Author: openjargon

$1,000 a week could make retirement look very different.

That is $52,000 a year arriving without having to go to work for it.

But how much superannuation would I actually need?

It depends on the income your portfolio produces

The answer comes down to the income yield you expect from your investments.

If the goal is to generate $52,000 a year without regularly selling down the portfolio, I am going to need a substantial superannuation balance.

For example, with a 4% dividend yield across the portfolio, I would require a balance of approximately $1.30 million. 

However, with a 5% dividend yield, the balance would fall to around $1.04 million, while a 6% yield would reduce the figure to about $867,000. 

All examples are before considering any potential benefit from franking credits.

Why I wouldn’t simply chase a big yield

It would be tempting to decide that $867,000 is all I need and just aim for a 6% dividend yield in retirement.

But I would be careful with that.

A very high dividend yield can sometimes be a warning sign. A company may be struggling, its dividend may be unsustainable, or the share price may have fallen because investors expect earnings to deteriorate.

For retirement income, I would prefer a portfolio built around businesses and funds capable of supporting their payments over many years.

That could include infrastructure shares such as APA Group (ASX: APA) and Transurban Group (ASX: TCL), property investments such as Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW), and established companies such as Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW).

Dividend-focused ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) could also help spread the income across a larger collection of businesses.

Growth still has a role

Even in retirement, I would not necessarily turn the entire superannuation balance into income investments.

Inflation does not stop when you retire. If the portfolio can continue growing over time, that can help the income stream grow as well.

A mix of ASX dividend shares, quality growth companies, ETFs, and defensive assets could therefore make more sense than simply trying to maximise the starting yield.

Foolish takeaway

I think targeting around $1.04 million would be a sensible starting target for someone hoping to generate $1,000 per week from a portfolio yielding approximately 5%.

The important part is building an income stream that has a good chance of still being there many years into retirement.

The post How much do I need in superannuation to receive $1,000 passive income per week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much passive income could I earn from a $650,000 superannuation balance?
• Why this ASX share is a retiree’s dream for FY27
• How to make $26,000 of passive income from ASX shares
• 3 excellent ASX dividend shares with 5.5% to 7.7% yields
• Sell alert! Why this expert is calling time on Woolworths and CBA shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

I’m going to outline why the ASX share Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF) is one of Australia’s top shares and has an appealing future for investors.

Collins Foods is a large KFC franchisee operator with sizeable outlet networks in both Australia and Europe.

In my view, there are not many ASX shares we can point to that are successfully growing in Europe, which is a large market with more growth potential than Australia due to its larger population.

I’ll outline three reasons this is such a compelling long-term idea.

Growing locally and internationally

The company regularly expands its KFC outlet count in Australia and Europe, enabling it to reach more customers and deliver greater scale benefits.

During FY26, it opened a net of seven stores in Australia (taking its count to 295 nationally), it grew by a net of one in the Netherlands and it opened one new restaurant in Germany.

The company is currently focusing on ensuring that new restaurants will be profitable during this economically challenging period for consumers. But it expects growth in the growth of new stores to accelerate.

In the four weeks before its AGM update, the company reported total KFC sales growth of 5% for Australia, 4.9% for the Netherlands and 58.8% for Germany. In my view, the company is making pleasing progress and this is helping revenue as well as its other financial figures.

Improving financials

I think one of the best signs of being one of Australia’s top shares is seeing profit margins increase as the company grows. Investors usually judge a business based on its net profit generation, and it’s the profit that pays for the dividend.

Everything that helps a company grow earnings sustainably is an excellent sign.

FY26 was a great example of the company’s ability to deliver rising profits.

During the 2026 financial year, revenue grew by 8.6% to $1.59 billion, underlying operating profit (EBIT) climbed by 10.1% to $130.7 million and underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) jumped 13% to $61.4 million.

As long as the company can continue delivering positive same-store sales growth, I’m optimistic about its ability to grow margins in the future.

The result helped the business fund a 7.7% increase of its annual dividend per share to 28 cents per share.

The valuation is appealing for one of Australia’s top shares

At the time of writing, the Collins Foods share price has fallen 23% in 2026 to date, making the business much cheaper for potential investors.

According to the projection on CMC Invest, the ASX share is now valued at 15x FY27’s estimated earnings and under 13x FY28’s estimated earnings. It could also pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.1%, including franking credits, for FY27.

Overall, I think this could be a great time to invest in Collins Foods shares for the long-term.

