Blog - Page 51 of 54 - Raiz Invest

Bring to the table win-win survival strategies to ensure proactive domination. At the end of the day, going forward, a new normal that has evolved from generation.
August 15, 20160
image

As
we enter the 3rd week of August,
the Northern Hemisphere is on holiday and it is no surprise that the markets
are confounding investor expectations, as they are meant to do in August.

In
the current low interest rate environment, it is all about yield!

Yield
is the income return on an investment, such as interest, a bond coupon, or a
dividend from and equity investment
.

Negative
yield in debt means that the holder of a bond loses money on their
investment. 
With the amount of debt in negative yield
now at a staggering $13tn, it is no wonder that the main driving force for
equities will be the global hunt for yield. Which in turn is seeing increased
investment into the local Aussie market.

Thanks
to years of continued investor activism, top Australian companies pay higher
dividends and help produce one of the highest yielding markets in the world.
Compared to the S&P 500, which yields about 2.3%, the yield from ASX 200
companies is attractive, resulting in foreign inflows and leading Australian
companies being included in global yield ETFs listed in the US.

…and
it’s not just equity yield that is attractive in Australia, with AAA-rated
government bonds producing significant yield when compared to negative yields
you would receive from both countries and corporates with lower ratings.

Foreign
investment in the Australian market are also having an effect on the Aussie
dollar, which is on the rise despite the RBA cutting rates to record lows in
August. This rise in the dollar, coupled with mortgage lenders not passing on
the full rate cut to borrowers, has seen the RBAs recent decision completely
wasted. If it is a weakening in the dollar that the RBA are interested in, then
they may think twice about cutting again.

Investors
will be keeping a keen eye on the Australian employment report this week for an
indication to the strength of the economy!

Important
Note: The information is general advice and does not take into account any
person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment
needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before
acting on any information contained in this website.

Investors
only: The information in this Document is confidential it must not be
reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person unless it is part of their
statement of advice. The information may be based on assumptions or market
conditions and may change without notice. This may impact the accuracy of the
information. In no circumstances is the information in this Document to be used
by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of making a decision about a
financial product or class of products.

General
advice warning: The information contained in this Document is general
information only. It has been prepared without taking account any potential
investors’ financial situation, objectives or needs and the appropriateness of
this information needs to be considered in that context. No responsibility or
liability is accepted by Instreet or any third party who has contributed to
this Document for any of the information contained herein or for any action
taken by you or any of your officers, employees, agents or associates.

August 11, 20160
image

Any
marathon runner will tell you: You don’t think about all 42 kilometres at once.
That would be too overwhelming. Instead, picture the race in chunks: 5km, 10km,
or even one kilometre at a time. Manageable chunks.

This
same philosophy can be useful when saving for your post-work life,
especially when it’s still decades away. While the idea of saving $1
million may feel like a near-impossible feat, putting away just $150 or so
per month in your 20s seems completely reasonable—and that still may get you to
the million-dollar mark by retirement age, provided you’re disciplined, start
early and hit your “splits,” as runners would say.

Just
get started, save regularly, experience the power of compounding returns and
learn about market risks– and track your progress. 

For
the sake of simplicity, let’s set aside inflation, fees, taxes and dividends.
Yes, those things are important, but it’s more important that you just get
started, save regularly, experience the power of compounding returns and learn
about market risks– and track your progress.

Here’s what this example could look like:

image

Okay, deep
breaths
. I’m going to walk you through these targets, and explain why
they’re more reachable than you might think—and why, if you’ve hit 30 and
haven’t saved that much, it’s not too late.

The
first thing you’ll probably notice about this chart is that your money doubles
every seven years. I’m basing that on an investing concept known as the rule of 72, which says that if you earn 7.2
percent interest annually your money doubles in 10 years. Roughly, the reverse
is true, as well: If you earn 10 percent on your money, it doubles in 7.2
years.

