I am back blogging about the Australian property market. Ever since the SMART expo in the March, I have been busy preparing plans for clients. Well, the good news is my biz partner Steve will be back in Singapore in July 2009 for a seminar together with a great pal of mine, Mr. Alexander Wong, director of SAGE private clients pty ltd. My friendship
with Alex went a long way back to 2004-5 when I first met him in Melbourne, Australia.

This time both of them will be present to tackle issues that property investors are concerned with - Taxation and property investment strategies. They come hand in hand because one affects the other. Like what Stephen Covey says,’Begin with the end in mind’. That’s exactly what property investors should do to maximize tax benefits(eventually profits) with a property plan. Both will be discussed and as property investors, you are highly encouraged to attend. Mark on your calendar, 15 July (Wed) at 61 Robinsons Road, ERC Robinson Centre. My clients know I am not really into seminars but I do all these to help equip them with more information so that they understand what they have done ever since they started investing in the Aussie property market.

It will be busy times ahead for me till end of the year. The AUDSGD has recently transacted above 1.1900 which is a sign of recovery. With rising commodity and oil prices, there can only be one direction the AUDSGD is heading - northwards! Baring any unforeseen circumstances, industry analysts are looking at new levels of AUDSGD at 1.2000 by end of the year. Gone were the days where AUDSGD are on par. For those of you who have procrastinated and missed out on the 1:1 levels, you can still capitalize on the exchange now; however time is really not our friend.

Back to work, see you soon!

I was very glad my good mate and pal, Mr. Alex Wong has agreed to be on the panel of contributors for this blog. A New Zealand born Chinese, Alex has worked in Melbourne for a large part of his working career and specializes in financing planning as well as tax planning for individual and corporations in Australia, residents and non-residents alike.

He is often invited as a keynote speaker for seminars and workshops and he is also actively involved in teaching with the Singapore Institute of Management as Adjunct Lecturer on topics pertaining to tax in the region.

I met Alex in Melbourne in 2005 during one of my trips to Australia. He came across to me as a very down-to-earth person and is extremely humble. He has no airs and is very passionate about the work he does for his clients. 

In the last two and the half years, I have received very good feedback from clients who have engaged his service. His unselfish and kind support to investors here and the region are well appreciated and I am pretty sure he will be a very valuable contributor to this wonderful blog.

Alex currently resides in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He lives in a house in Camberwell, a suburb east of Melbourne CBD with his wife and two grown-up children. He travels to Singapore twice a year for work and is definitely a lover of our very own hawker food.

You can read more about his profile here.

Welcome on board, Alex!