The post A rare buying opportunity in 1 of Australia’s top shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• 3 ASX shares just got big upgrades and are tipped to rise almost 30%
• Buy, hold, sell: Liontown, Collins Foods, and Goodman shares

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Collins Foods. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.3% to 8,696.5 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to drop

It looks set to be a tough session for Australian investors on Thursday following a disappointing night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 63 points or 0.7% lower this morning. In the United States, the Dow Jones fell 1.2%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.45%, and the Nasdaq was a fraction lower.

ASX 200 shares going ex-dividend

A number of ASX 200 shares are going ex-dividend this morning and could trade lower. This includes A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M), Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT), South32 Ltd (ASX: S32), and West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF). Flight Centre is rewarding its shareholders with a 30 cents per share fully franked dividend next month on 16 October.

Oil prices tumble

ASX 200 energy shares Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a poor session after oil prices pulled back overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 3.5% to US$102.07 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 3% to US$105.62 a barrel. This follows reports that Saudi Arabia’s damaged pipeline will restart in the coming days.

Dyno Nobel on watch

Dyno Nobel Ltd (ASX: DNL) shares will be on watch today after the explosives company released an investor update. The company revealed that it is performing positively in FY 2026 and is on track to achieve its group guidance for a net profit after tax (before one-offs) of $325 million to $340 million. It also believes it is on track to deliver on its $600 million EBIT ambition in FY 2028. 

Gold price falls

It could be a subdued day for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price fell overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 0.7% to US$4,302.2 an ounce. Traders were selling gold after the US Federal Reserve lifted interest rates.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much superannuation is enough to retire with a $50,000 income?
• Want the age pension? Here’s the new asset limit you can’t exceed
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Santos, Ramsay Health Care, and AMP shares reach new 52-week highs: Can they keep climbing?
• The ASX 200 is finally rising. Is the sell-off running out of steam?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Superannuation provides a strong foundation for retirement. However pairing it with high yield ASX dividend stocks is a great way to diversify your income streams, generate additional passive income and potentially build greater financial security over the long term. 

By investing in established companies with a history of paying dividends, investors can potentially benefit from both regular income and long-term capital growth.

The average dividend yield for ASX 300 shares sits at approximately 3.5%. 

This acts as a solid benchmark for dividend investors and retirees to match or beat through ASX dividend stocks. 

Here are three options right now that can help provide passive income alongside superannuation. 

Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

Centuria Industrial REIT is a real estate investment trust that owns around four billion dollars of industrial properties. These include manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouses, and data centres.

As Australia’s largest pure-play industrial property investment vehicle, it has gained a reputation as a high yielding stock. 

It may appeal to income-focused investors because it provides exposure to Australia’s industrial property sector while generating regular rental income from its portfolio. 

It also offers quarterly distributions, providing a more consistent income flow than other stocks. 

The trust also benefits from a portfolio of industrial properties leased to tenants across Australia, with high occupancy and relatively long lease terms supporting the underlying rental income.

At the time of writing it offers a dividend yield of approximately 6%. 

Atlas Arteria Ltd (ASX: ALX)

Atlas Arteria is another option for income investors to consider.

The company provides exposure to a portfolio of long-term infrastructure assets, including major toll roads in France, Germany and the United States. 

The group’s toll-road concessions generate recurring revenue from motorists using these assets, providing a foundation for distributions to investors. 

It is expected to maintain its distribution at 40 cents per share, in line with current-year guidance, which equates to a yield of over 8%. 

BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX)

An alternative to individual ASX dividend stocks is an ASX ETF focused on generating high yields. 

One option is this Betashares fund.

It aims to generate attractive monthly income and reduce the volatility of portfolio returns by implementing an equity income investment strategy over a portfolio of the 20 largest blue-chip shares listed on the ASX. 

This monthly distribution is a great vehicle for passive income for retirees. 

It currently has a 12-month gross distribution yield of over 9%, making it one of the highest-yielding funds available right now. 

The post 3 ASX dividend stocks to provide passive income through retirement  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much superannuation do I need to earn $70,000 per year in passive income?
• 2 ASX blue-chip shares offering big dividend yields
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $6,500 monthly passive income?
• 3 ASX shares with dividend yields of between 6% and 11%
• How much superannuation do I need to earn $80,000 per year in passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Nextdc vs Megaport shares: Which ASX tech growth share looks better?