You
also likely noticed that the larger you’re starting point in each doubling
cycle, the larger the growth….That means the most important consideration is
starting the doubling clock. 

For
the milestones listed above to work, you’ll likely need growth from both equity
market returns (say, 7 percent) and additional cash saved (3
percent). Any percentage variation works—bigger investment returns, less cash
added; more cash added, smaller returns—so long as you get to about 10 percent,
your money will double every seven years or so.

You
also likely noticed that the larger you’re starting point in each doubling
cycle, the larger the growth. Under the example above, the balances really
start to grow—to $200,000, $400,000 and beyond—during your 40s and 50s. That
means the most important consideration is starting the doubling clock. If
you embarked on this particular milestone chart at 37 instead of 30, for
example, you may be missing $800,000 by retirement age.

Now,
let’s talk through my assumptions, and how I got there. Again, it’s not that
difficult to get from $50,000 to $100,000 in just seven years. You can do it by
earning 7 percent in returns—a fair guideline for market returns—and contributing
about $150 per month to your account.

Note
the difference saving regularly makes, by contributing larger cash you may
significantly reduce the time to double your money.

it’s
entirely possible to start a humble retirement account, add $150 per month in
your 20s and 30s and still be on target to retire a millionaire. You just have
to hit your splits. 

Another
thing to keep in mind about your contributions: As you get older, the amount of
cash that must be added in order to keep up the doubling effect—the 3
percent—needs to grow substantially. But you’re likely making more money, so
that’s not unrealistic. For example, between ages 37-44, you’ll grow your
retirement balance from $100,000 to $200,000 by earning 7-percent returns, for
example, and depositing at least $250 per month (based on 3 percent of
your starting balance, and assuming you’re getting 7 percent returns). Then
from ages 44-51, your balance will balloon from $200,000 to $400,000 with 7
percent returns and at least $500 in monthly deposits (3 percent of $200,000
divided by 12).

Raiz
fully automates this process, with the Roundup and Automatic Investment feature
you can hit your splits whilst living your everyday life. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

So
yes, it’s entirely possible to start a humble retirement account, add $150 per
month in your 20s and 30s and still be on target to retire a millionaire. You
just have to hit your splits.

It
is time to start thinking about saving for retirement, just like you would if
training for a marathon.  This is where Raiz can comes in.  Instead
of just waking up one day and trying to sprint 42km, you need to train, and
start working on your financial fitness. Raiz fully automates this process,
with the Roundup and Automatic Investment feature you can hit your splits
whilst living your everyday life.

But
none of those facts detract from the undeniable power of regular savings, time
and compounding. A journey of a mile begins with the first
step. A journey to $1 million begins with your first $100 investment.

Important
Information

The
examples above are for display purposes only and to illustrate a point – actual
returns will be different and could be significantly less than the examples.

This
blog was written by Raiz Limited– Authorised Representative of AFSL 434776. The
Raiz product is issued in Australia by Instreet Investment Limited (ACN 128 813
016 AFSL 434776) and promoted by Raiz Limited (ACN 604 402 815). A Product
Disclosure Statement dated 27 May 2016 for this product is available on the Raiz
website and App.

A
person should read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding
whether or not to acquire and/or continue to hold interests in the product. The
risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure
Statement, and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

July 15, 20160
image

We
at Raiz take great pride in the design of our app – and having won the 2016
Good Design Best Digital Design
 and multiple national awards in the US
it looks like our designers’ hard work is paying off.

We’ve
turned to Raiz’ VP of Design in the USA, David Keegan, to let you
know a bit more on the design of Raiz, and why it’s so important.

Why
is design important?

“Design
is how people see and engage with a product. This is important because it’s how
people use and interact with the technology behind Raiz. We think a lot about
ways we can make Raiz beautiful and delightful while at the same time easy to
use and understandable.”

What
is the most important thing to consider when designing an app?

