Investing Compass

Some investors focus on what the markets are doing each day to understand how their portfolio is going to perform. In this episode, we run through the common behavioural mistakes that will likely have an outsized impact on your portfolio, and how investors can prevent making these mistakes.

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Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.

Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

In this week's edition of Unconventional Wisdom, Mark goes through the process of playing devil's advocate for his ETF choice for Australian equity exposure. An important exercise for all investors, as it ensures that there are no biases at play and helps you make a strong decision about securities that you choose to include or exclude in your portfolio. He runs through detailed analysis for why it should be included in his portfolio.

This week in Future Focus, Shani explores trusts. In a meeting with a tax specialist, she was pointed towards them as a way to minimise tax, especially for those individuals on higher tax brackets. She looks at who these vehicles suit and when they might be too much effort with not enough reward.

Joseph tapped the insights of Morningstar’s energy analyst to compare integrated fuel and gas station company Ampol with its industry peer Viva Energy (the owner of Reddy Express). How might Australia’s biggest gas station firms fare in a world with more EVs? Are they likely to keep their Australian oil refineries open amid tough competition? And do the shares offer enough value and yield for income investors to look past these question marks? Find out in Joseph’s latest Stock Showdown!

Humans have a natural inclination to assume that expensive equals better. But is that the case with investing? Not really. Paying more often means getting less in return. Investors have largely taken this message onboard and clearly favour low-cost funds while rejecting more costly options. But are we missing out on better products by doing so? In this week's Young & Invested, Sim explores if investors are too obsessed with fees and when paying extra may be worth it.