PwC's Entertainment and Media Outlook report has predicted that revenue from interactive games and esports will reach $4.9 billion by 2025, up from $3.4 billion last year.

That's a 44% increase in just 4 years.

"COVID-19 created an increase in gaming interest, both from new audiences and those Australians seeking an alternative form of entertainment, alleviating boredom and loneliness during lockdown," stated the report.

"With major sporting events cancelled or postponed during 2020, interactive gaming and esports filled a void for consumers as a way to stay socially connected to their communities through competitive entertainment."

Tax incentives galore for games industry

Growth for gaming is also being supercharged with recently announced government tax incentives for the nascent industry. 

The federal government is offering a 30% tax offset from July next year, and state governments are putting in their own discounts to attract the best businesses.

Privately held games developer Gameloft Brisbane will now double its staff numbers.

"We have been waiting for this news, we are going to double our Brisbane operation from 40 to 80 employees," Gameloft studio manager Dylan Miklashek told News.com.au.

"This can put Australia on a similar level to other countries."

ASX shares playing in the interactive gaming sector

So which companies could ASX investors look at for exposure into the gaming industry?

Here are the 5 most prominent players right now:

• Playside Studios Ltd (ASX: PLY)
• iCandy Interactive Ltd (ASX: ICI)
• Mighty Kingdom Ltd (ASX: MKL)
• Emerge Gaming Ltd (ASX:EM1)
• Esports Mogul Ltd (ASX: ESH)

Cyan portfolio manager Dean Fergie has been a fan of Playside Studios ever since its listing late last year.

"The company has an exciting 12 months ahead with the upcoming release of several new games including titles based on blockbuster movies Legally Blonde and The Godfather which should contribute to a material uplift in revenues in FY22," he said in August.

That pipeline is already starting to bear fruit, with Playside shares rocketing a stunning 110% over the past month.

There seems to be some consolidation between two smaller players, iCandy and Mighty Kingdom. The former bought 7.8% of the latter's shares in September, after Mighty Kingdom's share price plunged 50% since its April listing. 

Emerge Gaming produces games for mobile phones and is profitable, but still very much a microcap at $33.6 million market capitalisation.

Esports Mogul is different to the other 4 companies in that it does not produce games as such. Instead, the company runs e-gaming tournaments for business clients.

"Australia's total e-sports revenue was $6 million in 2020, and this is set to grow to $16 million by 2025." reported PwC.

The post 5 ASX shares in an obscure but booming sector appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Over the past two years or so, Magellan shares have appreciated by almost 120%, turning Magellan co-founder and chief investment officer Hamish Douglass into a billionaire.

Magellan has successfully tapped into an appetite in the Australian investor for access to some of the best companies in the world outside the ASX.

Magellan's flagship Global Fund has returned an average of 15.67% per annum over the past decade. That has clearly turned heads given that this fund (across both its listed and unlisted offerings) has more than $15 billion in assets under management alone.

But Magellan has been busy in recent months. It has just completed an amalgamation of some of its listed and unlisted funds into single entities. That's why investors can now choose to buy open-ended managed fund units directly from Magellan or on the ASX, or closed-ended shares just on the ASX. As an example, the Global Fund now trades on the share market as Magellan Global Fund (ASX: MGF), as well as Magellan Global Fund Open Class (ASX: MGOC).

Magellan launches new 'Core' ETFs

But we got some more exciting news from Magellan today. The company has announced it is launching a new series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), most of them under a new 'Core' brand. These funds aren't listed on the ASX, but rather on Chi-X, an alternative share market to the ASX in Australia.

These new funds (and ticker symbols) are as follows;

• MFG Core International Fund (CXA: MCSG)
• MFG Core ESG Fund (CXA: MCSE)
• MFG Core Infrastructure Fund (CXA: MCSI)
• Magellan Sustainable Fund (CXA: MSUF)

You might notice that the last one stands out. The Magellan Sustainable Fund is not part of this 'Core' series, but rather an actively managed fund dedicated to ethical investing. It will set investors back with a management fee of 1.35% per annum.

