Author Topic: Australian Investing Thread  (Read 2588837 times)

Coercivity

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 10
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1100 on: July 15, 2015, 02:03:46 AM »
Just checked my Vanguard emails and the initial $100k can be split around various wholesale funds. It is the total initial deposit that needs to add to $100k
well, that should resolve Coercivity's dilemma !
It does! Thanks Sparkie, you just made my day!

bruh

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1101 on: July 17, 2015, 08:35:26 PM »
Hey everyone, great thread.

I'm new to MMM so i'm keen to hear everyone's ideas.

I'm 23. About to graduate uni and have a good paying job set up at the start of next year. I have a bit over 30k sitting in a savings account since the FHSA wound down and a about 2k in shares and super each.

I'm a bit stuck for investing ideas at what is a pretty major crossroads. Do I focus on building up super on the assumption that i will be able to take advantage of concessional contributions. Or do i focus on building wealth after tax, which gives me more freedom to buy a PPOR or potentially do a masters or something like that.

Cheers

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1102 on: July 17, 2015, 10:39:15 PM »
Hey everyone, great thread.

I'm new to MMM so i'm keen to hear everyone's ideas.

I'm 23. About to graduate uni and have a good paying job set up at the start of next year. I have a bit over 30k sitting in a savings account since the FHSA wound down and a about 2k in shares and super each.

I'm a bit stuck for investing ideas at what is a pretty major crossroads. Do I focus on building up super on the assumption that i will be able to take advantage of concessional contributions. Or do i focus on building wealth after tax, which gives me more freedom to buy a PPOR or potentially do a masters or something like that.

Cheers

House first then investments. Not hard to tell what my thoughts are on that debate :)

Salary sacrifice to super if your income goes above $80k.

micase

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1103 on: July 18, 2015, 06:58:08 AM »
Hey everyone, great thread.

I'm new to MMM so i'm keen to hear everyone's ideas.

I'm 23. About to graduate uni and have a good paying job set up at the start of next year. I have a bit over 30k sitting in a savings account since the FHSA wound down and a about 2k in shares and super each.

I'm a bit stuck for investing ideas at what is a pretty major crossroads. Do I focus on building up super on the assumption that i will be able to take advantage of concessional contributions. Or do i focus on building wealth after tax, which gives me more freedom to buy a PPOR or potentially do a masters or something like that.

Cheers

I'm in a similar situation and I value freedom to do what I want with money much more than contributing to an investment that I might be able to access in 35+ years with rules that could change on the whim of the government.

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1104 on: July 18, 2015, 05:06:16 PM »
i also agree generally, to focus on building a stash outside super if you want to retire early. but if you marginal tax rate is high and you are able to salary sacrifice then that is the exception, as marty pointed out. whether house / other investments you really need to work out a plan and decide for yourself the best way to meet your goals.

Grogounet

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 264
  • Location: Australia
    • http://www.quest2independence.com
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1105 on: July 18, 2015, 10:49:19 PM »
Just following up the thread

bruh

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1106 on: July 19, 2015, 12:57:59 AM »
Interesting points. My situation is pretty open i guess.

I did a rough calculation, heavy salary sacrificing becomes viable with an assessable income of ~49000 or more. It basically keeps your average tax rate at around 15% (assuming you can live off the 40000 or so in after tax income).

What do you like about housing, Marty? From what I know, the PPOR can be used to get very cheap loans (compared to margin loans or business loans) and not paying someone else's mortgage is interesting.

I guess the freedom issue comes down to what you can do with a super including SMSFs.... something for me to look up.

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1107 on: July 19, 2015, 02:13:09 AM »
and PPOR is capital gains exempt

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1108 on: July 19, 2015, 05:55:33 AM »

What do you like about housing, Marty? From what I know, the PPOR can be used to get very cheap loans (compared to margin loans or business loans) and not paying someone else's mortgage is interesting.

Because everyone compares rent vs buy only at a particular point in time. Today.

Guess what... after 5 years rent is likely to have gone up by 15-20%.

5 years after I took out my loan to buy my property, the interest cost is down to $2.30 per day, and will be zero at the end of September (fully paid off). The value of the property has gone up by some $180,000 as well.

The person who chose to rent, is still paying rent at $60 per day.

steveo

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1928
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1109 on: July 19, 2015, 03:10:51 PM »

What do you like about housing, Marty? From what I know, the PPOR can be used to get very cheap loans (compared to margin loans or business loans) and not paying someone else's mortgage is interesting.

