Exchange-traded funds are diversified, liquid, cheap and transparent, says VanEck Australia's deputy head of investments and capital markets, Jamie Hannah, making them a "highly efficient" vehicle for accessing income. Similarly, State Street Global Advisor's Australia head of investments, Jonathan Shead, believes that ETFs are a great option for income investors,...

6% yield - that's the magic number many Livewire readers said they need to achieve their desired lifestyle. What stood out to me what that many were heavily reliant on equities to do that heavy lifting. However, fixed income’s modest risk profile allows for an efficient return per unit of...

For Magellan’s Brett Cairns, understanding innovation came from a most unusual source: a story about McDonald’s and milkshakes written by Harvard professor Clay Christensen. In his book, Christensen explains consumers don’t necessarily buy milkshakes for their taste – they ‘hire’ them to do a job.He observed over 50% of all...

One widely cited investment statistic is that 90% of portfolio performance comes from asset allocation. The stat originates from a 1986 research paper, Determinants of Portfolio Performance, which asserts that asset allocation trumps security selection and market timing when it comes to portfolio returns.  So, in this special Income Series...

Investors seeking income generally do so at the expense of growth. After all, a dollar returned in income, is a dollar not reinvested. But the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' offers opportunities not seen in other sectors. Whether it's investing in warehouses to enable e-commerce, or cell towers and internet infrastructure, the...

As we approach the end of 2021, views on how we live, work and play in a post-COVID world are becoming clearer. Uncertainty remains but our base case at First Sentier Investors is for the economic disruption associated with social-distancing restrictions to subside over time as vaccination levels reach...

Ethical investing, once a niche category, is increasingly capturing mainstream capital flows. Major disruptors, such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, are fuelling a shift among investors in favour of more socially and environmentally responsible investment products. It seems that environmental, social and governance (ESG) is coming of...

Considering Australian investors' thirst for yield and the growing popularity of exchange-traded funds, it may surprise some to learn that around 20% of ETFs listed on the ASX are focused on income. In fact, while there are 31 fixed-income ETFs listed on the ASX, only around half that number...

Today's income investors might be forgiven for thinking the old certainties are not only upside down but all over the place. It's bewildering. Asset classes that once seemed watertight have sprung a slow leak as central banks the world over attempt various magic tricks to charge their economies. In...

While Dimitri is a proud Greek-Australian, he wields the luck of the Irish when it comes to picking his moments in life and the market. Dimitri moved to Australia to study a few years before the Greek debt crisis got out of hand in 2010. He completed his Master...

Residential property is not an investment income play, despite what many Australians think they know about real estate. So says Chris Bates, a financial planner who ditched the advice gig a while ago and focused his firm, Wealthful, solely on mortgage broking. “It's purely a capital growth asset,” Bates said...

As if it was not hard enough for income-seeking investors, global interest rates were plumbing all-time lows at the start of 2020, even before the pandemic hit. Returns from usually low-risk investments have been lacklustre ever since the global financial crisis. On top of staying physically safe, investors have...

Ivan from South Australia has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the share market. After getting burnt as a teenager during the 1969-1970 nickel boom, the avid golfer, surfer and artist manager took an extended break and only got back on the saddle in 2005. What stands out is...

Almost one and half years have gone by since COVID-19 first hit, and markets have gone along in a merry way. Central banks around the world have managed to keep asset prices buoyant through exorbitant quantitative easing (QE) strategies.  US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell recently reassured global markets...

Against a backdrop of record-high equity markets and low-interest rates, investing for income while seeking to preserve capital is an increasingly common goal among those who require their savings and investments to provide reliable, tax-effective cash flow. Hybrids are a unique amalgamation of debt and equity, present a popular option...

Where will income come from? Today's investors need to know, particularly if they have an eye on retirement and aim to grow their assets while funding anticipated expenses. Central banks have pushed down bond yields, hurting savers and diminishing what was once the cornerstone of income generation. The real...

Sometime's it's all about timing. At other times, it's about doing the right thing. And sometimes, as in the case of renewables, it's both. Renewable energy has rapidly become a core component of infrastructure portfolios for retail and institutional investors alike, and can only increase its share of the...

Are you struggling to generate enough income out of your investments in the stock market? Are you tired of watching your term deposits dwindle away? Well, my friend, step into my (home) office. Our recent Income Series survey found that 97.6% of you are invested in domestic equities for income,...

Since General Property Trust became Australia's first ASX-listed real estate investment trust 50 years ago, the pitch has barely changed. Australian real estate investment trusts (AREITs) are still all about income. What has changed is the environment in which they operate. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online...

I have two types of friends when it comes to investing. One half lob their fortnightly paychecks into Tesla call options, crypto and speccy mining stocks. The other half also don't invest. At the young professional age bracket, this is not surprising. Upon just entering the workforce, it can feel...