But turning back to this 'Core' series, the idea is that these ETFs provide a broader and less 'active' approach than Magellan's existing funds. For one, instead of Magellan's standard fee of 1.35% per annum (which applies to the Global Fund), these ETFs will only charge 0.5% per annum.

Additionally, each fund will reportedly hold between 70 and 90 companies (70 to 100 for the Infrastructure Fund). By comparison, the Global Fund aims for between 20 and 40, and Magellan's High Conviction Trust (ASX: MHH) holds just 8 to 12. The Global Fund also has the mandate to keep between 0% and 20% of its value in cash (the High Conviction Trust aims for between 0% to 50%). Meanwhile, the Core funds have a maximum of 10% cash (5% for the Infrastructure Fund), with "an aim to be fully invested".

Why this new range?

The reason for this new range? Magellan CEO Brett Cairns had this to say:

The MFG Core Series has been under development for several years and extends the successful approach that has been applied by our institutional Core Infrastructure Fund and mandates for the past 10 years. This approach actively constructs diversified portfolios of high-quality companies leveraging Magellan's research, and manages them using a proprietary process…

We believe the series provides an attractive lower cost alternative for those wishing to gain an exposure to Magellan's research and investment expertise but are not necessarily seeking our full actively managed portfolio services. We have also had considerable interest from retail investors and advisers in making our sustainable investment strategy available to the retail market in Australia.

The post Magellan (ASX:MFG) launches new ETF offerings appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Despite today's fall, shareholders of the thinly traded stock who have held on through this bumpy year, with sharp downswings followed by even sharper rebounds, are currently sitting on a gain of 80% in 2020.

That compares to a gain of just over 2% for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

What does Esports Mogul do?

Esports Mogul owns and operates an esports (online sports games) media and software business. Mogul brings together players, game developers and tournament organisers with an initial focus in Australia and Southeast Asia.

The company's esports tournament and matchmaking platform offer automation for major esports titles with streaming functionality and in platform chat capabilities. Mogul's revenue is derived from sponsors for its esports events and partnerships with brands.

What's driving the Esports Mogul share price?

In an ASX announcement this morning, Mogul revealed it has begun its move into mobile with in-market beta testing of its Mogul App.

Currently, gamers wanting to play in mobile esport title tournaments do so online, via web platforms that includes the company's mogul.gg. Mogul says its online move will give players and publishers "a world-first experience on one device".

Esports Mogul said the global mobile games market is forecast to generate US$86.3 billion (AU$116.7 billion) in 2020. That already represents 49% of the total games market. And mobile is growing twice as fast as PC and console gaming.

The beta testing of the Mogul App is part of the company's plans for a broader global release of its esports tournament experience for the largest gaming segment.

Commenting on the mobile rollout, Mogul CEO Michael Rubinelli said:

This is an exciting step on our progression towards becoming the definitive global esports destination for branded sponsors and player of all abilities, gaming interest, and location, independent of their platform of choice…. Players will be able to effortlessly create, host, and compete in all of the best branded mobile esports tournaments available anywhere.

With Esports Mogul's share price sliding today, could today's news have already been largely priced into the stock?

The post The Esports Mogul (ASX:ESH) share price down 5% on mobile update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in the company have seen a strong couple of weeks with the Esports Mogul share price rising by 77% since the start of October. Today, the e-sport matchmaker's shares are trading higher again. The Esports Mogul share price shot up 9.52% to 2.3 cents in early trade and has since retreated, trading up 4.76% at 2.2 cents at the time of writing.

What Esports Mogul does

Esports Mogul is an ASX listed e-sports business that brings together players, game developers and tournament organisers. Its primary operations have traditionally been in Australia and Southeast Asia. However thanks to recent partnerships, the company is expanding into North America.

Mogul offers its clients an advanced e-sports tournament and matchmaking platform. Mogul.gg is the only platform with full automation for a range of major e-sports titles. The company generates revenue by partnering with brands and creating unique sponsorship-driven e-sports experiences for players at no cost to the end user.

