Hopefully your Winter has started well and the heating bills are under control.

This is the last month of Aged Care funding under the existing funding system. From July 1, both Residential Care and Care at Home will become much more user-pays for new users of the services. Those who are already in Residential Care at this date will be “no worse off” under the new funding. This same principle applies to Home Care for those who were receiving a Home Care Package on 12 September 2024 or had been assessed as eligible for one. The home care program will be re-named “Support at Home”.  Also, the Commonwealth Home Support Program will be folded in to the Support at Home Program, at the earliest on 1 July 2027.

As Mr Trump continues with his unusual style of leadership, most analysts and managers that I read are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the markets – recognising that some markets are over-valued, some are under-valued, and choosing where to invest is more important than when most markets were rising. Apart from the political tensions around the world, potential recession in the US is being monitored – higher tariffs mean fewer imports and weaker consumer spending.

Patience and discipline continues to be important.

Wishing you health and happiness.

Tom

at Financial Springs