Investor Centre - News & Articles

Current Articles

01 July 2010

Quality Control at Muirfield Financial Services

Our clients trust us with the responsibility of managing their financial affairs and this is not something we take lightly. Whilst we do not have a crystal ball to predict sharemarket movements we are actively involved in ensuring our clients investments are appropriate to their needs. As a client of Muirfield you will benefit from ... Read More

01 July 2010

Whats new in 2010/11?

There are a few changes that come into effect now that we are entering into the new year. Will you be affected? Read More

30 June 2010

Why Aussie Shares?

Given the current market conditions, you may be wondering if it is best to stick with your share investments or sell down and retreat to the safety of cash. If you are considering a retreat from share investments then I suggest that you read this report. You will be surprised by the result. Read more

12 May 2010

2010 Federal Budget Summary

The 2010 Federal Budget Summary was presented Tuesday night 11 May 2010. The summary below provided by MLC covers the Henry Review proposals, personal tax changes, super changes and social security changes. Read more:

If you would prefer to see the video summary, click here.

Some Comedy Relief

If you would like some budget relief, we have uploaded a video of Tim Vine from the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010. To view, please click here.

19 March 2010

Important Information regarding the Macquarie Cash Management Trust (CMT)

Macquarie have announced that all clients with a Macquarie Cash Management Trust (CMT) will have the option to convert to an at-call deposit with Macquarie Cash Management Account (CMA). We support the change and believe this to be in your best interest for the following reasons–

You will be benefiting from the Retail Guarantee – the Macquarie CMA is covered by the Government’s Retail Guarantee for aggregate balances for each investor with MBL up to $A1 million*
Convenience – unit holders will be able to transition from the Macquarie CMT to a Macquarie CMA while retaining the same account name, functionality, BSB and account number, and be supported by the same service teams, with no interruption expected and no paperwork required
Higher interest rate – a Macquarie CMA offers a higher rate of return than the Macquarie CMT^
Increasing costs – if the Macquarie CMT continues to operate, there will be limited opportunity to keep maintaining and improving the functionality without increasing costs
Withdrawal of the Wholesale Guarantee – the Government has decided to withdraw its Guarantee Scheme for Large Deposits and Wholesale Funding (Wholesale Guarantee) from 31 March 2010. This means that the Macquarie CMT will not be fully covered by a Government Guarantee and will eventually not be covered at all
No more ratings – Standard & Poor’s credit ratings for the Macquarie CMT are no longer available for disclosure to Australian retail investors.

Information packs will be forwarded to clients in the following days via Macquarie. Clients will have the opportunity to vote on the proposal, details will be included within the information pack. If you require further information please refer to www.macquarie.com.au/cmtvote or our office on 52242700.

*The Australian Government has committed to maintaining the Retail Guarantee for aggregate deposits up to $A1 million for three years from 12 October 2008. The Retail Guarantee is the term we use to describe the Government’s guarantee under the Financial Claims Scheme, which covers aggregate retail cash deposits of up to $A1 million held by any one account holder with Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL) without charge to MBL or the account holder. For general information on the Australian Government’s guarantee arrangements, including types of accounts and applicable monetary thresholds, visit www.guaranteescheme.gov.au/

^ As at 3 March 2010 the Macquarie CMT rate was 2.66% p.a. (daily average annualised rate) and the Macquarie CMA rate was 4.00% p.a.. Rates are variable and subject to change without notice. Until March 2012 MBL has committed that the rate will be adjusted to reflect any change in the RBA cash rate within one week of the change being announced by the RBA.

12 February 2010

Separately Managed Accounts Seminar

We had significent interest from clients wanting to attend our Separately Managed Accounts (SMA) seminar.

Unfortunately we did not have the seating capacity for everyone to attend. We have uploaded the guest speaker presentations so you do not miss out.

Lance Oliver from Challenger opened the seminar with an overview of the possible 'Headwinds and Tailwinds' for the Australian economy for 2010.

Click Here to View Market Outlook Presentation

Stuart Fechner delivered the main presentation for the afternoon, giving a detailed explanation of how an SMA operates, how they can be incorporated into our client portfolios and the benefits of doing so.

Click Here to View the SMA Presentation

After viewing the above presentations, if you still have some questions about the operation of an SMA and would like more information, please feel free to contact us.

25 January 2010

Muirfield Clients Have Best 10 Year Share Funds

With the wide choice of Equity funds available to investors (more than 300) we are pleased to advise that as part of our client portfolios we have chosen the best performing Australian and International Equity funds over the past ten years. Aviva Investors High Growth Shares Fund topped the Australian list and Platinum the International list. This article shows the value of sound active management.

» Click here to view full article

25 January 2010

Guide to Aged Care Facilities

This useful guide provides information about the different types of aged care facilities available. It discusses the features of varying levels of care as well as giving an indication of the costs you can expect to incur. If you have any questions regarding aged care, please contact our office to speak with Melinda.

» Click here to view full article

08 January 2010

10 Ways to Save an Extra Dollar

Now that the festive season is behind you, we have prepared an article to assist you in fine-tuning your spending habits and ways to cut your expenses without sacrificng quality.