If you’re exploring fast-growing tech stocks on the ASX, there’s a fair chance that Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT) and Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) are on your radar. Both are data and connectivity specialists, but their businesses, growth profiles, and market appeal have some key differences. Here’s how I see Nextdc vs Megaport shares stacking up for investors looking for high-growth exposure to digital infrastructure.

The case for Nextdc

Nextdc is a leader in building and operating data centres across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Its business focuses on co-location services—providing secure spaces, power, cooling, and connectivity for clients to house their servers. Customers can interconnect with each other, as well as global cloud companies and telcos. With more than 1,700 customers as of December 2022, Nextdc enables enterprises of all sizes to boost data security and transfer speeds, all while providing extra options for technical and project support.

A couple of key things jump out at me here:

• Market leadership and scale: With a market cap of $8.54 billion and a huge customer base, Nextdc is a giant in its field domestically.
• Consistent revenue base: While revenue figures aren’t quoted, the physical infrastructure and ‘sticky’ customer relationships suggest recurring income, which I like for business stability.
• Profitability: Nextdc is profitable, posting positive earnings per share of $0.122 and a (lofty) P/E of 95.98.

But, it’s important to point out that the company doesn’t pay a dividend and has actually delivered a negative year-to-date (YTD) return of -5.05%.

The case for Megaport

Megaport is a different kind of tech play. Instead of owning data centres, Megaport is a global network-as-a-service provider, connecting clients to over 1,100 data centres across 31 countries. Its tech lets customers connect to Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud, and dozens of other cloud platforms quickly, flexibly, and with no long-term lock-ins. Megaport expanded in late 2025 by acquiring Latitude.sh, pushing into on-demand cloud compute and AI GPU infrastructure. Its operations now span the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and EMEA, with a dedicated Compute arm.

Here’s what stands out to me about Megaport:

• Rapid global growth: The company’s reach and ability to provide on-demand, flexible cloud connections is unique among local peers.
• Not (yet) profitable: Megaport still has negative earnings per share (-$0.218).
• Impressive share price momentum: MP1’s year-to-date return is a massive 39.09%—a big contrast with Nextdc.

Dividends are again off the table, with both companies focused squarely on growth.

Valuation comparison

There’s a clear difference in how the market values these two, reflecting their place on the growth–profitability spectrum:

Metric	Nextdc	Megaport
Market Cap	$8.54b	$4.00b
P/E Ratio	95.98	–
EPS	0.122	-0.218
Dividend Yield	0.00%	0.00%
Year-to-Date Return	-5.05%	39.09%

Nextdc is much larger, is profitable (albeit with rich pricing), and trades at a lower P/E. Megaport is far more expensive on a P/E basis, unprofitable, but clearly has the market excited about its expansion and growth prospects.

Recent share price performance

Looking at closing prices as of 15 September 2026 (not live data), there’s a stark difference:

• Nextdc has fallen from $13.81 at the end of August to $11.24—as much as a 4% drop in a single day, and a clear downtrend over these weeks.
• Megaport has shown some volatility, but after a big dip mid-month, quickly bounced and sits at $16.79, up from $16.54 at end of August and up a whopping 39% for the year-to-date. The recent days included an 8.3% one-day fall, but this was swiftly offset by a 2.7% bounce.

I can see investors have recently flocked to Megaport much more enthusiastically than Nextdc.

Which is the better buy?

Comparing Nextdc vs Megaport shares, I’d lean toward Megaport right now if I had to pick just one. Here’s why: its revenue growth and commercial momentum look stronger, even though it’s not yet profitable. Nextdc is solid and profitable but losing momentum, and its negative YTD return is a worry for a growth stock. That said, paying up for Megaport means accepting a lot of future risk—it’s priced for exceptional growth and any slip could hurt. But purely on growth and market momentum, my pick would be Megaport, with the caveat that it’s not for those wanting value or stability.

The post Nextdc vs Megaport: Which ASX tech growth share comes out on top? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 2 ASX 200 shares tipped by brokers to return 73% and 83%
• Down 32%: 3 reasons to buy the BIG dip in NextDC shares today
• Experts name 3 top ASX shares to buy this week
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon, Megaport, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial draft. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Pitt Street Research has published a new research note on Environmental Clean Technologies Ltd (ASX: ECT), which it says has the potential to more than double in value.

High-tech clean technology under development

ECT is developing flash joule heating technology, which can be used to destroy so-called forever chemicals, or PFAS.

The company’s technology is called Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM).