Because everyone compares rent vs buy only at a particular point in time. Today.

Guess what... after 5 years rent is likely to have gone up by 15-20%.

5 years after I took out my loan to buy my property, the interest cost is down to $2.30 per day, and will be zero at the end of September (fully paid off). The value of the property has gone up by some $180,000 as well.

The person who chose to rent, is still paying rent at $60 per day.

This is an interesting point isn't it. The problem that we have in Australia is that property is so expensive and therefore I don't believe its possible to retire really early especially if you have kids. Pay your house off and then you can be on the fast track to ER.

I've also noticed my interest payments getting less and less. One thing I will also state is that if the two biggest expenses are transport and housing when you own a house mortgage free you should have your housing costs significantly minimized.

happy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9258
  • Location: NSW Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1110 on: July 19, 2015, 05:53:08 PM »
Quote
House first then investments. Not hard to tell what my thoughts are on that debate :)

Marty the housing bull! I'm a bit of a housing bull myself , but thats mainly because I followed the expected consumer plan, and then got stuck on it.

If I had my time over I would follow more of Big Chris B's model ( although I wouldn't  be game to take the risks he does with margin lending):

When young pre kids -

Rent with housemates, reducing housing costs.
Save my arse off and invest
Once my stash looked healthy - i.e. >2-300k depending on income - if high income earner I'd go for 500k. Let it compound.

If I was then sick of house mates I'd buy a small unit as PPOR, that could be later rented. I'd pay off the mortgage as fast as possible.

If Ok with renting with house mates, I'd stay that way until marriage and kids. I may consider an IP depending, whilst letting stash compound, or if I was a property bear, I'd just keep stashing.

There's a few possibilities,  but my main point is that I think its better not to get  too sidetracked into a really big mortgage too early in life.  If one is going to do a PPOR first, then it should be something modest, able to be rented out later and take in housemates if there is room.



FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1111 on: July 19, 2015, 07:11:04 PM »
I've been a big property investor over the years, but if I had my time over I would also probably be inclined towards happy's approach. In the end i'd want to own my PPOR, but maybe not from the start.

Whichever way you go i'd recommend a detailed analysis/consideration of rent vs buy. Consider all the pros and cons for each, including intangibles (extra flexibility of renting, extra security of owning, etc).

I would also considering owning in two parts 1) cost of housing (assume you pay yourself rent) and 2) investment in the PPOR (with CGT exemption). I think this is important to reveal that it's actually quite a high cost/risk approach. People tend to buy a bigger house as they are thinking long-term. You might only need two beds, but you buy four to allow for the future family in 5-10 years. Just bear in mind this is incurring an extra housing cost (even though you don't see it, since you don't pay yourself rent) than what you might if you rented and upgraded your housing over the years to fit your needs. On the flip side, the higher cost of housing might be offset by a bigger investment gain (hopefully) on this asset position.

This process will help you make a better informed decision for your situation...

deborah

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 15892
  • Age: 14
  • Location: Australia or another awesome area
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1112 on: July 19, 2015, 07:54:10 PM »
My take.

As mustashians we should buy as small a PPOR as is reasonable. Housing here is high cost, so this applies doubly to Australia. We also have a very large cost of purchase (from memory, the Economist ranks it as one of the highest in the world) - in the form of stamp duty for buyers (along with incidentals like pest inspection) and real estate fees for sellers (and other incidentals) - so changing PPORs includes throw-away costs of about 10% or more of the house price. This means that we need to buy where we are going to live for a long time and we need to buy a house that can be converted as our family situation changes.

Conversion may mean something with a flexible floor plan, able to be extended, converted between a duplex and a single dwelling, having an attached flat... It may mean buying something a bit run down that can gradually be renovated - the worst house in the street.