» Click here to view full article

4 January 2010

Planning for a Life of Leisure

Retirement planning can sometimes be a confusing area. This report outlines the various options available to help you better prepare for a comfortable retirement.

» Click here to view full article

4 January 2010

Surge in Wealth as Markets Bounce Back

This article discusses the rapid rebound of stock markets in recent months. Of particular focus is how this rebound has created the fastest growth in household wealth for Australians for more than a generation.

» Click here to view full article

21 December 2009

Fund not super? Invoke the Magnificent Seven

Examines the performance of 7 stocks responsible for the majority of the gain of the ASX 200 this year. Find out which stocks rallied in 2009 to save the Australian share market.

» Click here to view full article

21 December 2009

BT Monthly Markets Chart

A presentation outlining previous trends in global financial markets. Also provides an update on economic news including the performance of the Australian and international currencies, and global interest rate movements.

» Click here to view full article

09 December 2009

9 Tips To Keep Within The Christmas Budget

Budgeting at Christmas time doesn't mean anyone has to miss out on the joy of giving or receiving presents but it may help you avoid regretting your expenditure in the New Year. Follow these simple tips to make sure this doesn't happen to you.

» Click here to view full article

November 2009

Your Assets - Your Will

Two in every five Australians fail to see the importance of a will. Dying without a will can have disastrous implications for friends and family left behind.

» Click here to view full article

November 2009

The Outlook For Investment Markets

Find out what lies ahead for the Australian economy with this economic outlook provided by fund manager, Zurich.

» Click here to view full article

08 September 2009

Secure and Sustainable Pensions

The Government is proposing a number of changes to the pension system as part of its Secure and Sustainable Pension reforms.

We hope that you are eligible to enjoy the extra cash.

To read more click on the following link:

» Click here to view full article

24 June 2009

Using shares for your income needs

In simple terms, there are three ways in which you can receive income from your investment portfolio.

Invest in a portfolio of debt or fixed interest securities
Invest in a property portfolio, either directly or through a managed property portfolio
Invest in a share portfolio, either directly or through a managed fund.

To read more click on the following link:

» Click here to view full article

22 June 2009

NAB buys Aviva's wealth management arm

National Australia Bank will become Australia's largest life insurer and investment platform manager after buying Aviva Australia. For investors, this will mean business as usual and no change to operations is expected. To read more click on the following link:

» Click here to view an article outlining the Aviva sale

13 May 2009

2009-2010 Federal Budget Summary

Last night’s budget impacts all Australians. We have extracted what we believe to be those parts of the budget that may be of relevance to you. To read more click on this link And if you should have any questions arising from the budget please contact us to discuss.

» Click here to view the Budget Summary

27 April 2009

The Wisdom of Great Investors

Perennial Investment Partners have recently provided a presentation titled "The Wisdom of Great Investors" which outlined four famous investors strategies. We have provided a link to the two relevant articles below.

» Click here to view Perennial's presentation

17 March 2009

Looking past the headlines: A case for equities in 2009

Market Volatility - Staying focused in poor market conditions

We recently received two presentations of data, graphs and comments from AXA and Aviva on shares titled 'Looking past the headlines: A case for equities in 2009' and 'Market Volatility - Staying focused in poor market conditions'.

In the spirit of providing information that keeps you up to date we thought it worth drawing to your attention – especially if you like this higher level information.

» Click here to view Aviva presentation

» Click here to view AXA presentation

19 February 2009

Reduction to minimum pension drawdowns for 2008/09

The Government has just announced that investors in account based pensions, allocated pensions and term allocated pensions (TAP's) will only be required to draw down half of their calculated minimum income requirement for 2008/09. This may allow you to retain some growth investments that otherwise may need to be cashed to allow pension payments to continue.

In practice, this means that pension investors who have already received 50% or more of their minimum payment amount for 2008/09 will not be required to receive any further payments for the remainder of this financial year.

At this stage, the 50% relief measure from drawing down income will only apply up to 30 June 2009.

If you would prefer to not draw from your investments in your account based pension because you can access other money then we can amend your pension payments in line with this government initiative. Contact us to discuss if you wish to stop your account based pension payments.

Investor Centre - News & Articles

Current Articles

Important Information regarding the Macquarie Cash Management Trust (CMT)

Separately Managed Accounts Seminar

Muirfield Clients Have Best 10 Year Share Funds

Guide to Aged Care Facilities

10 Ways to Save an Extra Dollar

Planning for a Life of Leisure

Surge in Wealth as Markets Bounce Back

Fund not super? Invoke the Magnificent Seven

BT Monthly Markets Chart

9 Tips To Keep Within The Christmas Budget

Your Assets - Your Will

The Outlook For Investment Markets

Secure and Sustainable Pensions

Using shares for your income needs

NAB buys Aviva's wealth management arm

The Wisdom of Great Investors

Looking past the headlines: A case for equities in 2009

Market Volatility - Staying focused in poor market conditions

Reduction to minimum pension drawdowns for 2008/09

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