In its recent annual report, the company said this regarding the technology:

Known as ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS are long-lasting and hazardous– posing a health risk to all living organisms. REM applies a powerful, short electric pulse to soil mixed with a conductive material– rapidly heating it to 1,000°C within seconds. This extreme, but controlled, heat breaks the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS. This process destroys PFAS and converts them into harmless calcium fluoride (CaF2) from calcium naturally present in soil. Laboratory studies have shown over 96% defluorination efficiency and 99.98% removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most persistent and harmful PFAS pollutants. Unlike conventional methods that merely remove or transfer contaminants, REM delivers near-complete destruction without secondary aqueous waste, while enhancing soil quality, and is both cost and energy efficient.

ECT has also recently announced a $12 million capital raise to fund the acquisition of Xenica, which holds production rights to compounds known as MXenes and a license to sell them into military end-markets.

Pitt Street Research said re the acquisition:

The investment case now centres on premium MXene sales into US and Australian defence markets, where these lightweight, conductive materials could be used for EMI shielding, radar absorption and infrared-signature reduction in defence aerospace platforms. We believe these applications could support premium pricing and develop into a high-margin business if ECT successfully scales production and qualifies its material with defence customers.

Pitt Street said high-end MXenes command about US$400 per gram and can exceed the electrical performance of copper, graphene, and graphite.

The broker added:

ECT’s capital and production strategy is to partner with Metallium (ASX: MTM) to access its modular FJH reactors, providing a potentially capital-light and faster pathway to MXene production without building manufacturing infrastructure from scratch. Revenues from this speciality materials business are intended to be reinvested into ECT to help fund its long-term PFAS destruction platform, which remains the centrepiece of the investment thesis. In this way, the MXene business could support ECT’s growth while reducing its reliance on external capital raises.

Shares looking cheap

Pitt Street has a valuation on ECT shares of between 28 cents and 36 cents, compared to a share price of 11.5 cents at the time of writing.

ECT is valued at $51.6 million.

The post This ASX small cap could jump more than 100%: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Expert names 2 under-the-radar ASX gold stocks to buy today
• How much superannuation is enough to retire with a $50,000 income?
• CSL, Resmed, and more. See which ASX health stocks RBC Capital Markets has upgraded
• Xero shares crashed 59%. What do brokers see next?
• 3 ASX shares trading at 52-week lows that could be outstanding value plays 

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

In late afternoon trade on Wednesday, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 3.0% in 12 months, but don’t tell these two rocketing ASX gold stocks.

The outperforming miners in question are gold producer Auric Mining Ltd (ASX: AWJ) and copper-gold explorer Solstice Minerals Ltd (ASX: SLS).

Atop their own successes on and under the ground, both stocks have benefited from surging gold and copper prices. At US$14,084 per tonne, the copper price is up 39% in 12 months. And at US$4,322 per ounces, the gold price is up more than 17%.

As for the two ASX mining shares in question, recently trading for 24 cents apiece, Auric Mining shares are up 26.3% since this time last year.

And with shares swapping hands on Wednesday for $2.39 each, the Solstice Minerals share price has surged 527.6% over the full year.

That’s enough to turn a $10,000 investment into $62,760. In one year!

It’s also spurred a big increase in the ASX gold stock’s market cap. This will see it join the All Ords on Monday as part of the S&P Dow Jones Indices September quarterly rebalance

And looking ahead, RaaS Group’s Joshua Baker – who owns shares in both ASX miners – believes they are well-placed to keep outperforming (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

ASX gold stock on the growth path

Baker recently ran his slide rule over Auric Mining shares. And he liked what he saw.

“The gold producer generated total record revenue of $44.8 million in first half of 2026, up 13.2 per cent on the prior corresponding period,” he said.

Baker added:

The company posted a net profit before tax of $28 million. The Munda gold mine produced 8,886 ounces from toll milling campaigns. An integrated scoping study supported the re-establishment of the Burbanks processing facility.

Summarising his buy recommendation on the ASX gold stock, Baker concluded:

The company recently announced it had executed binding agreements to buy two leases that together comprise the Union Jack project. One lease is subjected to completion of due diligence. AWJ continues to build a team with extensive experience in developing gold projects.

Which brings us to…

Solstice Minerals’ significant expansion potential

Baker also issued a buy recommendation on Solstice Minerals shares.

SLS remains an exciting opportunity in the copper market,” he said. “Exploration of the Nanadie Well project is progressing, with drilling revealing significant potential to expand the resource.