“The
most important thing to consider when designing an app is to think about how
people are actually going to use it. Above all else we strive for simplicity.
When designing mobile apps people are often on the go, using their phones here
and there hundreds of times throughout the day. Everything from the signup
process to depositing money, or simply checking your balance needs to be quick
and easy, never more than one or two taps away.”

What
are the key elements to the design of Raiz?

“The
most important element to the design of Raiz is its simplicity. Raiz makes it
easy and streamlined to get signed up, and to start saving and investing. We
also use beautiful graphics the help make the app enjoyable. Investing is often
an emotional experience so we try to infuse the app with calming natural
colours and gradients.”

What
other apps, products, or brands do you admire?

“My favourite
brands are ones that embrace elegant and simplistic design. Some of my
favourite brands that exemplify this are of course Apple as well as Audi and
Tesla. I try to draw inspiration from these brands, with a dash
of Lamborghini colours for aspiration 😉 I constantly keep these brands in mind
when working on the branding and design of Raiz.”

Let
us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages what you think of our design, and
what other brands inspire you!

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

July 13, 20160
image

Unless
you have been living under a rock, it would have been impossible to not notice
that Pokemon Go has taken Australia by storm.

Launched
last week, Pokemon Go is a mobile game which has reinvented
the popular 90’s cult franchise Pokemon. The game uses GPS to track players and
through their smartphone cameras, incorporates the game’s monsters into the
player’s surroundings.

The
game has been an instant hit, with the app currently topping several charts on
Apple’s App Store.  Nintendo shares are up 60% in the past three days
since Pokemon Go was launched on the 7th of July – illustrating the power
of pop culture!

Nintendo
has enjoyed a whopping AUD$12bn increase in market value. It should give a new
lease of life to the conservative Kyoto-based firm, which had long steered
clear of smartphone gaming.

The
app is free to download and is estimated to have been downloaded 7.5bn times in
the US alone. The lucrative value of the app is seen in its in-app purchases,
which occurs when a player is tempted to buy more useful items within the game.

Excuse
the pun, but Pokemon Go is literally ‘changing the game’ when
it comes to mobile apps. We can’t wait to see how more apps like this push
boundaries and sail into uncharted territory.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

July 11, 20160

bull

By the Superfitdad

It’s
the end of the Australian financial year which means, for those who have
incurred personal expenses in the course of their business, it’s tax return
season and, ideally, tax refund season.

Much
like the truffle season in Alba or the Indian wedding season for Gold prices,
this can mean a flurry of expectant spending or, at the very least, plotting
about what spending might ensue, assuming things work out favourably.

And
irrespective of whether you have a tax refund in the offing, any time you have
a lump sum coming your way, it’s a great opportunity to start building or
growing your asset base.

So,
in no particular order, here are some things to consider.

1.Clear Debts (Especially Credit Card)

You
might think: so what? A measly $1k on the credit card. No need to worry
about that. Let’s buy some shares or a holiday or some fun – pick your poison!

NO.
Not on your nelly, my friend. The reason? Unless you have an interest-free
card or have transferred a balance, you’ll be paying 15-25% on the credit card
debt. All your other investments will NOT be paying you anywhere near this
much. At least on a consistent basis.

2.
Pay Down Mortgage / Save For A Mortgage

Paying
down your mortgage might not seem sexy. In fact, there an entire industry
geared around enticing you to do other things with you money. Ignore them,
though, and seriously consider paying down your home loan.

But
being mortgage-free, early, is a pretty cool thought. If you don’t have
own property yet, start thinking how you can accelerate the process.

3.
Invest In Yourself

How
many new skills have your learned since you were 25? For many of us it’s
hard enough mastering the meagre skills we’ve been given or acquired so
far. But investing in ourselves and our future by cultivating our
skill-set or talent stack is probably the most important investment we can
make.

To
a certain extent, it doesn’t even matter what you’re learning. Whether it’s
learning a foreign language, taking a course on public speaking, learning to
write code, the key thing is to be challenging and stimulating ourselves to
develop and grow. Do this and, almost by osmosis, your performance in all
areas will soar.