People who are not committed to a particular area are almost certainly better off renting because of the high cost of exchange.

dungoofed

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 661
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1113 on: July 19, 2015, 11:36:02 PM »
Agree with everything that has been said so far. Will add that for my own personal case I'd struggle to justify investing in PPOR instead of shares because I have fairly high exposure to property by default through my parents.

bigchrisb

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1237
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1114 on: July 20, 2015, 12:08:49 AM »
Agree with most of this.  The key tenants to me:
- Minimize the major costs of life.  For me, this has included living in share houses well into my 30's and driving cars into the ground.  Compared to my peers, I significantly under-consume housing and cars.
- Optimize tax structures.  I've done this through a company, a trust and a SMSF.  It also helped with a lot of risk mitigation when I was a company director.
- Save hard and invest hard, with a focus on growth assets. I've focused on equity, listed and unlisted.
- Utilise leverage and haggle interest rates
- Only once I was established, think about a PPOR

I'm probably the opposite of Marty on property.  I think that a PPOR is one of the cheapest ways to consume housing and one of the cheapest ways to access debt.  However, I see a lot of people getting sucked into PPORs that result in them drastically over-consuming property.

Shaz_Au

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Location: Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1115 on: July 20, 2015, 12:25:21 AM »
Hi again,

I've got a silly question regarding Franking Credits on Australian ETFs, if you are able to help that would be fantastic!

I thought I would receive some franking credits from my VAS ETF but to date I have not, is this normal?  Are these credits somehow used internally by the fund?

The product overview does mention franking credits under the fund's benefits:
Quote
dividend income and franking credits that may be used to offset tax payable on income received from other sources

Since I have owned the ETF (12/14) I have received three dividend payments but none of the statements have mentioned franking credits.  The only mention of tax on the statement is withholding tax @ 0% and I assume this is because they have my TFN... 

It isn't a huge deal at the moment as I currently I only own a handful of these shares but in future I'd like to own a lot more.  I guess I just want to confirm that the franking credits from the shares owned by the VAS fund are being used efficently and if I own a lot more that I'm not going to end up with a big tax bill each year.

Thanks all!

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1116 on: July 20, 2015, 01:00:52 AM »
it's my first tax year in VAS also so I don't know exactly how it works, but i'm expecting a tax statement from them with the component breakdown of the distributions I received.

You could also work it out yourself if you download the Vanguard ASX announcements around each distribution they tell you the splits, e.g. 75% franked, 10% unfranked, 5% foreign sourced, ....  But they don't put this component breakdown on each dist'n statement.

deborah

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 15892
  • Age: 14
  • Location: Australia or another awesome area
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1117 on: July 20, 2015, 01:04:46 AM »
The ASX says VAS had a 75.04% franking credit in its latest dividend. It actually should be on the statement. It would never be 100% because some of the stocks in the index won't issue franking credits.

bigchrisb

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1237
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1118 on: July 20, 2015, 01:12:50 AM »
Just be patient.  You will receive a tax statement from them well after the financial year close.  This will outline all the tax components (including but not limited to franking credits - there are some other juicy capital gains discounts and tax deferred income).   The statements can take a while to come - I don't get the statements from some of my REITS into late August / September.

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1119 on: July 20, 2015, 01:56:17 AM »
Just be patient.  You will receive a tax statement from them well after the financial year close.  This will outline all the tax components (including but not limited to franking credits - there are some other juicy capital gains discounts and tax deferred income).   The statements can take a while to come - I don't get the statements from some of my REITS into late August / September.

Sigh.. waiting for the tax statement is holding up my $6000 refund lol (God bless negative gearing hehe).

Dammit, should have just bought a LIC.

Agree with most of this.  The key tenants to me:
- Minimize the major costs of life.  For me, this has included living in share houses well into my 30's and driving cars into the ground.  Compared to my peers, I significantly under-consume housing and cars.
- Optimize tax structures.  I've done this through a company, a trust and a SMSF.  It also helped with a lot of risk mitigation when I was a company director.
- Save hard and invest hard, with a focus on growth assets. I've focused on equity, listed and unlisted.
- Utilise leverage and haggle interest rates
- Only once I was established, think about a PPOR

I'm probably the opposite of Marty on property.  I think that a PPOR is one of the cheapest ways to consume housing and one of the cheapest ways to access debt.  However, I see a lot of people getting sucked into PPORs that result in them drastically over-consuming property.


I actually agree with most of that. And yet at the end of the day I still went down the PPOR route :)

I'm not trying to rationalise (i.e. I did this, therefore it is the correct and only way). For me it is simply the sleep at night/ stress factor. Also I don't think anyone would ever tolerate living with me.