Popular mobile games integrated

Esports Mogul announced today it had deeply integrated two of the world's "most popular" mobile e-sports titles into its online tournament platform.

The games – Clash Royale and Brawl Stars – are both free-to-play multiplayer games. Clash Royale was released in March 2016 and had amassed $1 billion in revenue in less than one year after release. Brawl Stars was released in December 2018.

Furthermore, Esports Mogul has been granted access to a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that will improve player experience on its platform. These developments will aid streamers developing better content.

Commenting on the announcement, Esports Mogul CEO Michael Rubinelli said:

I'm very excited about the deep integration of Clash Royale and Brawl Stars into the mogul.gg platform. This serves as another proofpoint for us further demonstrating our level of customer obsession and player focus.

The post Why the Esports Mogul (ASX:ESH) share price is storming higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Why I'm planning to invest

I invest some money into shares every single month. That's not going to change in November.

But this November is different to a normal November with the US election contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. There's also a rising wave of COVID-19 cases in the northern hemisphere. 

Will Trump manage to pull off an even bigger surprise? Will the Democrats manage to pull off a clean sweep and get all the senators they need?

If you listen to each side, they accuse the other of being about to turn the country upside down.

Elections usually do make a bit of volatility. Just look at what happened in the run up to the Australian election last year. Can you believe that was just last year? A global pandemic and severe bushfires have distorted my sense of time.

I think ASX shares would be a great place to invest if the market does fall. The actual profit of Australian businesses isn't going to be as affected that much by what happens in an American election.

If you have a chance to invest in a business at a lower price, I think it makes sense to invest. As buyers of shares, the main thing that determines our returns is the price we pay for the investment to begin with. Lower prices are obviously better. We just don't know when those lower prices are going to happen.

Timing the market by waiting years for a crash doesn't make a lot of sense, particularly when you're missing out on a lot of dividend payments. But I personally believe that next week there could be some volatility if the election result is contested. There could also be volatility in a scenario where Biden wins but the Democrats don't secure a full sweep.

What ASX shares I'm thinking about

I'd prefer to buy quality ASX shares. Sometimes a company's share price can fall a lot further than the underlying value of its business. That's what I saw during the COVID-19 crash in March.

I've got my eyes on businesses like Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME), Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL), Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) and A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M).

There are also a number of portfolio-based businesses that I think could be good investments if their portfolios fall in value, or a discount to the net asset value (NAV) opens up or widens. I've got my eyes on ideas like Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG), Magellan High Conviction Trust (ASX: MHH), iShares S&P 500 (ASX: IVV) and Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ).

I'm bullish about the long-term

I believe that if there's any decline in the market next week that it will just be temporary.

Over the long-term the ASX share market has continued to climb higher, particularly when you add in dividends. A COVID-19 vaccine is looking increasingly likely next year with so many candidates being worked on at the same time.

I'm no vaccine expert, but the Oxford University – Astrazeneca vaccine seems to be making good progress. That's why CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) has been tasked with manufacturing the vaccine if it proves to be safe and effective.

The prospect of lower share prices excites me rather than scares me. March 2020 was a unique opportunity to buy shares – November could be another month to buy shares at a cheaper price. Even if prices don't fall, I still plan to invest in great ASX shares.

The post I plan to invest heavily in ASX shares next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Esports Mogul share price has fallen 7.69% on the back of the news. In morning trade, its price dropped as low as 2.2 cents although it currently sits at 2.4 cents.

What did the report reveal?

The quarterly report has been highly anticipated, with the Esports Mogul share price jumping up as high as 3 cents within just the last 5 days. However, with a higher share price comes higher expectations.

During the quarter, the e-sport gaming company announced an oversubscribed placement which successfully raised $8 million. The placement will focus on funding the company's expansion into mobile gaming. Strategically, with no native mobile tournament solution currently in the market globally, Esports Mogul believes it possesses a first mover advantage.

Furthermore, the company also announced a deal to partner with NASDAQ-listed Super League Gaming. The partnership gives Esports Mogul the opportunity to incorporate Super League Gaming's AI technology into its platform.

