We speak about the positives and perils of diversification in your portfolio, and how to find a balance.

This week in Mark's Unconventional Wisdom column he challenges the traditional classifications of income and growth stocks. He runs through his focus on dividend growth, rather than just focusing solely on yield. Mark runs through a controversial income pick that he believes offers significant potential for future dividend growth.

Core/Satellite is an investment strategy that many financial advisers use for their clients. Shani looks at whether this is something that individual investors should adopt, and whether she has adopted it for her own portfolio.

In the latest installment of his Bookworm column, Joseph uses David Dreman's concept of "trigger events" to explain Nvidia's recent market fall. He also earmarks two ASX stocks that appear to lie on opposite sides of this famous contrarian investor's radar.

With the proliferation of financial advice available through the media, individuals are often faced with an overwhelming number of investment options. As someone who works in the finance industry with an abundance of research at her disposal, Sim also experiences this paradox of choice. Despite this, her column explores why she chooses not to invest in individual stocks anymore and why this method aligns with her goals. 

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Insurance is a necessary evil of a holistic financial plan. Some investors avoid enroling or reviewing their insurances.as it's a tedious task that provides no immediate benefit. It however, provides peace of mind and protection at some of the most vulnerable times of your life. It's important to optimise your insurance to make sure you are adequately covered, but also that you are minimising the costs. We go through the best ways to protect yourself.

You can view the full article here.

Mark's Unconventional Wisdom column focuses on AI this week. He explores why he's not intentionally investing in the AI trend, and why it may not live up to the expectations that investors may have.

When it comes to buying individual shares, investors should seek to avoid big losers every bit as much as they vaunt potential winners. Joseph explores Pat Dorsey's "ten minute test" for cutting lower quality companies from consideration quickly. Does the familiar ASX name he puts under the microscope get pass marks? Find out in Joseph's Bookworm column.

An Investing Compass listener has asked a question about why Shani invests in managed funds. Shani shows how she's based her investing strategy, and therefore her investing products, around what suits her goals and behaviour the best. Find out what Shani likes about managed funds in her Future Focus column.

Ongoing cost of living pressures continue to weigh down on young Aussies trying to fulfil the Australian dream. This raises an important question about the financial viability of raising the next generation. Whilst the crippling price of homeownership is no secret, the cost of having a child is perhaps a lesser discussed issue. With birth rates on the decline, Sim explores whether the average millennial can afford to have children in the current economic climate.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we look at the places where our system is failing some Aussies as it relates to super tax policy. We offer some guidance about what they can do until the system catches up.

Shani's article on this topic can be found here. You can also find the HECS/HELP article mentioned during the podcast here.

Find our weekly wrap below:

Resilience can’t compete with the popular portrayal of successful investors who stare down risk and are rewarded with mountains of cash. What is lost in this inaccurate portrayal is the impact of randomness on results.

Mark's Unconventional Wisdom column goes through how to build resilience into portfolios and why it is important for investors.

Shani's Future Focus column outlines the reasons why she doesn't hold cash. It ties in with reducing complexity in her portfolio, but she also runs through volatility, tactical allocations and inflation.

As well as being a successful writer, Richard Koch is known for turning an early stage investment in Betfair into a nine-figure amount. In the latest edition of Bookworm, Joseph sees if Koch's Star Principle for investors, employees and entrepreneurs can be applied to finding promising companies in the stock market.

 As we head into the federal election this year, the rising cost of education and levels of student debt form a key battleground topic for voters. a sinking number of domestic enrolments indicate individuals are thinking twice before jumping into the higher education system, which begs the question - is university still worth it?

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We go through a list of the assets that Mark doesn't hold. We get asked constantly about what's in our portfolio, but sometimes we find it even more insightful to explore what is deliberately excluded. 

You're able to find the full version of Mark's article here.

How a huge ASX winner upset the odds: Many of the stock market's biggest winners come from companies that manage to dominate an important emerging industry. Australia's Car Group is one such company, yet its ascent was anything but likely. In the latest edition of his Bookworm column, Joseph taps Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers framework to understand how Car upset the odds.

The introduction of low-cost SMSF administrators means more and more investors are finding the control and freedom that self-managed super funds offer attractive. In her Future Focus weekly column, Shani looks at why an SMSF is not the right option for her now, and what would need to change for her to consider one.

What happens to your super when you pass away sooner than expected? No one contributes to their super thinking about the implications for their children's ultimate battle with the ATO. This week, Sim explores the superannuation inheritance tax that children face upon the death of their parents. She examines three strategies to lighten the load of the inevitable tax bill.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is based on an email that we received from a listener who has a specific allocation in their portfolio to taking speculative bets. The rationale was that it helped control their behaviour by allowing them a designated allocation, while the rest of the portfolio remained untouched. We explore whether a strategy like this, called 'Mad Money', can work for investors.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We go through the characteristics of what a perfect ETF would look like.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take a deep dive into dividend ETFs and how investors can pick one that suits them by running through 4 dividend ETF examples.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was one of our most popular of 2024. We go through what's needed to get to $100k in passive income.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email

[email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the

podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was one of our most popular of 2024. Our guest James Gruber discusses how to build a lazy portfolio with 3 ETFs, and the issues that you come across when you do this.

James Gruber is the Assistant Editor of Firstlinks. Prior to that, he covered Asia as a leading fund manager, stockbroking analyst and journalist. More recently, he was a portfolio manager for Asian equities at AMP Capital, managing Asia and China. During his time there, the China fund was ranked number one globally over one and two years. He was also a television and radio news journalist at ABC and founded Asia confidential in 2012. 

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark and Shani exchange Christmas gifts, and discuss a stock pick and a few book recommendations from Mark. If you'd like to get Mark and Shani a Christmas gift, a podcast review on your podcast app would be the best gift you can give. Thank you for your support in 2024 and we hope you have a safe and happy holiday period.

You're able to find the video here or on Morningstar Australia's YouTube channel.

Interested in our investing course? Find it here.

To submit any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.

Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.