- No one can kick me out of my place and I'm not subject to the whims or a landlord or flatmate. I can renovate, improve, turn a house into a home. Last week I put new blinds in and threw out the curtains.
- I don't have to share my fridge, my sink, my toilet etc
- I have an appreciating investment asset that is untaxed when sold
- The "income" that it produces (being not having to pay rent (imputed rent?)), is also outside the tax system.

In hindsight, there's a middle road to be taken, that I should have taken but I didn't.

I might have missed out on investment gains here and there. Who knows. The worst that has happened by not taking that middle road is that I have a fully paid off roof over my head.

Any other analysis over my situation is benefit of hindsight.

YMMV.

bigchrisb

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1237
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1120 on: July 20, 2015, 01:59:38 AM »
Any other analysis over my situation is benefit of hindsight.

YMMV.

This.  There are many ways to skin this cat.  Its a long game, and without the benefit of hindsight, no-one will get a complete optimum!  Consume less, earn more, invest, compound, get on with life!

Shaz_Au

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Location: Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1121 on: July 20, 2015, 02:04:19 AM »
Thanks for the replies, I'll try to be patient! No wonder why the accountant wasn't very happy with my expected return.  This should boost it by another $2 or $3, I'll try not to spend it all at once :)

If that 75% franking is around the average for the dividends that is great and is higher than I expected too,Yay!
« Last Edit: July 20, 2015, 04:18:29 AM by Shaz_Au »

happy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9258
  • Location: NSW Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1122 on: July 20, 2015, 02:05:43 AM »
Quote
This.  There are many ways to skin this cat.  Its a long game, and without the benefit of hindsight, no-one will get a complete optimum!  Consume less, earn more, invest, compound, get on with life!

Amen!

deborah

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 15892
  • Age: 14
  • Location: Australia or another awesome area
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1123 on: July 20, 2015, 02:46:49 AM »
If that 75% franking is around the for the dividends that is great and is higher than I expected too,Yay!
No - the most you get in franking credits is 30% (because companies pay 30% tax) - it is 75% of the 30% (100% means you get the full 30% the company paid) - 22.5%

Shaz_Au

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Location: Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1124 on: July 20, 2015, 04:19:13 AM »
Yup understood, I just didn't communicate it well!

bruh

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1125 on: July 21, 2015, 12:14:38 AM »
Thanks for the advice Marty, Deborah, BigChris, and everyone on such a huge topic.

There's definitely a strong cultural pull towards PPOR and investment property. I think young people like me won't necessarily be able to follow that. With housing it seems that a house on a block of land appreciates at a higher rate than a unit does (because of the land), and has far greater scope for improvements. But those types of assets are very difficult to afford in capital cities (i'll be in Sydney :s). By being young, and therefore with less immediate income and wealth, I'm effectively limited to units. Since those appreciate at a lower rate, the tax benefits are less significant.

There's lots of analysis ahead of me. What are some good Australian resources that people like?


detrimental12

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 34
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1126 on: July 21, 2015, 01:48:50 AM »
Hey all,

I'm new here, though not new to the concept of financial independence. I'm 27 from Canberra, Australia. One of the first books I ever read was Rich Dad Poor Dad, I think I was 11. Only recently (last couple of years) I've really woken up to the fact that you cannot really "beat" the market, or you'd be hard pressed to find many who do. I have my own small business now after 6 years of hard hard work for a former employer. I plan on retiring sometime between 30 and 32.

Here is my current Australian Investment breakdown (all Vanguard):
Australian Government Bond Index (VGB)5%
Australian Shares High Yield (VHY) 22.5%
Australian Shares Index (VAS) 22.5%
MSCI Index International Shares Hedged (VGAD) 22.5%
All-World ex-US Shares Index (VEU) 22.5%
FTSE Emerging Markets Shares (VGE) 5%

I'm currently re balancing my portfolio once per month as I buy in each month (Dollar-cost averaging my cash reserves into the above). I'd welcome any feedback on my investment breakdown! I'm concerned about taxes once I reach FI and would like to have a solid holding value in stocks which over franking credits.

Look forward to contributing :)


deborah

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 15892
  • Age: 14
  • Location: Australia or another awesome area
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1127 on: July 21, 2015, 02:09:25 AM »
Very impressed that your first three posts are to topics dear to my heart - you're welcome detrimental12!

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1128 on: July 21, 2015, 06:43:33 AM »
hi detrimental12, i'm curious on your international selections of VGAD/VEU/VGE. It will be underweight on US (based on market cap), and quite a large percentage AUD hedged. Is that intentional and what's your thinking behind it ?

