Category: Good Finance Habits

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher – and August 2024 – End of Month Update

Van Morrison’s 1986 album No Guru, No Method, No Teacher – One of his best. Try a meditative sample – In the Garden

Van Morrison is said to have echoed the thoughts of Jiddu Krishnamurti when naming this great album back in 1986 – after 38 years, it still stands up!

“…there is no teacher, no pupil; there is no leader; there is no guru; there is no Master, no Saviour. You yourself are the teacher and the pupil; you are the Master; you are the guru; you are the leader; you are everything.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian Philosopher (1895 – 1986)

At the time, Van was influenced by his teachings and, in an Eighties interview, Van said “I feel the meaning of Krishnamurti for our time is that one has to think for oneself” . This is just the way that Slack Investor feels about the whole world of finance – and one of the defining reasons for this blog.

The ultimate aim for Slack Investor readers is to fund your own retirement, but for most Australians, there is still work to do. The latest available ATO statistics (FY2021) indicate that the median superannuation balances for ages 65-69 are $213,986 (Male) and $201,233 (Female).

According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) estimates – the minimum Superannuation balances required to achieve a comfortable retirement are set out below – and these figures rely on a couple of big assumptions. You need to own your own home and have access to the aged pension, or part-pension, to make this sum work.

CoupleSingle
$690,000$595,000
ASFA Minimum superannuation required for a comfortable retirement (Assumptions: Own Home and Aged pension assistance)

To retire independently (i.e. no government aged pension), a greater lump sum would be required! Things are slowly getting better with recent increases in compulsory superannuation. By 2050, the expected percentage of “comfortable retirees” should be 50%. This is outlook shows promise – but there is a need for more Australians to take action for themselves – Right Now!

Currently, (only) around 30 per cent of couples and singles reach or exceed the ASFA Comfortable Standard (in retirement savings) – ASFA Update – November 2023

No Guru

Slack Investor is no guru, the steps to financial independence are no secret – and are set out by many well known financial educators. There are so many great resources, for example: Rask, Aussie Firebug, Equity Mates, Making Money Made Simple, Strong Money Australia. For a step by step guide, nobody does it better than The Barefoot Investor. Buy his book, or try the The Barefoot Steps or, read Rask Media – The Journey to Financial Independence.

Slack Investor would add to this wonderful guidance:

  • Educate Yourself in the ways of finance – The internet and financial independence books are your friend here. No-one will represent your interests better than you
  • Take charge of your Own Financial Independence – Ride Your Own Bike
  • Automate your savings – Into superannuation and your own investments – What you don’t see, you wont spend
  • Your Savings Rate is a very important number – my savings rate while working and raising a family fluctuated between 20% and 45%. Far more heroic rates are documented by F.I.R.E. enthusiasts e.g. Strong Money Australia – this will accelerate your journey
  • Have a plan to buy your own place to live
  • Pay full attention to fees for financial services
  • Let time be your partner in long-term investing – start as early as you can.

The Slack Investor path was more of a climb up a cobbled street than a path. It involved lots of different strategies. Trying to maximise my superannuation contributions, buying a house to live in, using home equity to gear into individual stocks and ETF’s. In the last 10 years, I have been trying to invest mostly in growth stocks, without too much trading. This has been a good fit for my temperament.

Long term Investing

The real business is to be invested at least somewhere in appreciating assets – and let time do its work. Below is an extract from the Vanguard 2024 long-term investing chart. The numbers on the right are the results of investing $10,000 in the Index funds of the indicated asset classes for 30 years. It is Slack Investors favourite chart.

Extract from the 2024 Vanguard Index chart (Just the 2007-2024 portion is shown) – the dollar values on the right are the results of investing $10,000 in index funds in each asset class for 30 years (since July 1994). – Check out the full 30-year glory of the Vanguard 2024.PDF chart – Click image for better resolution of this portion.

August 2024 – End of Month Update

Slack Investor is IN for Australian index shares, the US Index S&P 500 and the FTSE 100.

The S&P 500 (+2.3) continues its enthusiastic progress. Slack Investor is pleased to go with the flow but remains nervous for the US markets.

