Insights

The latest insights, news, and thought-leadership from the team at ICG.

A closeup of a fountain pen

Insights

Keep informed with news and insights relevant to wealth management and financial planning.

Falling inflation – what does it mean for investors?

What’s driving the fall, what are the risks and what does it mean for interest rates and investors? This article looks at the key issues.

READ more

Australian household wealth

Is high Australian household wealth a source of support for consumers?

READ more

Economic and market overview

A rally in the second half of the month helped global share markets generate solid gains in January, extending the rally from November and December.

READ more

The transfer balance cap – how does it work again?

In the 2016 Federal Budget, the Government introduced the transfer balance cap as part of a broader superannuation reform package.

READ more

What are the steps to investing?

Want to invest but don’t know where to start? Here are five basic steps for investing.

READ more

How much super should you have at your age?

Your super balance will most likely play a big part in how comfortably you live in retirement. But depending on how far off retirement is for you, it might be difficult to gauge whether your super is on track.

READ more

50/30/20 Budgeting Strategy

Having a budget can help you stay on top of bills, pay off debt and save for long or short-term goals. There are many ways to go about it.

READ more

Factor Investing explained

Global markets are made up of dozens of asset classes and millions of individual securities, making it challenging to understand what really matters for your portfolio.

READ more

Economic Update

October was another difficult month for financial markets, partly reflecting an acceptance among investors that interest rates are likely to remain high for longer than was previously anticipated.

READ more

Should you fix your home loan?

Deciding whether or not to fix your home loan requires careful consideration of various factors.

READ more

Understanding market volatility

It’s important to understand the causes of market movements and how to minimise your risk.

READ more

5 ways to do more with less money in your relationship

Here are five tips for enjoying the best in life without blowing the budget.

READ more

Boosting confidence in retirement

Figuring out how much you can spend in retirement requires planning. And knowing what you can afford to safely spend, based on the savings you have, will also help you to identify any gaps between your expectations and reality.

READ more

Stressed but surviving - Aussie women and their finances

Australian women are feeling the pinch more than their male counterparts.

READ more

What is gazumping and how to prevent it happening to you?

With the property market going gangbusters over the past couple of years (although likely to slow down), gazumping is something you might want to take steps to avoid.

READ more

Recent questions on Australian inflation

The Australian inflation rate peaked in the December quarter but has been slower to decline than some global peers.

READ more

Understanding your investment options

Investing is full of jargon and technical terms that can make getting started or managing your investments seem intimidating. Here are some of the key terms to help you better understand the different options available to you.

READ more

Economic update

July's economic news from the team at ICGFP

READ more

Granny flat arrangements within the context of the gifting rules

There are special rules for granny flat arrangements that may prevent the deprivation rules from applying. However they must satisfy a range of requirements.

READ more

Economic and market overview May 2023

A succinct economic and market overview

READ more

What to do when your fixed rate home loan term is ending

In this article, we’ll explain what to expect when your fixed interest rate ends and how to prepare for it.

READ more

What causes market movements?

When the news is filled with headlines about market movements, it’s normal to feel a bit anxious. Here are three things to keep in mind the next time share markets aren't behaving the way you'd like them to.

READ more

Booms, busts and investor psychology: Why investors need to be aware of the psychology of investing

Up until the 1980s the dominant theory was that financial markets were efficient. In other words, all relevant information was reflected in asset prices in a rational manner. While some think it was the Global Financial Crisis that caused faith in the so-called “Efficient Markets Hypothesis” (EMH) to begin unravelling, this actually occurred in the 1980s

READ more

Economic and market overview November 2022

Pleasingly, global share markets fared well in October and recovered most of their lost ground from September. Locally, the S&P/ASX 200 Index re- turned 6.0%. The sharp reversal in sentiment was typical of this year; market volatility has picked up meaningfully over the past few months, resulting in substantial swings in equity prices.

READ more

Impacts from Falling Home Prices: The Wealth Effect

The impacts of interest rate hikes on consumers are well known; higher interest means that mortgage debt servicing costs will go up which is negative for consumer spending. Rate hikes are also bad news for home prices, which will create another negative for households via the destruction of wealth and the associated “wealth effect”.

READ more

Why staying invested matters when markets fall

It’s natural to feel nervous when markets fall. News about inflation and rising interest rates may prompt you to make an emotional investment decision. But history tells us that markets trend upwards in the long run – and switching investment options at the wrong time can have a negative impact on your overall long-term investment return.

READ more

Your biggest investing problem may be you

Every day we make numerous judgements and decisions – hundreds if not thousands if you conclude everything we do is an individual ‘decision’.

READ more

Australians are losing more money to investment scams

According to Scamwatch, Australians lost over $205 million to scams between 1 January and 1 May this year - a 166 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

READ more

Economic and market overview

Equity and bond markets bounced back hard from disappointing returns in June, amid suggestions that rising interest rates in key regions will help bring inflation under control.

READ more

Investment fundamentals to consider in volatile times

Sharp share market falls are stressful for investors as no one likes to see their investments fall in value. But at times like these, there are a number of key things for investors to bear in mind.

READ more

Super changes that could affect you from 1 July 2022

The government has announced a number of changes to the super system could create opportunities for Australians of all ages. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

READ more

Your super checklist for EOFY

The lead up to 30 June can be a good time to maximise tax benefits that may be available to you inside super.

READ more

Roughly 500,000 Australians plan to retire in the next 5 years

According to the ABS, some half a million people intend to retire within 5 years.

READ more

Constructing a retirement portfolio in a low return world

By mixing different types of investments and different asset classes, portfolios can be built in a way that maximises the return for any given level of risk.

READ more

Do you value your assets more than yourself?

The value we place on something tends to be very individual, and is generally a product of many different factors ranging from cultural background and upbringing to personality type and even life stage.

READ more

Economic Update

Investors continued to focus on rampant inflation and, in turn, potential changes in monetary policy settings.

READ more

Granny flat arrangements within the context of the gifting rules

Retirees wanting to downsize their home may consider the option of living in a granny flat, or an extension to / spare room of a relative or friend’s home.

READ more

How does your pension live on after you die?

Account-based pensions offer a flexible and tax-effective method of drawing a regular income stream from superannuation. But what happens to your tax-free account-based pension when you do die?

READ more

Should you use property to fund your retirement?

Superannuation, shares, property, cash, other investments; a dizzying number of options are available when it comes to living comfortably through retirement.

READ more

What is equity and how can I use it to invest?

Whether you’re looking to invest in property, renovate or pay off something big, borrowing against the equity in your home may be helpful, if you’re across the risks.

READ more

5 minutes for 5 days – get your finances in order

Instead of making ambitious resolutions you don’t have the time or energy to keep, try our personal finance challenge.

READ more

Reducing financial stress

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recently released a report covering the impacts of COVID-19 on Australians during the first year of the pandemic.

READ more

What you should know about creating your will and estate plan

If you want to protect your family and assets, it’s worth documenting what you’d like to happen if you can’t make your own decisions later in life or if you pass away.

READ more

To find out more about how we may assist you, we invite you to contact us for a confidential consultation.