Invest
What would you have if you invested $10,000 30 years ago?
It’s an interesting question. If you’d invested $10,000 in a single asset class three decades ago, where would you be now?
What would you have if you invested $10,000 30 years ago?
It’s an interesting question. If you’d invested $10,000 in a single asset class three decades ago, where would you be now?

According to Vanguard’s latest annual index chart, US shares performed best, yielding 10.6 per cent, while cash performed worst with just 6.1 per cent.
However, these figures are only the start of the story, Vanguard head of corporate affairs Robin Bowerman said.
“One of the key lessons of this chart is that taking a long-term perspective and investing in a range of broad market indices gives investors a great chance of investing success,” he said.
“While it is tempting to focus on the top performing asset class, it does not provide much more than an interesting fact about a moment in time as, each year that we review these numbers, the ranking of each asset class varies.”

Mr Bowerman said individual asset classes will have bumpy rides, making it difficult for investors to pick out “next year’s winner”.
Given this, investors are best served by broad diversification for long-term investment.
“We believe that a successful investment strategy starts with an asset allocation suitable for its objective,” he explained.
“In practice, diversification is a rigorously tested application of common sense [given that] markets will often behave differently from each other – sometimes marginally, sometimes greatly – at any given time.
“When you compare the growth in individual asset classes to a long-term investment in a balanced diversified fund (50/50 growth/income split) over a 20-year period, investors can expect a smoother ride thanks to a much more diversified portfolio, while maintaining a good return on investment in the portfolio.”
Okay, I’m ready for the numbers!
$10,000 invested in 1988* |
Accumulated investment value at 30 June 2018 |
Percentage returns per annum |
Australian shares |
$136,435 |
9.1% |
International shares |
$84,798 |
7.4% |
US shares |
$206,367 |
10.6% |
Australian bonds |
$99,412 |
8.0% |
Listed property |
$115,839 |
8.5% |
Cash | $58,904 |
6.1% |
* Provided there were no acquisition costs or taxes and all income was reinvested.

Property
Young buyers poised for a comeback as 5% First Home Guarantee takes effect
In a move set to reshape the Australian property landscape, the government’s revamped First Home Guarantee is poised to open the doors of homeownership to a new generation of young AustraliansRead more

Property
AFG Securities waives settlement fees for first-home buyers, signalling strategic shift
In a strategic move aimed at easing the financial burden on first-home buyers, AFG Securities has announced the elimination of settlement fees on select loans, potentially saving customers up to $699Read more

Property
From trust woes to wealth: Australian agencies' secret to boosting prices
In Australia’s residential market, trust is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a pricing variable. Persistent distrust of real estate agents is depressing vendor outcomes and inviting regulatory heat, but ...Read more

Property
Reality check for first home buyers: Affordable suburbs with 5% deposit
In a significant development for Australian first home buyers, a new property search tool from Aussie Home Loans is set to transform the way prospective homeowners approach the market. As the Federal ...Read more

Property
Trust as a performance multiplier in Australia's real estate market
In Australia’s A$10–11 trillion housing market, trust is emerging as a crucial factor that sellers and agencies can no longer afford to overlook. Traditionally viewed as a soft metric, trust is now ...Read more

Property
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie makes a splash with Belmont buy as real estate consolidation looms
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie’s acquisition of the Belmont office, including its rent roll, is less about shopfronts and more about balance‑sheet resilience. In a market where listings ebb and flow with ...Read more

Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more

Property
Young buyers poised for a comeback as 5% First Home Guarantee takes effect
In a move set to reshape the Australian property landscape, the government’s revamped First Home Guarantee is poised to open the doors of homeownership to a new generation of young AustraliansRead more

Property
AFG Securities waives settlement fees for first-home buyers, signalling strategic shift
In a strategic move aimed at easing the financial burden on first-home buyers, AFG Securities has announced the elimination of settlement fees on select loans, potentially saving customers up to $699Read more

Property
From trust woes to wealth: Australian agencies' secret to boosting prices
In Australia’s residential market, trust is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a pricing variable. Persistent distrust of real estate agents is depressing vendor outcomes and inviting regulatory heat, but ...Read more

Property
Reality check for first home buyers: Affordable suburbs with 5% deposit
In a significant development for Australian first home buyers, a new property search tool from Aussie Home Loans is set to transform the way prospective homeowners approach the market. As the Federal ...Read more

Property
Trust as a performance multiplier in Australia's real estate market
In Australia’s A$10–11 trillion housing market, trust is emerging as a crucial factor that sellers and agencies can no longer afford to overlook. Traditionally viewed as a soft metric, trust is now ...Read more

Property
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie makes a splash with Belmont buy as real estate consolidation looms
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie’s acquisition of the Belmont office, including its rent roll, is less about shopfronts and more about balance‑sheet resilience. In a market where listings ebb and flow with ...Read more

Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more