Despite the positive announcements, the company's cash flow report failed to impress, raking in just $66,000 from customers. In total, the company lost $523,000 in the quarter. As a result, Esports Mogul has $1.68 million in the bank, but this does not take into account its recent placement.

New appointments

Esports Mogul announced two newcomers to the leadership team, with Kate Vale and Michael Rubinelli joining the company.

Mr Rubinelli, a former Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Co executive, has been appointed CEO. He brings significant experience in executive leadership, product development and revenue growth. Ms Vale, who has experience with Alphabet Inc and Spotify Technology, joins the Esports Mogul board. 

What now for the Esports Mogul share price?

Despite recent share price gains, the company's market cap remains around the $60 million mark. 

The company finished developing its tournament-as-a-service offering for global brands, advertisers and agencies during the quarter, which may bode well for the Esports Mogul share price moving forward.

The post Why the Esports Mogul (ASX:ESH) share price is down today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Today, the company announced a significant milestone for pre-registrations for its MIGGSTER platform. The Emerge Gaming share price rocketed up 12.5% to 16 cents in early trade and has since retreated to 12 cents, up 4.17% at the time of writing.

A new mobile gaming platform

MIGGSTER Mobile is a mobile casual e-sports platform that uses Emerge's proprietary e-sports tournament platform technology. The platform will offer avid mobile gamers the opportunity to turn hours of entertaining mobile gaming into prizes and rewards. All while competing against the community and sharing their success with gaming friends. 

The revenue proposition for MIGGSTER Mobile is that it will be offered as a subscription service,with users paying US$8.50 per month. From a consumer perspective, subscribers can enter into tournaments involving their favourite mobile social games, using their leisure time to earn rewards, win prizes and participate in a minimum aggregate prize pool of US$500,000. 

The planned launch will invite subscribers to sign up to the MIGGSTER Mobile platform on tiered subscription packages. These include bi-annual packages of US$51.00 and discounted annual packages. 

Why the Emerge Gaming share price is up today

The company recorded 3 million user pre-registrations on 19 October 2020. Today, the company added a further 3 million user pre-registrations. The strong user interest and continuing strong momentum is likely to be the catalyst for the Emerge Gaming share price jump today.

MIGGSTER is currently promoted to a network of more than 14 million affiliate members across 150 countries. Its promotion is creating much needed awareness and interest for a highly anticipated MIGGSTER Mobile product launch in November 2020. 

The post Why the Emerge Gaming Ltd (ASX:EM1) share price jumped 12% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Some of wealth-building is down to luck. But a lot of it is down to the process you use for your money and the systems you put in place.

I think these important rules are worth following to help you build wealth:

Spend less than you earn

I think one of the most important rules for building wealth is making sure that you spend less than you earn, that you live within your means.

It's easy to spend a lot of money. It's harder to earn more. The trick is to make sure that your spending isn't consistently more than your income. If you earn $100 a month more than you spend then you can build your wealth over time. If you always spend $100 a month more than you earn then your net worth is going to head downwards until interest and debt overwhelm you.

How are you supposed to know if you're spending less than you earn? By tracking of course! I'm sure whichever bank you're with would offer some personal finance tools whether it's Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) or another one.

Plenty of people use another tool to track their finances like Excel, Google Sheets or even Zip Co Ltd's (ASX: Z1P) Pocketbook. I use Excel. 

Budgeting can be a really powerful tool to help you save money.

Be intentional with your savings

Spending less than you earn is a good outcome of your hard work and financial choices. But I think it's important to come up with an intentional system for your money.

Some people like the idea of saving money first and spending what's left after that. If you're aiming for a long-term savings goal, such as a house deposit, you need to make sure you're actually putting that money aside into a savings account rather spending it.

Even if you just save $100 or $200 a month, it's important to classify money not spent that month as savings. Keeping it physically separate in a savings account is a good idea. Otherwise you could just end up spending it a month or two later.

You can really start building good savings habits if you just make it into a routine to save money (like a fitness routine). As Warren Buffett said: "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."