I more usually think of VEU paired with VTS (to give a total world exposure). And VGS/VGAD paired with VGE (to give world ex Oz). So a bit of a different blend you have there....

Other general feedback - at 95% equities is obviously an aggressive setting, which I trust you understand and is compatible with your risk tolerance.

detrimental12

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 34
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1129 on: July 21, 2015, 06:06:37 PM »
hi detrimental12, i'm curious on your international selections of VGAD/VEU/VGE. It will be underweight on US (based on market cap), and quite a large percentage AUD hedged. Is that intentional and what's your thinking behind it ?

I more usually think of VEU paired with VTS (to give a total world exposure). And VGS/VGAD paired with VGE (to give world ex Oz). So a bit of a different blend you have there....

Other general feedback - at 95% equities is obviously an aggressive setting, which I trust you understand and is compatible with your risk tolerance.

I guess from what I researched VGAD was mainly focused on US equities and I had enough exposure to the US market. I should possibly rethink this approach. I'm quite cash heavy at the moment, hence why I only have 5% for bonds. I'd be looking to increase this to 10% in the short term and 20% in the medium term (3-5 years) once the cash deposits start to decline.

Grogounet

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 264
  • Location: Australia
    • http://www.quest2independence.com
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1130 on: July 21, 2015, 07:41:37 PM »
Following the thread

wombat

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 16
  • FIREd July 2016.
    • The Retired Wombat
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1131 on: July 22, 2015, 03:34:56 AM »
replying to follow thread

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1132 on: July 22, 2015, 04:43:47 AM »
hi detrimental12, i'm curious on your international selections of VGAD/VEU/VGE. It will be underweight on US (based on market cap), and quite a large percentage AUD hedged. Is that intentional and what's your thinking behind it ?

I more usually think of VEU paired with VTS (to give a total world exposure). And VGS/VGAD paired with VGE (to give world ex Oz). So a bit of a different blend you have there....

Other general feedback - at 95% equities is obviously an aggressive setting, which I trust you understand and is compatible with your risk tolerance.

I guess from what I researched VGAD was mainly focused on US equities and I had enough exposure to the US market. I should possibly rethink this approach. I'm quite cash heavy at the moment, hence why I only have 5% for bonds. I'd be looking to increase this to 10% in the short term and 20% in the medium term (3-5 years) once the cash deposits start to decline.

indeed VGAD is probably 65% US.

rough market caps are something like 45-50% US, 50-55% VEU (of which emerging = 5-10% and Oz = 3%). Your US weighting is probably around 30-35% and 65-70% VEU.

Having said that it's not necessarily right/wrong to follow market cap weightings, just tends to be a default approach....
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 05:38:28 AM by FFA »

TJEH

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 53
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1133 on: July 22, 2015, 06:17:43 PM »
I know you shouldn't try and time the market......but what are your views on VTS and VEU? Both are trading at\near 52 week highs, which makes me a little reluctant to dive in.

I am trying to tell myself, don't time the market. With a lump sum to invest, trickling in over the next 12 months is the right thing to do, I just need to say it our loud here :)

liveintokyo

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1134 on: July 22, 2015, 08:30:26 PM »
Hi Guys,

I'm hoping for a bit of advice if possible - if anybody can help me out it would be much appreciated. I'm an Australian citizen living in Japan and I an a non-resident for taxation purposes. I have an investment property back in Australia and I also get some income from Apra (I'm a musician and get some royalty payments each year). I would guess after taxes I have about 15,000 dollars a year to play with. I'm thinking that this situation will continue for the next 10 years or so and then I plan to sell the investment property (I think it will give me a lump sum of about $200,000 after taxes).

At the moment I am planning to put it all into Rest Super. As a self employed musician I've never had much chance to put money into my super so I only have about $50,000 in it. I was thinking if I can put $350,000 into it over the next 10 years it should be around $500,000 or so and that will cover my retirement when the time comes (I'm not sure where I will be - maybe back in Australia, but probably more likely somewhere cheap in Asia and that will be enough). I'm not expecting to receive any type of pension.

I've been reading through the main MMM site and the idea of investing has got me interested. Just chucking the money into a managed fund like Vanguard seems like another good approach, but I don't really know much about stocks.