For the ASX 200 (+0.0%) and the FTSE 100 (0.1%) – things have ended up dead flat. Although, all markets have shown a lot of variation this month.

All Index pages and charts have been updated to reflect the monthly changes – (ASX Index, UK Index, US Index).

First Home Super Savers Scheme (FHSSS)

After discussing how hard it is for those trying to buy their first home. Slack Investor is compelled to provide some hope in the desire to own your home before you retire. The numbers are in … and, not owning a house in retirement or, losing your job before you retire, puts you at real risk of not reaching a comfortable financial position.

Whereas very few retired home owners are in poverty, most retired renters are …

Helen Hodgson – Professor, Curtin Business School
From – Retirement Income Review Final Report (2020)

There are very few existing incentives on the dusty twisted road to home ownership. They include Stamp Duty exemptions/concessions that vary from state to state. In Victoria, they are available for homes less than $750K. There is also the First Home Buyers Grant (FHBG), which, again, is dependent on which state you live. In Victoria, that comes in at a measly (but I’ll take it!) $10K.

All of these things are worth considering and applying for when you finally purchase a home, but the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) is a lesser known arrangement that seems to make sense – but it requires a bit of “setting up”.

In order to make the most of the FHSSS, you’ll need to start planning well ahead of the time to buying a house/apartment (3 – 4 years?) – But planning ahead is the very trait that Slack Investor loves!

First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS)

I did refer to the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) way back in 2017 when it was just a twinkle in ScoMo’s eye – it started as an election promise to get the “young folk” on board as the government felt a need to at least be seen to be doing something to help first homeowners.

Normally, your super is a beautiful one-way savings vehicle where your retirement money is locked away, and compounding, until you meet a condition of release or, when you reach your preservation age. For most people, the big taxation benefits kick in after the age of 60 – but that’s another story.

However, the treasure chest of the FHSSS, is opened when you first start to make some extra super contributions (up to $15K per year).

Aussie Tiny Houses

These voluntary contributions can be withdrawn from your super when you finally ready to purchase a home – by filling out an ATO form for a ‘determination’. The determination will tell you exactly how much you can withdraw – it will be a little more than you have put in (your contributions – up to $50K – plus deemed earnings)- and waiting a month.

Getting the money out usually takes 15–25 business days … once you withdraw money to buy a house, you have one year to use it

Choice – First Home Super Saver Scheme: Can it help you get on the property ladder?

These extra contributions are over and above the compulsory super that your employer makes. The scheme works by making an arrangement with your paymaster to salary sacrifice into your super – up to $15K per tax year. Contributions can also be made by arranging with your super provider to make a personal super contribution.

The tax savings come about as, you only pay 15% tax on these super contributions – rather than your marginal rate of say, 32.5%. Plug in your own details into this calculator to determine your possible tax savings.

There are complexities and limitations that include not exceeding your concessional contribution cap of $27,500 – but your super provider will help here.

I would recommend all prospective home owners to take a look at this scheme. Assessment for eligibility is made on an individual basis … so couples and friends can combine their amounts – but start now – it will take a few years to get a useful house deposit.

Colonial First State outline a case study of a couple that have each started voluntary extra super contributions of $15K – After 15% tax this comes down to $12 750 p.a of contributions into their funds. After 4 years, they each have amassed $55K (4 x $12 750 plus deemed interest). A combined house deposit of $110K was possible using the FHSSS – and, using a favourite Slack Investor way of saving – deductions from your salary before you even see it! All of this with tax advantages.

Homework (get it!): – Potential homeowners – read about it – and get on the FHSSS!

Savings Rate and … December 2023 – End of Month Update

My last post on “Salary Sacrifice” got me thinking on the other things that I did to help myself on the journey towards financial independence. I have before stressed the importance of your savings rate as the primary tool in the box – and, more than anything, this is the number that will affect when you become financially independent.

This figure can be calculated a few ways, but for simplicity, let’s define it as your retirement savings as a percentage of your take-home pay (disposable income after taxes and deductions) – this can be calculated using fortnightly, monthly, or yearly data.You can work out your own savings rate or, if you are in a stable relationship with a combined goal, include your partner’s savings and take-home pay.