4.
Top Up Your Superannuation / Pension Fund

Propping
up your pension with an after-tax lump sum isn’t as attractive as chucking in
pre-tax and reaping the tax benefits offered by salary sacrificing, say.

And,
it’s not really sexy.

BUT…

Don’t
you want to have a comfortable retirement, especially given that there’s no
telling how long we might live nowadays? Also, once you’ve tucked it away
in your pension, it’s there for a very long time, giving it a very
love-you-long-time cogitation period. Which, in plain English, means it’s got
plenty of time to grow and accumulate.

5.
Become An Owner

Feeling
emboldened now that you’re newly flush? Hit the markets. Not the Farmer’s
Markets, silly. The Stock Markets. A good way to get some exposure to the
markets and become an owner (in a very tiny way, of course) of some of the
world’s biggest and best companies is via index funds.

Index
funds are popular because they don’t carry the same kind of costs associated
with actively managed funds. [Question: have you ever met a poor fund manager?
No, me neither. It’s because your fees are paying for the Jag, the Rolex and
their kid’s school fees.]

Not
only are index funds cheaper than managed funds – often by 1-2.5% per year –
they routinely outperform the funds with managers. Strange, huh? So if
you’re looking for a proven way to create and grow wealth over a long
time-frame (10+ years), the stock markets and index-linked funds tread a proven
path.

Or
you could…

6.
Buy Individual Stocks

Not
for the faint-hearted, this can be an exciting ride.

If
you get a tip from a mate about a firm that makes mining valves and supplies a
firm who’ve just found a massive unknown copper deposit somewhere in the middle
of Whup-Whup, well, you could be quids in.

You’re
unlikely to get any information before hundreds and thousands of others have
that same information. That hot tip your mate gave you has been through brokers
and dealers and market-makers. People will be all over it.

The
golden rule, though: always tick the box to have your dividends invested. Never
deviate from this and you should be okay [assuming your stock pays a dividend].

7.
Travel

They
say nothing broadens the mind like travel.

Which
is tricky because if you’re a new-ish parent, the idea of transporting your chaotic
sleep-deprived existence to somewhere unfamiliar where you don’t know the name
of the barista or the nearest 24 hour petrol station for the late-night banana
dash. But whether you’re encumbered by kids or not, it’s never that bad.

It’s
actually wonderful. The whole family seem to recognise the importance of the
trip and improve their behaviour tenfold.

8.
Buy Art

If
none of the options listed before appeal, then there are a couple of other
options to consider.

I
select them because they have the potential to be appreciating assets.

If
you can cultivate an appreciation of art, I think it can be useful. Finding
something (as in, a piece of art) that resonates with you and can calm you when
seas get stormy can be a real comfort.

9.
Buy Jewellery

This
is basically: a watch.

As
we’ve seen there are a myriad of options and we’re in danger of suffering from
Paradox Of Choice when it comes to using our tax refund
wisely.

There
are other things I couldda and shouldda mentioned – But, in the interests of
expedience, we’ll leave it there for now.

At the very least, buy something that will appreciate and grow or will help you or someone else appreciate and grow. As long as you do that, you’ll be winning.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

July 5, 20160

person working on table

The new financial year has begun,
and the tax-man is knocking at your door again. Here are some key tips to send
him on his way with a smile:

Ensuring you have all the
accurate information makes the tax return process that much smoother. Before
you start, make sure you have all that paperwork ready to go. Hopefully you’ve
kept all necessary information very organised throughout
the year…

Some of the key documents you’ll
be needing are:

Your Income:

  • Payment summaries
  • Bank statements
  • Shares, unit trusts or managed funds statements
  • Buy and sell investment statements
  • Records from your rental property
  • Foreign income details

Your Expenses:

  • Private health insurance policy statement
  • Donation receipts
  • Educational records and receipts
  • Investment property receipts
  • Your spouse’s income and expenses
  • Union membership
  • Work related expenses

Deductions are awesome. They
allow you to claim work-related costs against your tax, these can include sun
glasses, computers, vehicles etc. Although, one must remember that these
expenses must be:

Real – you must have spent the money
yourself for the product or service

Relevant – they must be related to your
job

Recorded – in the form of a receipt

The ATO has some good info on possible tax deductions based on your occupation.