Summarising his bullish outlook on the ASX gold stock, he said:

The company recently announced new copper-gold intercepts, with reverse circulation drilling identifying previously unrecognised high-grade zones.

Drilling can create value and lead to expanding upside. The shares have risen from $1.81 on August 24 to trade at $2.52 on September 10.

The post Expert names 2 under-the-radar ASX gold stocks to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This ASX materials stock is up 700% this year and could be the next big copper winner
• Solstice Minerals shares in focus as Nanadie drill results impress
• Solstice Minerals extends deep, high-grade copper-gold zones at Nanadie
• Solstice Minerals: Nanadie drilling extends copper-gold system

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Every superannuation calculator throws a different number at you. A million dollars. Two million. $630,000.

It’s enough to make anyone give up and spend the lot on a campervan instead. So let’s cut through the noise and answer one specific, useful question: how much superannuation do you actually need to retire on $50,000 a year?

The benchmark everyone quotes

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) publishes the go-to guide for retirement adequacy in this country. A comfortable retirement standard sits at $55,923 a year for a single person and $78,566 for a couple. The modest standard is much lower, at $36,434 and $52,473 respectively.

A $50,000 income, then, sits right in the gap — comfortably above modest, just shy of comfortable. That’s not a bad place for your superannuation to land.

What lump sum actually gets you there?

A single homeowner is estimated to need a superannuation lump sum of $630,000 to fund a comfortable retirement, while a couple needs $730,000.

Since $50,000 sits below the comfortable threshold, you’re likely looking at something meaningfully under $630,000 in superannuation. Think mid-to-high $500,000s for a single homeowner, depending on your drawdown strategy and how much Age Pension support you pick up along the way.

Crucially, those superannuation figures assume a 6% investment return alongside some Age Pension support — this isn’t a “live off $630,000 with zero government help” scenario. The pension is baked into the maths, not a fallback you’re meant to avoid.

The self-funded reality check

Here’s where it gets sharper. Once your superannuation converts to an account-based pension, the government sets minimum withdrawal rates. For anyone aged 65 to 74, that minimum is 5% of the balance each year.

Run that in reverse, and a $50,000 target implies a superannuation balance of roughly $1 million if you’re funding it entirely yourself, with zero pension support. That’s the sobering, no-safety-net version of the number.

So which is it: $600,000 or $1 million?

Both are correct. It just depends on your plan. Are you relying on the Age Pension, or going it entirely alone with your superannuation?

Most Australians land somewhere in between. A part pension top-up can stretch a sub-$700,000 superannuation balance much further than the raw maths would suggest.

Where do you actually sit?

Average superannuation balances for Australians aged 65-69 sit at roughly $448,518 for men and $392,274 for women. That’s short of the comfortable benchmark for most singles, but not miles off a $50,000-a-year lifestyle once the pension is factored in.

Foolish takeaway

There’s no single magic superannuation number for ‘enough’. A sum of $50,000 a year is achievable on a balance well under $630,000 if the Age Pension does some of the heavy lifting. Or it demands close to $1 million in superannuation if you’re determined to self-fund every dollar.

The real question isn’t “how much superannuation do I need?” It’s “how much of my retirement am I willing to hand over to the government to top up?” Answer that first, and the number gets a lot easier to find.

The post How much superannuation is enough to retire with a $50,000 income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Want the age pension? Here’s the new asset limit you can’t exceed
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• The ASX 200 is finally rising. Is the sell-off running out of steam?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

RBC Capital Markets has released a new report on the Australian-listed healthcare sector, upgrading five major stocks to an outperform rating in the process.

The broking house said healthcare had performed “generally much better than we had feared” across the August reporting season.

They added:

A combination of revenue beats and cost control drove earnings beats for most companies and we are now expecting positive earnings growth across the sector. While most of the sector has enjoyed a re-rating over the past 2 months, we believe a number of stocks could re-rate even further given their earnings growth outlook, appealing relative valuations and attractiveness of the healthcare sector in light of macroeconomic uncertainty.

As a result of this positivity, RBC has upgraded five stocks to an outperform rating and maintained that rating on one more.

Let’s see who they like.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

RBC said the recent result showed that CSL was regaining market share in the key immunoglobulin sector.

The broker said they now believed that “growth in the Behring business can offset the weak outlook in the Seqirus and Vifor business, and enable the company to deliver mid-single digit EPS growth for the next 3 years”.

While these growth rates were below historical levels, RBC said they were reasonable compared to other Australian large-cap stocks.