Have an investment plan

No-one has a crystal ball to be able to tell you when share prices are going to fall or rise. It's impossible to predict. A year ago I don't think anyone would have seriously predicted that a global pandemic was about to happen.

I think it's important to regularly invest into your portfolio. It doesn't matter whether the market is up or down. It doesn't matter which side of politics is in power. Don't worry much about the latest GDP or house price statistics. Investing regularly will make sure your wealth-building plan stays on track. It could be once a month, once every two months or even once a quarter. Just commit to regularly investing.

What shares would make good regular investments? I think some exchange-traded funds (ETFs) would be good ideas like Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY), BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF (ASX: ETHI) or Vanguard Msci Index International Shares Etf (ASX: VGS).

I also think that listed investment companies (LICs) and trusts (LITs) can be good for regular investing. I like ideas such as MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF), Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG), WCM Global Growth Ltd (ASX: WQG) and Future Generation Global Invstmnt Co Ltd (ASX: FGG).

The post 3 important rules to help you build wealth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Esports Mogul share price was trading 39.29% higher in early trade, smashing its previous 52-week high as it reached a price of 2.3 cents. Trade has since resumed, with the share price now storming up 57%.

What Esports Mogul does

Esports Mogul is an Australian esports business that aims to lead the innovation of competitive gaming online. Unlike traditional Esports companies, Mogul seeks to benefit from the industry by providing an online platform for esports player matchmaking and tournaments. 

The company's platform is used for some of the world's most popular esports titles. Esports Mogul has been listed on the ASX since 2011.

US partnership

This morning, the Esports Mogul share price went ballistic on news of a strategic partnership with Nasdaq-listed Super League Gaming, Inc. The deal gives Esports Mogul the right to use Super League Gaming's AI-powered streaming technology. The patented technology is most famous for its automated AI-powered "camera character" game view.

Furthermore, Mogul and Super League Gaming will also partner on revenue generating opportunities. This will be done by providing openings for branding and rights holders through esports tournament streaming.

This is not the first time the two gaming entities have worked together. Mogul and Super League Gaming have previously started business development activities in multiple regions across the world.

What now for the Esports Mogul share price?

With Esports Mogul shares storming higher, its CEO, Michael Rubinelli stated:

Esports is a fast-growing gateway between brands and everyday gamers. We want to scale a best-in-class and industry leading proposition for brands and rights holders and Super League Gaming brings highly complementary technology to our ambitions. This partnership was the perfect fit for us and we can't wait to get started.

Esports is a rapidly growing industry. The new focused ETF, VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF (ASX: ESPO) being added in early September is evidence of this.

The post The Esports Mogul (ASX:ESH) share price has surged up 57%. Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Australia has a reputation for dividend-paying shares because of the higher payout ratios as well as the bonus of franking credits.

However, if you focus on businesses that are mainly based in Australia (and New Zealand) then you're missing out on the rest of the world economy.

Here are three ASX dividend share ideas to get income diversification from global sources:

Pacific Current Group Ltd (ASX: PAC)

Pacific is a global boutique asset management business which takes stakes in asset managers and helps them grow.

It has a portfolio of 15 specialist boutiques in Australia, India, Luxembourg, the US, and the UK.

Pacific's underlying funds under management (FUM) has been growing at a strong rate recently. In FY20, asset manager GQG grew its own FUM from US$25.1 billion to US$44.6 billion. Carlisle and Victory Park also grew by 31% and 19% respectively.

Excluding boutiques sold and acquired during the year, Pacific's FUM grew by 52% to $93.3 billion.

I count Pacific as a great ASX dividend share because the underlying earnings growth is helping its dividend. FY20 underlying earnings per share (EPS) went up by 18% to $0.44, helping the annual dividend jump by 40% to $0.35 per share.

At the current Pacific Current Group share price it offers a trailing grossed-up dividend yield of 8%.

PM Capital Global Opportunities Fund Ltd (ASX: PGF)

This is a listed investment company (LIC) operated by Paul Moore and his investment team at PM Capital. The purpose of a LIC is to invest in other shares, make investment gains and then the LIC can pay dividends from those investment profits.

