A pickup in business and investor confidence, and a hope that inflation and global economic activity might be recovering, drove pleasing performance from investment markets recently in many parts of the world, most particularly in real estate and shares.

John Keats, English poet, wrote of ‘Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” in his Ode to Autumn. That season in Australia may not be quite as mild as in Europe but it can certainly be misty … and in more ways than one. Anything obscuring the investment landscape – mist, smoke, fog, or stormy weather – will induce uncertainty. Good investment outcomes require clarity on the road ahead … and here’s how you can get it

Our lives progress in distinct phases. Up to about 35, we are energetically climbing the ladder. By 45 we are half way up it (and half way ‘home’). By 55 we’ve put in many hard yards, learned many lessons and are eager to do many other things before ‘it’s too late’: explore, reach new horizons, and take things a little more easily. To achieve these goals, we need to carefully outsource those tasks which have always taken a lot of our time. Prudent investing is most likely one of them.