Money Magazine April 2020

As we go to press, the Prime Minister has announced travel restrictions to help stem the spread of COVID-19. It’s a worrying time for all of us and we hope that everyone continues to take the necessary precautions to stay safe. March 16 will go down as one of the worst days in the markets since the crash of 1987. That bloodbath was considered hard to beat and here we are confronting the same prospects. But, as the saying goes, you never cross the same river twice. The 1987 market run and later the 2007-08 GFC were different from the health-related worries we face today. Judging by the immediate response from central banks, everyone is determined to use all the levers at their disposal to keep the economy going, the…

As we go to press, the Prime Minister has announced travel restrictions to help stem the spread of COVID-19. It’s a worrying time for all of us and we hope that everyone continues to take the necessary precautions to stay safe. March 16 will go down as one of the worst days in the markets since the crash of 1987. That bloodbath was considered hard to beat and here we are confronting the same prospects. But, as the saying goes, you never cross the same river twice. The 1987 market run and later the 2007-08 GFC were different from the health-related worries we face today. Judging by the immediate response from central banks, everyone is determined to use all the levers at their disposal to keep the economy going, the markets stable…

Your side hustle article brought back great memories (cover story, October 2019). As a teenager, my friend and I were always looking to supplement our meagre pocket money with various schemes. These included collecting bottles to cash in for deposit, pet sitting (which ended with us chasing an escaped goat through the streets of our small town) and breeding guinea pigs (foiled when we discovered they were both females). Throughout my life, finances have corresponded hugely with life events. My family were once reasonably well-off farmers, before being devastated by the drought and forced to sell up. After this, I found myself as a single mother and side hustles were an important part of my family’s survival. Successful ideas included entering competitions (I once won $10,000 through Money magazine, which paid…

I read with interest the article “What If?” by Annette Sampson in your February issue, titled “Companies or funds that I invest in behave ethically” (page 70). I am concerned by your fascination for so-called “ethical funds”. In my experience, they support the status quo and prevent the poor from doing better. For example, coal. A perfect example is the Adani mine. Its coal will be used to help power the massive expansion of electrical infrastructure in India, allowing poor people to have electric light. The implications are staggering, including improved health care and nutrition and higher-paying jobs. I believe it is unethical to oppose such coal mines. I worked for a US oil and gas company once. Our regional office attempted to buy out several thousand slaves. The “king”…

Your side hustle article brought back great memories (cover story, October 2019). As a teenager, my friend and I were always looking to supplement our meagre pocket money with various schemes. These included collecting bottles to cash in for deposit, pet sitting (which ended with us chasing an escaped goat through the streets of our small town) and breeding guinea pigs (foiled when we discovered they were both females). Throughout my life, finances have corresponded hugely with life events. My family were once reasonably well-off farmers, before being devastated by the drought and forced to sell up. After this, I found myself as a single mother and side hustles were an important part of my family’s survival. Successful ideas included entering competitions (I once won $10,000 through Money magazine, which…

I read with interest the article “What If?” by Annette Sampson in your February issue, titled “Companies or funds that I invest in behave ethically” (page 70). I am concerned by your fascination for so-called “ethical funds”. In my experience, they support the status quo and prevent the poor from doing better. For example, coal. A perfect example is the Adani mine. Its coal will be used to help power the massive expansion of electrical infrastructure in India, allowing poor people to have electric light. The implications are staggering, including improved health care and nutrition and higher-paying jobs. I believe it is unethical to oppose such coal mines. I worked for a US oil and gas company once. Our regional office attempted to buy out several thousand slaves. The “king” of these…