It seems to me the main advantage of putting it into super is that there are no tax penalities as a non-resident, I can't touch it until retirement, and also I can draw on it if I am living overseas when pension time comes. The cons are that it limits my flexibility and also I don't have access to the money in case of a problem.

The main advantage of a managed fund is that the returns may be greater and there is more flexibility. However I'm not sure of the tax implications as a non-resident and am worried that the tax cut I would have to pay would offset any possible gains.

Once again if anybody has any advice it would be much appreciated - I'm basically looking to set something up that is simple and efficient and will have a bunch of money waiting for me when I get older:)

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1135 on: July 22, 2015, 08:47:39 PM »
With a lump sum to invest, trickling in over the next 12 months is the right thing to do, I just need to say it our loud here :)

this is exactly what i'm doing....

part of the issue is the substantial AUD correction, which might still have further to go too. But even without the FX, ASX is still some way short of the 2007 high, whereas S&P is well beyond it. I also feel they're expensive and it's tempting just to buy local. Needs discipline to stick to the planned asset allocation and stay diversified.

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1136 on: July 22, 2015, 09:00:23 PM »
hi liveintokyo,

I was also abroad and tax non resident for a long stint. It may be worthwhile to get some proper financial advice. I never did, and I'm sure I didn't make the most of the situation.

Some key points ; aust share franked dividends - nil tax. interest and unfranked dividends (withholding tax 10% and 15/30% respectively). capital gains tax only on Australian property. Please also check for yourself ATO website, just look up foreign residents.

A few thoughts - I held a lot of property but in hindsight would've probably preferred to have it in shares, especially if you are staying away for a long period. That was one of our problems it was always 2-3 years that just extended and extended. If we had known it would've been 12 years from the start, we could've planned better for it.

Super : you may be eligible for tax deduction on concessional contributions up to 30k, you need to check this (I never used it myself, it was another thing I only discovered afterwards, and hence my earlier suggestion that it might pay to get some proper advice). If so, it might be beneficial for you. Otherwise, given the tax treatments I listed above, you might be paying more tax in super on dividends and capital gains (at 15%) versus holding the shares directly. Not to mention the other restrictions in super.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 09:08:33 PM by FFA »

dungoofed

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 661
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1137 on: July 23, 2015, 06:16:35 AM »
Agree that you probably need to get some proper financial advice. Unfortunately there is a shortage of people familiar with both Japanese and Australian tax law. This is important because of things like how after (I think) five years you need to be declaring all your foreign income sources and assets to the Japanese government if you are a resident there. There might be options such as moving your investment property into your super and therefore shielding it from the NTA, but I'm honestly not sure.

And as FFA said, any cash/income in AUD at the moment is suffering a bit due to the exchange rate.

If you're earning in yen, and are planning on being in Japan for 5-10 years, then I'd recommend setting up a NISA with SBI or Rakuten if you haven't done so already.

liveintokyo

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1138 on: July 25, 2015, 07:53:53 PM »
Thanks for the replies guys and advice - definitely some stuff to look into. I'm especially interested in the NISA idea as I hadn't thought about getting any stocks here. Is there a Vanguard type that you would suggest Dungoofed? I'm not really sure about the Australian Stock market let alone the Japanese one, but would love to start investing in both countries if possible as it seems a better use of my money.

A bit more about my situation. I first came to Japan in 2002 and was here until the end of 2007. Then I toured around Asia/Australia until the end of 2010 when we decided to settle down and have a couple of kids. Bought a house here and have been aggressively paying it off for the last 5 years as I wasn't sure of any other investment options. I also have an investment property in Australia which I am slowly paying off. Got about 7,000,000 yen left on the Aussie house and about 13,000,000 left on the Japan house.

We are planning on being here for the foreseeable future so I really would like to start some investment things going. I talked to one financial advisor in Japan and he suggested putting my money into Super or saving up and entering one of those plans where you put in a lump sum and then a bit of extra money each year and then hope the investors make the right choices. I didn't like the sound of the second option so I've just been putting money into my super and paying off the houses (I've put about 25,000 AUD of my money into super, and also paid about 12,000,000 yen of both of the houses since moving back here).