As a Raiz investor, any realized
capital gains/losses through Raiz will be tax liable.  We will produce an
annual tax statement for all investors by the end of July. These statements
will contain all details necessary for filling your tax returns.

If you have any further
questions about your tax statements please do not hesitate to email the
Investor Success Team at support@Raizinvest.com.au or alternatively call us on
1300 754 748.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

July 4, 20160
image

The
focus of the Australian market is on the result – or rather lack of result –
from the weekend’s federal election. It appears the most likely outcome is a
hung parliament although we may have to wait some time until we know for
certain. Unfortunately, the Australian Electoral Commission has made it clear
that it won’t begin counting any more votes until Tuesday, leaving buyers and
sellers in an information vacuum.

“Such
uncertainty is never good for markets…. However, the Australian economy remains
strong.”

As
the possibility of a hung parliament looms closer, the financial market grows
more and more uncertain. Additionally, the prospect of the second hung
parliament within three years escalated speculation the governments AAA-credit
rating will come under pressure in the coming weeks.

Such
uncertainty is never good for markets, and traders may have to wait a month or
even longer to start to get a picture on who will be forming a government for
the next three years. However, the Australian economy remains strong. We do
expect international money flows into our market will slow until the election
outcome is known.

“If
Brexit taught investors anything, at times of such economic uncertainty it is
important to remember the golden rule; do not panic!” 

Australian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss James Pearson believes it’s very likely
that whoever does form government will now have to build strong relationships
with crossbenchers “to get things done.” Sometimes a minority government can
implement a higher level of discipline and ultimately work better.

If
Brexit taught investors anything, at times of such economic uncertainty it is
important to remember the golden rule; do not panic! Much to the surprise of
market participants, equities and bonds have recovered most of the losses they
experienced in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Additionally,
The Reserve Bank is observing all of this unfold, potentially intervening with
an interest rate cut on Tuesday, although economists think this is unlikely. We
are also expecting a 0.5% month on month rise in retail sales reflecting a
sustained rebound in consumer confidence following the RBA’s decision to cut
interest rates in May.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

July 4, 20160
image

In
the 2004 documentary Supersize Me, Morgan Spurlock eats food only from
McDonalds for a whole month. What was the result? He gained weight (a lot of
it), experienced mood swings, and frequent headaches.

“Like
your diet, your share portfolio generally suffers if you just choose one stock
and don’t mix it up”

Now
we all love the occasional Macca’s every now and again, but it’s probably safe
to say that you should mix it up and maintain a balanced diet. Our body stays
healthy that way.

Like
your diet, your share portfolio generally suffers if you just choose one stock
and don’t mix it up. Choosing different stock types to work together is one of
the most important things to keeping your portfolio healthy.

“By
spreading out your investments, you avoid putting your eggs in one basket. If
that basket breaks, you can’t have your omelette, that’s a risky situation”

For
eating we call it a balanced diet, for investing we call it Diversification.
This blog will tell you a little bit about diversification, how it works, and
how you can achieve it.

How
does diversification work?

Diversification
basically means spreading your money across a variety of different investment
types. Often these investments perform differently at different stages of the
business cycle, or have different correlation with each other.

By
spreading out your investments, you avoid putting your eggs in one basket. If
that basket breaks, you can’t have your omelette, that’s a risky situation.

For
example, take the example of stocks and bonds. During a bad period for the
stock market, we tend to see bonds perform better than stocks. If you had a
portfolio full of stocks and no bonds at this time, you’ve just missed out on
the action. By diversifying you can avoid big shocks to your portfolio.