SAVINGS RATE (%) = 100 x (Total amount of Savings put aside for Retirement/Take-home Pay)

This savings rate is the percentage of your after tax income that you must be putting towards retirement – and it defines the number of years that you have to work until you can sustainably generate your expenses from your investments. There are some assumptions for the following chart:

This magical curve is presented below to bring a bit of clarity to your goal. The object is to get to the stage when your annual return on investments (Passive income) cover 100% of your expenses. This represents the beautiful state of financial independence.

From The Escape Artist – using the conservative assumption of a 5% return on your retirement portfolio after inflation.

In Australia, with compulsory superannuation, 10% of your gross salary is deducted from your wages. Taxation rates will vary, but lets just say that 10% of your gross salary is the equivalent of about 15% of your net salary (disposable income). You add your superannuation to any other retirement saving that you are doing to get your total amount of savings put aside for retirement.

Starting from scratch, from the above graph, if you worked continuously, and only relied on compulsory superannuation you enter the full-time work force and you are 42.8 years away from a retirement – where your living expenses are covered by the passive income from your retirement savings. In other words, if working continuously, a 22-year old starting full-time work will have enough passive income to cover expenses when reaching the age of 64.8 – relying solely on compulsory super.

In Australia, there is also the aged pension to kick things along after age 67. Obviously, if you want to retire sooner and have a bit extra for holidays, and to allow a bit of a safety margin, and be financially independent – You will have to do some extra savings towards retirement yourself.

How are people going with their savings rate?

For Australians, the compulsory superannuation system provides a sound base for retirement savings (with a working life of 42.8 years). This doesn’t factor in the government funded aged pension – subject to a means test. Currently the pension (September 2023) is $28,514 per year for a single person – But who knows if this will still be available at present levels in the future. It is best to plan for your future without it – and then accept it as a bonus if you qualify.

Although this sounds OK, any disruption to your working life (ill health, family, education, retrenchment, etc) will be a real setback to your retirement plans – Any work breaks will require additional savings for your retirement. In the US, the “average” savings rate was between 5-10% for many years. Despite some impressive savings rates during COVID-19, in July 2023, the personal saving rate in the United States amounted to 4.1 percent.

Statistic: Personal savings as a percentage of disposable income in the United States from June 2015 to August 2023 | Statista
From Statista

You would have to say … this does not bode well for a satisfying retirement for the “average” US Citizen.

What was the Slack Investor Savings Rate?

Rusted on followers of this blog will recall that I had a bit of a delayed start to thinking about retirement. I had just arrived back in Australia after a 6-year working holiday overseas. I was aged 30, broke, and the only thing I knew was that I didn’t want to continue working in the field that I was trained in – high school teaching.

Clearly Slack Investor had a bit of work to do. Once I was in regular employment again, I set about getting the financial building blocks in order. Emergency fund, house deposit … and then savings for my retirement. I did this mostly using salary sacrificing into superannuation and building up my own private share portfolio.

There is nothing Slack Investor likes more than burrowing into my financial history using the excellent and free “Sunset” international release of Microsoft Money. I use the  Australian Version. I have been using this software to track my finances since 1990 (33 years!)

Including superannuation contributions, my savings rate for retirement fluctuated between 20% and 45%. From the top graph, this represents a shifting rate that was equivalent to an overall retirement goal that required between 36.7 years and 19 years of working. Since “ground zero” at aged 30 and some extra education, I ended up working mostly full time for 28 years. Luckily, I had found a job as meteorologist that I really enjoyed.

This is not the “hard core” road to financial independence (i.e retire at 35, etc) – but Slack Investor thinks a reasonable compromise with the competing priorities of raising a family and buying a house.

Savings Rate is so important. Determine what your own savings rate needs to be to achieve your retirement goals – and automate your savings deductions as much as possible – and get cracking!.

December 2023 – End of Month Update

Happy Days. The year closes and, Slack Investor was definitely not naughty … a big December “Santa Rally” this month. All followed markets rose. The ASX 200 up a mighty 7.1%, the FTSE 100 up 4.0%, and the S&P 500 up 4.4%,

Slack Investor remains IN for the FTSE 100, the ASX 200, and the US Index S&P 500.

