“Like me, I’ve got mates who were dubious about the value of insurance and whether claims will actually be paid. But right from the beginning, working with Scott and our insurer has been completely hassle-free.”

Is your will drawn up? Do you have a power of attorney? Aside from ensuring your investments are right for you, your financial adviser should have a healthy interest in ensuring a few other things in your life are addressed.

Any company can run into difficulty. Most potential good news is already built into the stock price of a blue-chip favourite. Bad news tends to be unexpected and can cause significant damage to the share price.

As a topic of conversation, investment is like sports. Everyone has an opinion. And the strongest opinions often come from those who spend more time in front of the TV than out on the field. Practitioners, meanwhile, are wary of anything labelled a sure thing.

Determining how much you will need to save for retirement will depend upon several variables, including your current age, health, income and level of debt. Here are a few guidelines to help you evaluate your retirement needs.

Making sensible investment decisions is difficult. We are subject to a range of behavioural biases. We have to cope with incessant noise around financial markets. We behave in ways that are inconsistent with our long-term investment objectives. So, what can we do about it?