Thanks again and any other tips (or suggested reading material - websites, books etc) would be greatly appreciated.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2015, 08:17:09 PM by liveintokyo »

dungoofed

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 661
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1139 on: July 25, 2015, 11:49:19 PM »
I'll reply to you via PM as it's quite off-topic for this thread.

johnnydoe

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1140 on: July 26, 2015, 12:30:12 AM »
Anyone have any thoughts on the fall in Vanguard High Yield Shares (VHY)? It's down 12% from its high in March this year. I had always thought it tracked the Australian market reasonably well but seems to have diverged of late (greater volatility). As for reasons for this to happen all I thought of was:
  • Prices might have been artificially higher due to interest rate drops. The market could be pricing in the next move being up.
  • Another thought is that it is just following the usual outcome that high yield shares are not expected to have great capital growth.
  • It is heavily weighted in Financials and Basic materials, both of these sectors have issues at the moment (commodity price drops and increased bank lending standards).

Does it seem like a good buying opportunity to anyone? Given the already significant correction in value (12%) it seems like an opportunity to buy a large number of shares that pay out well (good income). The VHY index is also selected from the FTSE ASFA Australia 200 Index (combines top 50 large and top 150 mid cap according to FTSE ASFA) so it doesn't seem like the riskiest move...

AustralianMustachio

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 167
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1141 on: July 26, 2015, 01:27:28 AM »
Aside from it's large weightings in banks, it probably has to do with the ETFs abnormally large distribution it just paid. People were discussing it above or in previous pages in this thread

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1142 on: July 26, 2015, 04:55:05 AM »
Aside from it's large weightings in banks, it probably has to do with the ETFs abnormally large distribution it just paid. People were discussing it above or in previous pages in this thread

Large distribution + banks. Banks had a good run in Jan/Feb, dropping back to a more reasonable price now.

Interestingly the distribution turned out to be $1.83, not the jaw dropping $2.74 as indicated on the ASX announcement. I find it a little bit concerning that Vanguard can be that far off on its distribution estimates less than a week before ex date... makes me wonder about the level of professionalism of the manager.


FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1143 on: July 26, 2015, 06:44:44 AM »
Perhaps its a tennis australia typo since each digit is one either side, hehehe

Not sure if many others have IOZ. That paid a very large distribution in q2 and predominantly capital gains. I was a bit surprised by it and tempted to call ishares and ask. VHY is more understandable with portfolio changes but IOZ is just asx200.

TJEH

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 53
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1144 on: July 27, 2015, 07:11:38 AM »
With a lump sum to invest, trickling in over the next 12 months is the right thing to do, I just need to say it our loud here :)

this is exactly what i'm doing....

part of the issue is the substantial AUD correction, which might still have further to go too. But even without the FX, ASX is still some way short of the 2007 high, whereas S&P is well beyond it. I also feel they're expensive and it's tempting just to buy local. Needs discipline to stick to the planned asset allocation and stay diversified.

Thanks for your insight. It is indeed a good exercise in discipline! I haven't exactly landed at a local vs international % split, but I definitely plan on getting a decent exposure to other markets. Best get on with it :)

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1145 on: July 27, 2015, 03:38:05 PM »
China fell 8% yesterday and is predicted to fall 10% today.

Their market is a rollercoaster epic - truly only for those strong of mind or those too far in denial to care.

DrowsyBee

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 300
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1146 on: July 27, 2015, 04:18:31 PM »
I was just listening to AM and they were saying it was something like over 80% retail investors, so it is easy to spook the entire market.

Seems like a good opportunity to think about jumping on board?

AustralianMustachio

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 167
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1147 on: July 27, 2015, 06:43:04 PM »
China fell 8% yesterday and is predicted to fall 10% today.

Their market is a rollercoaster epic - truly only for those strong of mind or those too far in denial to care.

Heard this today. An Australian fund manager who is long Chinese equities. Also says some stuff I agree with about the economy in Australia

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4281427.htm

FFA

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 525
    • Financially Free Australia
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1148 on: July 27, 2015, 07:22:15 PM »
thanks for the link, interesting read

Wadiman

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 213
Re: Australian Investing Thread
« Reply #1149 on: July 28, 2015, 02:28:15 AM »
China fell 8% yesterday and is predicted to fall 10% today.

Their market is a rollercoaster epic - truly only for those strong of mind or those too far in denial to care.

Heard this today. An Australian fund manager who is long Chinese equities. Also says some stuff I agree with about the economy in Australia

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4281427.htm

Thanks AM - reading the article reminded me that I was keen to see whether there are any ETFs (or shock horror - funds) with a significant Indian exposure.

Anyone know of any?

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!