All Index pages and charts  have been updated to reflect the monthly changes – (ASX Index, UK Index, US Index). The quarterly updates to the Slack Portfolio have also been completed.

The Long View

“Astronomie”, Georg Leopold Hertel and François Boucher, 1750 – 1778 – Rijksmuseum, Netherlands

What exactly these angelic cherubs are up to in this etching will remain a mystery to Slack Investor, but he would say that looking at things from a distance is a worthwhile trait in the stock market world. Slack Investor is currently in Europe on holiday and the geographical distance and time zone shift have helped him take more of a holiday from the markets … and just let them get on with it – without interference!

Take the long view

There are some scary headlines and plenty of volatility on the stock markets with worries about inflation and international bank collapses. Slack Investor will just pass on some sage advice. Here is the secret to being a good investor …

Don’t get caught up in what happens in three months, six months, or 12 months. It’s about the next five to seven years.

Paul Taylor, head of investments for Fidelity Australia and Portfolio Manager for the Fidelity Australian Equities Fund

Paul Taylor is no mug … his Australian Equities Fund is of the managed fund variety and, despite a slug of 0.85% p.a. in management fees, his fund has kept pace or slightly bettered the performance of the ASX 200 Accumulation index over the 5 and 10-yr periods. Even though the managers of the fund appear to know what they are doing, the difficulty of beating index funds over every time period is shown by the negative relative performance over 1 and 7-yrs.

Fidelity Australian Equities Fund performance compared to the ASX 200 Accumulation index – up to the end of February 2023.

Now, Slack Investor completely agrees with Mr Taylor, when investing in equities (shares), you should be locking them up for at least 5 years so that any volatility will be swamped by the beautiful long-term march of increasing value for Australian and International Shares. See the latest Vanguard Long Term Chart to see what I mean.

Slack Investor is still “pretend hurting” from his own last year’s (FY22) annual Slack performance (-14.3%). However, he realises his 5-yr and 10-yr performance is the critical measure for his Slack Fund. As these returns p.a. (13.5% (5-yr) and 15.2% (10-yr), are comfortably above benchmarks, I have reconciled the poor one year figures as just part of the volatility of owning mostly growth shares.

Contribute regularly to your savings

Whether adding to your super, or investment savings, the best way to do this is to add regularly, without even thinking about it. Set up an automatic personal deduction from your salary to your super – or automatically contribute to your savings through a vehicle that is in sync with your risk tolerances (e.g. Stockspot, Pearler).

As my super was accumulating, it was mostly in broad-based index funds (Australian and International). My other investments were mostly in individual companies.

While it’s possible to beat index funds, it’s not easy to do over the long run … and as it isn’t worthwhile for most of us to try.

Paul Samuelson, American Nobel prize winner in economics – from johncbogle.com

Slack Investor has some exposure to index-type ETF’s but continues to dabble in individual companies. Despite the above warning, Slack Investor will continue to “have a crack” at stock selection and portfolio management – but only while his long-term performance still stands up.

Healthcare Haggle … and February 2023 – End of Month Update

6 Degrees Health

Slack Investor’s Dental Shenanigans

Laying in the dentist’s chair recently, I was confronted with the bad news that I was up for a dental implant and this would probably set me back about $8000 – Lucky I was lying down!

After the initial shock, Slack Investor resolved to start treating his interaction with healthcare in the same way that he would treat any other professional service. I have decided to be an informed consumer and take control of the financial side of my healthcare. Lets get some quotes!

An internet trawl and a few phone calls later, I had a quote for around $4000 – dependent on an inspection and a dental scan. After the initial consultation, I asked for a written quotation. The quote was emailed to me and, subject to some caveats about extra costs if any bone grafts were necessary, came in at $4050 – Bewdy, lets go with this. In a classic piece of “anchoring bias”, if someone mentions $8K … and you end up with a price of $4K, this new price feels like an absolute bargain.

