Talk about increasing the Age Pension eligibility age to 70 has generated a lot of anxiety and indignation. What seems to be going unnoticed in all the hype is that we have just experienced a round of…
Having enough money for retirement will take more super contributions than most Australians are making.
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Australians are increasingly relying on superannuation for their retirement income, but despite more than 20 years of compulsory super, many people are not retiring with enough. The assets under management…
An increasing number of consumers choose a broker over going direct to a bank for their home loan.
Dan Peled/AAP
Over 40% of mortgages in Australia are sold by mortgage brokers, not by their manufacturers - an issue that has the CEO of Australia’s fifth largest bank, Suncorp, arguing the sector is skewed towards…
Australia’s loss of economic complexity is leading to a primitive economy in which the nation’s share of the value of its products shrinks and living standards fall.
Marija Piliponyte/Shutterstock
Australia faces a fall in living standards unless policy action is taken. This is due to de-industrialisation and loss of economic complexity. The higher the economic complexity, the stronger the economy’s…
From July, the ATO will be able to levy new fines on self-managed superannuation fund trustees.
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Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs) are the fastest growing sector of the superannuation industry, spiking by 33% between 2008 and 2012, putting them in the sights of both the super industry and…
Superannuation: you give, they take.
Paul Kelly/Flickr
The main reason superannuation costs are too high in Australia is both simple and horrendously complex: it’s the only service we buy where we give the service provider our money to look after. It’s true…
US bankers like JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon fear increased bank regulation.
Chuck Hagel/Flickr
A plan by US regulators to impose greater capital requirements on the nation’s eight biggest banks has prompted complaints it will put the banks at a global disadvantage. The proposal is that the banks…
The original Woolworth Company dates back to 1878.
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The bid for David Jones from South African retailer Woolworths brings to light one curious dimension of international business - the proliferation of firms with very similar brand names but distinct identities…
The importance of agreements such as Australia’s free trade deal with Japan may well be against future protectionism.
AAP/EPA/TORU HANAI /POOL
Economists, unlike politicians, are often sceptical about the extent of any net benefits of free trade agreements. Economists are often concerned that such agreements may result in trade diversion rather…
Universities are obsessed with student retention, but should they be?
Paul Miller/AAP
Retention and attrition rates have been a major concern to universities for many years, so much so that there are publications dedicated solely to the issue. Although universities and colleges are basically…
Virtual currency Bitcoin is not a subject that ever draws neutral reactions. Against those who see the radical possibilities of a frictionless payment system designed for the internet, there is a growing…
The only likely beneficiaries of a union-Labor split may be trade unionists.
AAP
In the wake of the ALP’s poor result in the recent Western Australia Senate election, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles looking at the party’s brand, organisation and future prospects…
The government’s financial system inquiry should consider whether growth in the system is hampering economic growth.
AAP/Tony McDonough
Ronald Bird, University of Technology Sydney and Jack Gray, University of Technology Sydney
Governments seem to be enamoured with financial markets, judging by the support they give them around the world to encourage their growth. The assumption seems to be that there’s always a positive relationship…
Curtains for Ten? Ratings have gone from bad to worse over the last year, and the network now trails even the ABC.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Ten Network has delivered a significantly narrowed first-half loss, with revenue up 4.4% to A$315 million, and a net loss after tax of $8 million. This compares with a loss of of $243 million in the corresponding…
Woolworths SA chief Ian Moir announced a proposal for the South African retailer to acquire David Jones in Sydney yesterday.
AAP/Daniel Munoz
Yesterday morning came the news South African retailer Woolworths had offered $4 a share to acquire David Jones, a proposal that has the approval of the department store’s board. This offer, worth an estimated…
The Reserve Bank’s mandate is much broader than that of prudential regulator, APRA.
ArchivesACT/Flickr
One of the major recommendations made by the 1997 Wallis Inquiry into banking was to establish a prudential regulator for the financial sector separate from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The new regulator…
The government is seeking a free trade agreement with China by the end of the year, but concerns still remain about Chinese investment in Australia.
Daniel Munoz/AAP
As Prime Minister Tony Abbott shifts his Asian tour focus to China, it seems likely the threshold for formal approval on Chinese investment in Australia will be raised to A$1 billion. But any move to open…
Projects such as the recently-opened Shenzhen North Station in China, serves up Australia some lessons - if we’re willing to listen.
Chris Hale
As prime minister Tony Abbott completes a whistle-stop tour of Asia, Australia’s “place in Asia” is an ongoing discussion. Abbott hailed the “shared values” that enabled Australia’s free trade deal with…
All banking comes with risk, but it could be better disclosed.
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What is the interest rate on your savings account? If you don’t know, you can easily find out. Banks advertise their rates prominently. They want you to know what they’re offering. After all, the interest…
Proposed reforms to franchise rules are meant to make life easier for franchisees, but the changes are a missed opportunity.
AAP/John Donegan
The government is moving to introduce a new Franchising Code of Conduct as part of wide ranging reforms to how franchising arrangements are regulated, claiming it will be fairer for small operators and…
Credit makes us and credit breaks us – ancient Roman debtors cut into pieces by their angry creditors under the law of the Twelve Tables knew it, as does ASIC, tasked with regulating the many mortgage…
New Zealand has increased its GST several times since it was introduced, so why does Australia find it so hard?
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Tim Hazledine, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
When long-time Kiwi expat John Clarke was asked why he left New Zealand, he said: “Because it was there.” Clarke at least knew what being “there” meant, in contrast to most of his new compatriots, whose…
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has overstepped its bounds.
Ken Lund/Flickr
The legal drama that has followed the online publication of the “Innocence of Muslims” film may be worthy of being used as the plot for a movie in its own right. And, given a recent judgement by Chief…
Is Australia on its own ‘Great Gatsby curve’?
Victoria Pickering/Flickr
In the popular novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald, James “Jimmy” Gatz (The Great Gatsby) climbs from his poor, rural North Dakotan origins to New York’s high society. His parties are as glamorous as they get…
WA’s mining boom has moved to the production phase, creating fresh challenges for the economy.
AAP
One of biggest issues to be addressed in tomorrow’s WA Senate poll - and perhaps one of the most complex, too - is how best to maintain the state’s growth trajectory through the forthcoming period of transition…