RBC has a price target of $213 on CSL shares.

Resmed Ltd (ASX: RMD)

The sleep apnoea device company delivered an in-line result, RBC said; however, there was more focus on capital management.

The broker is factoring in $1.5 billion in share buybacks per year out to FY31.

RBC has a price target of $262 on Resmed shares.

Ramsay Healthcare Ltd (ASX: RHC)

RBC said Ramsay was being well run, with its recent result showing good revenue growth and cost control.

They have valued the company on a demerger basis and believe such a strategy would create value.

RBC has a price target of $68 on Ramsay shares.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd (ASX: FPH)

RBC said this company’s trading update revealed a strong start to the year and an upgrade to FY27 guidance.

The broker added:

We expect FPH’s hospital revenues to continue growing in mid-to-high teens in FY27-FY29 which will enable the company to deliver double digit group revenue growth. FPH has the fastest growth profile across our coverage and we now believe FPH has the best price to earnings growth ratio across our coverage.

RBC has a price target of $52 on Fisher & Paykel shares.

Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN)

RBC said Nanosonics had a mixed result with revenues missing expectations but earnings beating.

The broker said the Trophon business was growing and profitable, and they believed the share price was currently too bearish.

RBC has a price target of $3.75 on Nanosonics shares.

The broker also has an outperform rating on Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX) with a price target of $3.20.

The post CSL, Resmed, and more. See which ASX health stocks RBC Capital Markets has upgraded appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL, Nanosonics, and ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL and Nanosonics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

At the end of August, Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares were trading above $88. Today, you can pick them up 25% cheaper for $66.34. Xero shares have lost 17% in a month, 42% year to date, and collapsed 59% over 12 months.

For a tech stock once treated as an ASX growth darling, this is a stunning fall from grace.

A beating with no obvious trigger

Here’s the strange part: there hasn’t been a fresh earnings downgrade or a bombshell announcement behind this month’s slide of Xero shares. The company’s latest updates have mostly been routine substantial shareholder notices, and its FY26 result, released back in May, was actually pretty solid.

Revenue rose 31% to NZ$2.75 billion. Annualised monthly recurring revenue climbed 37% to NZ$3.27 billion. Subscribers grew 11% to 4.92 million. On the surface, this doesn’t look like a business in trouble.

So what’s spooking investors?

The market isn’t looking at the top line, it’s fixated on the risks underneath. Melio integration costs helped drag net profit down 27% to NZ$167.4 million, while gross margin slipped from 89% to 83.9%.

Add in broader questions about what AI could mean for software incumbents, plus lingering worries that elevated interest rates will keep punishing growth stocks, and you have a sell-off with plenty of narrative but not much hard news.

The growth case is still very much alive

Strip away the noise, and Xero added 506,000 customers over the year, lifting its global base to 4.92 million. Management isn’t backing off either — FY27 guidance points to revenue of NZ$3.62 billion to NZ$3.73 billion, implying roughly 30% growth at the midpoint.

Xero’s roots are in Australia and New Zealand, but the UK has grown into a genuine second pillar. Even so, the company reckons its total addressable market sits at around 100 million small and medium-sized businesses worldwide, a number that dwarfs its current customer base.

That’s where the US comes in. Xero finished FY26 with roughly 424,000 US customers, a fraction of what’s on the table in one of management’s three priority markets.

The Melio acquisition has strengthened Xero’s US proposition by letting businesses manage outgoing payments directly through the platform, and management pegs the US small-business payments opportunity alone at US$29 billion.

If Xero can even chip away at that, the current profit dip starts to look like the cost of buying future growth rather than a red flag.

What are brokers saying?

Opinion is split, but the tone is more optimistic than the share price suggests. Citi has a buy rating on Xero shares with a $113.60 target — nearly 70% above the current price. Morgan Stanley sees $130, and UBS is at $127.

Ord Minnett and Morgans sit more conservatively at $110 and $111. On the cautious end, RBC Capital and Jefferies have targets of $85 and $77 respectively. That’s still above where the stock trades today.

Foolish takeaway

Not a single broker target for Xero shares sits below the current share price. That’s a striking signal for a stock that’s lost more than half its value in a year. The growth numbers, the US opportunity, and now the broker consensus all point the same direction — even if the market hasn’t caught up yet.

The post Xero shares crashed 59%. What do brokers see next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Down 13% in a week: Is the Xero share price finally cheap enough to buy?
• Down 54% in a year, are Xero shares now a buy, hold, or sell?

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.