In retrospect, I was satisfied with the whole experience and enjoyed the empowering feeling of having some knowledge of the range in costs for a particular treatment. Because I am lucky to be amongst the privileged 55.2% of Australians (June 2022) who have private health insurance extras cover (45.2% of Australians have private hospital cover only), I also claimed a rebate of $1400 through my insurance provider.

Private Health Insurance

The funding of the Australian Healthcare system has evolved into a complex beast – with Medicare being at its foundation since 1984 – but there is also a private system. The arguments for and against taking out private health insurance are well covered by the consumer advocates CHOICE.

Medicare and the public hospital system provide free or low-cost access for all Australians to most of these health care services. Private health insurance gives you choice outside the public system.

The Australian Health System

As well as the Medicare Levy, 2% of your taxable income for most people, there is also the Medical Levy Surcharge which is an additional charge to encourage high earners to get private health insurance. Again, this is a bit complex, but if you are single with a taxable income (plus fringe benefits, super, etc) of greater than $90K, you are better off with private health insurance hospital cover.

The consumer body CHOICE has a calculator to answer if it financially makes sense to get private health insurance – but this is not just a financial issue, it depends on your circumstances and philosophy.

It is also important to know that there are a few areas that private medical insurance does not cover.

  • GP visits
  • Consultations with specialists in their rooms
  • Out-of-hospital diagnostic imaging and tests.

These services are under the umbrella of Medicare and their list of approved services and government subsidies available, the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). If Medicare doesn’t cover the full cost of your treatment you will have to pay the difference, known as ‘the gap’ or “out of pocket expenses”.

Engaging with Medical Specialists

Again, I recognize my fortune in having private extras insurance cover and being in a large city (Melbourne) where there is choice in medical specialists.

Rather than getting a “big surprise” bill, I have resolved to be pro-active and informed when dealing with specialists.

It’s your right to get an estimate of costs from your doctor or hospital before you agree to have treatment. This helps you understand what you might have to pay.

Department of Health and Aged Care

If I think that I am in need of specialist’s attention, before I arrive at my GP asking for a referral, I get into research mode OR, if I haven’t had the chance to do any research, I will ask my GP for an open referral.

The reason for this is that my private health insurance provider has arrangements with some specialists to charge either a “No Gap” or a “Known Gap” arrangement. My insurance provider HCF have, on their member pages, a place where you can search for their preferred specialists in your area. They also have a good guide on questions to ask your doctor/specialist at your first consultation.

Medicare contributes a set amount for each treatment or procedure, as laid out in the Australian Government’s Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). For in-hospital treatment, Medicare pays 75% of the MBS fee; your insurer pays the other 25% (provided you’re covered for the service).

Department of Health and Aged Care

For in-hospital services, the Medical Cost Finder is an Australian Government site for estimating your out of pocket expenses for an operation. For example, the results below are for a Knee Replacement in a private hospital that indicate a typical $1600 out of pocket cost.

Output from Medical Cost Finder for Knee replacement in Melbourne

For “out of hospital” consultations with specialists in their rooms, where no private insurance claims can be made, get on the phone and ask the receptionist at a few places for typical “out of pocket” costs before you make an appointment. When you decide on a specialist and feel comfortable with him/her, ask for a written quote with any gap fees for any further work.

For a deeper dive, CHOICE have a number of tips on how to avoid out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

February 2023 – End of Month Update

Slack Investor remains IN for Australian index shares, the US Index S&P 500 and the FTSE 100.  It was a mixed month for the Slack Investor followed markets. The FTSE 100 is powering on, but both the ASX 200 an S&P 500 drifting south (FTSE100 +1.4%;  ASX 200 -2.9%; S&P500 -2.6%).

All Index pages and charts  have been updated to reflect the monthly changes – (ASX Index, UK Index, US Index).

In full financial empowerment mode, Slack Investor set aside an hour and 10 minutes of his valuable time this month to get a better deal on some of his fixed costs. Good Results.

TaskInternet Research TimePhone TimeResult
Home Loan15 min5 min0.65% reduction in Interest rate – now 4.95%
Car Insurance (comprehensive)40 min10 minReduced annual payment from $1204 to $1031 ($173 saving p.a.)