![Being like Star Trek's Spock, logical and dispassionate, might be the better approach to investing in the sharemarket.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/a/q/x/i/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gyaquf.png/1504587274397.jpg)
Investing
![Being like Star Trek's Spock, logical and dispassionate, might be the better approach to investing in the sharemarket.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/a/q/x/i/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gyaquf.png/1504587274397.jpg)
Pritchard maintains lead over Ellis in week two of Shares Race
![Ellis continues to do well from ePAT Technologies, which has an app that reads the faces of those with dementia for the ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/v/m/3/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy8nk0.png/1504229876257.jpg)
The top three spots remain unchanged in the second week of the four week shares race. Richard Pritchard, who plays as the Chartist, maintains his lead over the Shares Race's reigning champion Angie Ellis.
Protect yourself in a frenzied property market
![If auction bidding goes too high, keep your hand down.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/4/r/5/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy7g31.png/1504278243188.jpg)
How to protect yourself when the market gets hot.
How personal finance has changed since 1987
![Kylie Minogue filming the music video for her first single "Locomotion", 1987.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/7/k/7/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy7jsp.png/1504263551281.jpg)
It's fascinating to look back 30 years and think about what Australia was like at that time.
Earnings season: more profit than loss for 'mum and dad' shareholders
![Qantas has dropped Dubai from its network.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/3/x/l/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy5e45.png/1504191874133.jpg)
Qantas is the star performer of the retail stocks this profit reporting season with its declaration of its second-highest ever profit.
How Alex and Lauren used Acorns to pay for their honeymoon
![Brisbane couple Alex, 28, (left) and Lauren Fisher, 33, at their wedding in 2016. They plan to have another ceremony if ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/6/0/e/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy60fk.png/1504192030548.jpg)
After Alex and Lauren Fisher exchanged their wedding vows in June last year, they jetted off to Bali for a honeymoon using money they'd saved with the Acorns investment app.
A little financial tough love
![You're not Gordon Gecko, the Michael Douglas character pictured left in Money Never Sleeps.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/3/z/i/7/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy3z73.png/1504018815426.jpg)
There is a lot that is wrong with financial services. That said, many of us don't help ourselves, either.
Pritchard takes handy lead in new Shares Race with lithium and robots
![Fastbrick's robots can lay the bricks for a four-bedroom house in two days.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/1/t/b/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gy3w6y.png/1503622996436.jpg)
Richard Pritchard has thrown down the gauntlet to the Shares Race's reigning champion, Angie Ellis, in week one of the new round of the four-week Shares Race.
Ellis increases her lead as BigUn goes gangbusters
![Angie Ellis is doing well from her picks of BigUn, Electro Optic Systems and Aristocrat.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/b/8/g/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxyzcs.png/1503022906367.jpg)
At a little over the halfway mark of the Year-Long Shares Race, Angie Ellis of 80 20 Investment has extended her lead over the second-placed competitor.
The investment metric that's better than the P/E ratio
![Treasury Wine Estates has a high P/E ratio but good growth potential.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/x/u/a/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxyck9.png/1503410988213.jpg)
The P/E ratio appears to allow you to compare how expensive companies are relative to each other but it doesn't take account of earnings growth.
Investors facing volatile market
![Tensions are rising between North Korea and the US.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/x/p/x/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxy8am.png/1504021000487.jpg)
Among the many factors affecting investment risks, the level of gearing and diversity of asset holdings are paramount.
Buy global stocks because the ASX is not enough
![If you only invest in Australian companies, you miss out on opportunities such as Facebook.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/y/8/6/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxus4t.png/1502809400729.jpg)
The ASX is only 2 per cent of the world's stock markets, when measured by market capitalisation.
Back-to-back wins for Ellis after strong race performances
![Cann Group, the medical cannabis company, was the best pick of all](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/s/1/w/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxu0qa.png/1502530649784.jpg)
Angie Ellis of 80 20 Investments scores yet another win in the Shares Race.
Five places for Millennials to invest their money
![Despite reports of the property market coming off the boil, it's still not a welcoming environment for Millennials.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/p/y/y/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxswuo.png/1502377881313.jpg)
Property is but one asset class, and there are many other things you can do with your money in 2017 instead.
More than half of floated companies are underwater a decade later
![Pot stocks have enjoyed fevered interest since the government's moves to legalise the nascent sector.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/v/p/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxqq5o.png/1502201091835.jpg)
Companies are floated to make money … but not for you.
