Patricia Howard Financial Planning

On election eve, what's going to happen?

As we head towards a federal election tomorrow, there seems to me to be greater air of uncertainty, particularly in the investments markets, than we have ever faced before in Australia. However, as Paul Keating once said, if you look back at history, the Australian people have never got it

Why is CBA trading so strongly?

There doesn’t seem to be anything stopping the meteoric rise of the share price of Australia’s largest bank the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which has climbed from $113 a share to a high of $168 during the past twelve months. Most analysts say it is completely nonsensical and

Now is the time to chat with your tax agent about contributing more to super

Many Australians don’t realize that they can potentially reduce their overall tax bill by making additional contributions to superannuation and claiming a tax deduction for doing so. While you can claim up to $30,000 as a concessional tax deduction, including the super guarantee contribution paid by their employer,

Why owning shares in rare earth miners is so high risk

The growing tensions between China and the United States has focused attention on several issues, including the importance of rare earths in future technology such as mobile phones and batteries through to sophisticated military hardware. Just the very name suggests that investing in rare earths is a sure-fire way of

Beating the cost of living – lessons from the pandemic

Again, this election has been dominated by arguments about the so called ‘Cost-of-Living Crisis’, and there are obviously a lot of Australians, including some in full-time work, that are doing it really tough. There are also some drivers in the economy that have made life more challenging. The recent surge

Helping first home buyers

There has been a lot said during this election campaign about buying your first home and I know this is something that concerns many Australians, including parents and grandparents of potential first home buyers. It’s important to remember, it has always been hard to buy your own home in

Rest Assured

Recent events in the United States have, as I am sure most readers will know, culminated in a significant sell off in the United States share market last week and this is flowing through as I write, to a sell off in the Australian share market. As I have often

Where to from here……

While there is so much uncertainty in the world, largely due to events in the US and President Trump seemingly taking a new stance on major geo-political issues every day, there are some things you can rely on. That regardless of which side of politics is in power, the overwhelming

The Budget's impact on Super

The Federal Government, regardless of who is in power, can’t resist twitching or making changes to super every time they have a major financial policy announcement or hand down a budget. But hey, if you live long enough you will see everything! Last week’s Federal budget was very

Now is the time to buy

There’s been so much panic talk in the media since the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency that many investors are suddenly worried about their investments and what might be the best course of action from here. The most important thing to remember is to not panic.

What is happening to the world?

Gosh… what a difference a month can make. The euphoria that surrounded the run-up to and actual election of Donald Trump to the White House, caused the US share market to climb almost 10 per cent since November.   But the sudden realization of what an actual Trump Presidency means for

Stay healthy in old age

I don’t often write about maintaining a good healthy regime as you move through retirement in this newsletter and sometimes, I think that’s a mistake as its good to be constantly reminded of the need to be proactive about your health. Of course, this doesn’t mean adopting

Members only

What now for Australia’s big banks?

Big super controlling retirements

The Australian Government is increasingly concerned that more and more Australians are dying with more superannuation than they entered retirement with, meaning they are not spending enough through retirement.   This has prompted the Government to spend a lot of time trying to generate income products, that is where you put

Members only

What if there is a major share market correction in 2025?

The Impact of Trump

Gosh… what a difference a month can make. The potential election of, and then the actual election of, Donald Trump to the White House caused the US share market to rise almost 10 per cent in recent months.   But then the sudden realization of what an actual re-energized Trump Presidency

Members only

So what will 2025 bring?

Members only

Australia's economic outlook

Members only

Making the most of downsizer contributions

Members only

Is this the year to sell your investment property?

Members only

What will be Trump's impact on share markets?

Members only

Act now to maximise your super contributions

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones…..

As Christmas gets close, it’s a time for new starts and a bit of old fashion gift giving, even here at a Patricia Howard Retirement Planning, where the spirit of Christmas is alive and strong, and the future for 2025 looks bright and exciting. To start, we have relaunched

Working as a couple to build your super

While I’ve been providing advice on superannuation for more than 20 years now, it constantly amazes me so many couples are happy to look upon their home and mortgage as a joint asset but treat their superannuation as separate assets. Certainly, it’s not possible to have a shared

The Twelve Days of Christmas

As this is my last newsletter for the year, I thought I would provide a light-hearted look at how everyone can save money over the Christmas period. Remember, what is important is simply coming together and enjoying being with those you love most. Here are my twelve tips for Christmas.