax partner alongside his tips for the Melbourne Cup.

In his article on this subject which featured on SMH online yesterday, Sydney Morning Herald journalist, John Collett sought the opinion of Wayne. along with others, on the role reverse mortgages might play in the financial lives of older Australians.

A Sunsuper-commissioned study has found young Australian families who receive financial advice are likely to be almost a quarter of a million dollars wealthier at retirement than their unadvised peers.

We at Paramount Financial Services Group have been in the "No Rate Rise Soon" camp for quite some time. Turns out Westpac Chief Economist, Bill Evans, agrees. That says two things; 1. Don't go fixing rates any time soon, and 2. Don't get your hopes up about rising real estate prices in Perth.

As promoted on 7 News Perth last night, today's Your Money liftout in The West Australian - thewest.com.au focussed on UK pension transfers. Primary contributor to the liftout was our own resident (and, arguably WA's foremost) UK Pension expert, John Goldie, referred to in the article as Principal of Sterling Planners, which is the brand under which we trade for UK pension advice. If the feature prompts any questions, John's the man to answer them.

Australians who engaged a financial professional were more than three times more likely to feel better prepared for retirement than their counterparts that went without financial advice, according to an MLC report.

Wayne had another of his regular columns run in the Your Money liftout in the Monday, August 28 edition of The West Australian.

Our research revealed that Australians who are living the dream are nearly three times more likely to seek financial advice than those not living the dream! The FPA Live the Dream research report contains this and other compelling insights.

To mark day 4 of Financial Planning Week, they inteviewed 7 people on what living the dream means for them.

How would $5,000 go towards helping you start a plan to do so!

I was interviewed for this very interesting piece in the current issue of Professional Planner Magazine.

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) is giving consumers a chance to win $5,000.

Because we only tend to think of exchange rates in terms of how they impact our spending power on overseas holidays, it's hard to think of a rising A$ as a bad thing. Here Dr Shane explains why it is, but also suggests that this recent spike is temporary.

Wayne was one of a number of financial planners asked for their views on what the successful financial advice business of the future would look like.

And, if this is true now with record low interest rates, what will it be like if the forecast of eight rate rises in the next two years comes true?

While we know this isnt what actually happens over there in the puzzle palace, sometimes it feels like it. If youre confused about the latest bout of super changes, plus those from last year that are just about to kick in, give us a call