But
it’s not just different asset classes that behave differently. Healthcare
stocks will perform differently to Oil stocks, Oil stocks may behave
differently to Tech stocks, Foreign Tech stocks may behave differently to
Australian ones. There’s many different investment types to diversify.

How
can you diversify?

ETFs
are a great start (What is an ETF?).

“When
you invest with Raiz, you diversify” 

With
ETFs, you can spread out your investments over hundreds of different stocks.
There are ETFs for local stocks, foreign stocks, bonds, and much more.

When
you invest with Raiz, you diversify. Each of the 5 portfolios offered by Raiz
are diversified across 5 different ETFs, different countries, and asset
classes.

Our
portfolios were designed with diversification in mind, and to give the investor
the best expected return for the amount of risk they’re willing to take
on.

So
don’t have Macca’s for every meal, and sign-up to invest with Raiz today. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

June 27, 20160

As many of you will be aware, last week Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). This caused much discussion and uncertainty in the markets, however this is settling down and the ASX looks like opening flat this morning.

We will not know the full extent of the economic impact until we understand the deal that the UK will negotiate with the EU. This could take a number of years, and will probably happen before they invoke Article 50 in the Lisbon Treaty which starts the divorce of the UK from the EU. We expect this initial shock to die down over this week, so don’t panic, be calm

The UK will be negotiating for the next few years on the options below:

    • Being part of the EU all but in name, like Norway but this also includes payments to the EU with no seat at the table.
    • They could negotiate a Customs Union model like Turkey.
    • A bilateral agreement between the UK and EU similar to the Swiss model, but this also requires payments to the EU.
    • A free trade agreement like Canada, but this took Canada 15 years to negotiate.
  • A combination of the above while also relying on the WTO agreements.

The above options take time to negotiate, also the UK will also need to start negotiations with other countries outside of the EU (

for example it will not be able to rely on the FTA the EU has with Canada).

So the main takeaway is that UK will be part of the EU for a while longer, and we can expect the status quo from an economic perspective. So don’t panic and remember that this is the time when a disciplined investment strategy shows it’s true value.

Thanks for investing!

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

June 16, 20160

As
you may be aware, I wrote to the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, (4 March 2016)
about the ePayments Code,
 and how the banks were playing fast
and loose with the truth when telling consumers that their internet banking
login details should not be disclosed to third parties, such as Raiz.

This
is an important issue as most of our users provide their internet banking
details.

It
was Raiz’ opinion that the banks were overstepping the mark and now
correspondence I have received from ASIC would suggest the regulator, at the
very least, has sympathy with our point of view.

Without
going into all the details, this was positive news because of the following
points ASIC made.

1.
ASIC acknowledges that the messaging from banks about not sharing your login
details with third parties is from the early 1980s, when ATMs were introduced,
and is out of date in the new world of apps such as Raiz.

2.
ASIC acknowledged the potential value of third party services, such as Raiz,
having interaction with a consumer’s bank accounts.

3.
ASIC notes that the Government has accepted the recommendation of the Financial
System Inquiry to make the ePayments Code mandatory.  If this mandatory
adoption of the Code were implemented, ASIC would ensure that the Code, which
protects the consumer when providing internet login details, is “operated
appropriately” by banks. Although ASIC did not spell it out, we understand that
what ASIC is saying is that the banks are currently not “operating
appropriately” under the Code. But until the Code is mandatory they will not
act unilaterally while other areas of government, such as the Productivity
Commission, are reviewing related issues.

This
correspondence from ASIC indicates that the regulator understands the position
of Raiz and has expressed a degree of solidarity with that position in regards
to the misleading information being provided by some banks. We’re looking
forward to seeing how this develops and reaching a point where Australians are
free to engage with services such as Raiz without concerns that they are
breaching conditions set by their banks.

George
Lucas, Raiz CEO

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not consider any person’s investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the Raiz product.

The information in this website is confidential. It must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person. The information is based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This will impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Bitnami