Financial 'education' can be a trap for the unwary
![In many states you need a licence to use a boat.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/q/p/6/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxqpdl.png/1502072015929.jpg)
If only there was a defined path to the Holy Grail, the ability to know which stocks are going up and which are going down and when.
Five megatrends catching the eye of investors
![Investor John Baillie attended an investor day where he could ask questions before deciding on a fund.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/o/x/h/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxontf.png/1502201123853.jpg)
Thematic investing is not without risks, but there can be big rewards.
Ellis holds commanding lead in week three
![Richard Pritchard has has done well from medical cannabis stock, Cann Group.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/r/w/9/8/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxp7e8.png/1501812188829.jpg)
While most contestants lost money during week three of the four-week Shares Race, Angie Ellis, of 80 20 Investments, increased the value of her portfolio.
Ellis increases her lead in fantasy shares game
![The medical technology company, OBJ, has helped Richard Pritchard move into second spot in the Shares Race.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/p/d/l/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxkh24.png/1501203498514.jpg)
Angie Ellis, of 80 20 Investments, has increased her already commanding lead in week two of the four-week Shares Race.
Get ready for dividend season
![Former prime minister and treasurer Paul Keating was the architect of superannuation and the dividend imputation system.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/m/5/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxju0z.png/1502498957684.jpg)
Is there any sweeter (virtual) sound than the digital tinkling of dividends as they fall into your bank account?
How to turn $10,000 into a million dollars
![Winning a game show like Who Wants to be a Millionaire? is one way to earn a million dollars.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/h/d/0/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxhbqb.png/1500864516689.jpg)
It sounds like a stupid question but it's actually a really good one.
Bumper financial year returns could be as good as it gets
![Investors have enjoyed a bumper financial year](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/f/d/m/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxewri.png/1500738552742.jpg)
Improving global growth and profits as well as low interest rates have underpinned very strong returns for sharemarkets.
Investors falling foul of rules on tax-deductible interest
![If you're claiming interest on an investment loan for a tax deduction, you need to keep it 100 per cent separate from ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/4/3/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxf3qe.png/1500651734196.jpg)
It is still common for people to find themselves in financial strife because they do not understand the tax implications of their actions.
Beware of bragging money managers
![Ten-year investment returns will look better as the GFC recedes from view.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/u/c/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxcenr.png/1503541918703.jpg)
Investing is one of the most accountable pursuits you can undertake in one important way: the scoreboard is - metaphorically - 40 feet high and unavoidable.
Investing with a conscience needn't mean lower returns
![Excluding "sin stocks", such as gambling companies, would not have harmed returns from the Australian market over the ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/9/u/a/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxacng.png/1501329592240.jpg)
Say what you will about ethics in finance, but a big change sweeping through large chunks of this industry is the shift towards investing with a social conscience.
Ellis up 25pc at midpoint of Year-Long Shares Race
![A2 shares are up more than 17 per cent since January after the company twice lifted sales guidance.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/e/2/m/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxblsz.png/1503473069361.jpg)
Halfway through the Year-Long Shares Race, seven of our 12 tipsters are in the black and beating the All Ordinaries Index.
'Play money is important': How the avo generation is hooking into the sharemarket
![Not guilty: a study has found avocado is not depriving millenials of a stake in the housing market.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/d/x/h/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gx8c21.png/1502527838238.jpg)
So, you've given up the dream of home ownership – for the moment, at least.
Damian's $100-a-week 'play money' habit
![Damian Worsdell is a 22-year-old customer service officer who saves $100 a week to invest in exchange-traded funds.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/7/t/1/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gx7t9q.png/1499746683044.jpg)
When Damian was born, his grandmother bought him a couple of hundred dollars of Telstra shares. Now at 22, he has $25,000 invested in index funds.
Five interesting beaten-down stocks
![Retail Food Group owns Michel's Patisserie, Gloria Jean's, Crust Pizza, Donut King and others.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/v/k/p/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gx7slc.png/1503994561351.jpg)
Often, company share prices fall for very good reasons but sometimes it's caused by a market over-reaction.
Volatility is the new normal in equities
![A number of trends are causing higher volatility for individual shares.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170905121912im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/i/3/h/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gx7sy9.png/1499637893589.jpg)
Market volatility has destroyed the concept of "safe income" in equities, but there are options to ensure a smoother investment ride.