PM Capital Global Opportunities Fund looks to invest in good businesses at a good price which are being valued differently to their long term intrinsic value and will return to their 'correct' value over time.

At the moment some the holdings in its portfolio include Cairn Homes, Bank of America, Visa, MGM China Holdings, KKR & Co, Siemens and Freeport-McMoRan.

Its portfolio is invested in businesses right around the world. At the end of September 2020, around 60% of the portfolio was invested in businesses listed in the US, 29% in Europe, 6% in Asia (excluding Japan) and 5% in the UK. Remember that the underlying earnings of those holdings are mostly global, not just from one country.

I think, at the current PM Capital Global Opportunities Fund share price, it's a global ASX dividend share to consider because it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.3%. It has increased its dividend each year since 2016. It's also valued at a 16% discount to the pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA) at 9 October 2020.

Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

This is a listed investment trust (LIT) which aims to invest in the best businesses in the world.

It targets companies that can consistently exploit competitive advantages and earn good returns on capital.

Looking at its holdings, some of the businesses to make it into Magellan Global Trust's portfolio are: Alibaba, Alphabet, Atmos Energy, Eversource Energy, Microsoft, Tencent, Facebook, Facebook, Visa, Mastercard and Reckitt Benckiser.

The portfolio is a combination of both defensive and 'growth' businesses. It has worked well. After fees, the trust has delivered annual outperformance of an average of 1.35% per annum compared to the MSCI World Net Total Return Index (AUD) since inception in October 2017.

I think it's a solid idea as an ASX dividend share because it aims for a distribution yield of 4%. That handily beats what you can get from the bank at the moment. The distribution should grow as Magellan Global Trust's net asset value (NAV) increases over time.

There are also some other top dividend ideas on the ASX worth looking into.

The post 3 top global ASX dividend share ideas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

About Magellan Global Trust

Magellan Global Trust is a listed investment trust (LIT) which invests in global businesses. It's operated by one of the country's leading investment managers, Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG).

At the last monthly update it said that the fund size was $2.34 billion of assets.

In terms of fees, it has an annual management and admin fee of 1.35% per annum. This seems fairly high compared to many exchange-traded funds (ETFs), however it's the net performance that matters most. Some fund managers are worth their fees. Others aren't.

Here are some of the reasons that retirees may really like Magellan Global Trust:

International diversification

I think that many Aussie retirees could do with diversifying their portfolios away from Australian shares. There are plenty of good ASX shares, but the ASX only accounts for 2% of the global market capitalisation.

Over the last decade I think it has been quite clear that it's the international tech blue chips that have generated the best profit growth and shareholder returns. It's hard to say where the best place for investing will be in the 2020s, but I think owning some high-quality global shares is always a good idea.

It's that focus on high quality which is exactly what Magellan Global Trust tries to do. It says that it "seeks to invest in a focussed portfolio of outstanding global companies and seeks to purchase investments when they are trading at a discount to their assessed intrinsic value."

What businesses make it into the portfolio? At the end of August 2020 its largest 10 holdings were (in alphabetical order): Alibaba, Alphabet, Atmos Energy, Facebook, MasterCard, Microsoft, Reckitt Benckiser, Tencent, Visa and Xcel Energy.

Magellan Global Trust tries to build its portfolio with a mix of growth and defensive businesses. That's why there are some defensive energy businesses in the holdings.

Strong total returns

The LIT has done well since inception in October 2017, it has outperformed the MSCI World Net Total Return Index (AUD) by 1.4% per annum (after all expenses and fees) with an average return per annum of 12.5%.

Those numbers include the COVID-19 crash, which have hurt returns. The unlisted Magellan Global Fund, which is very similar and has been running over a decade, has returned an average of 16.1% per annum over the past 10 years.

Targets a 4% distribution yield

Most retirees are looking for a bit of yield from their portfolio. Too much focus on income could lead to poor capital growth returns, but Magellan Global Trust aims to pay out a 4% distribution yield from its diversified, largely growth-focused, portfolio.

Considering how low interest rates are in Australia right now, I think that's a solid starting yield which will grow over time if Magellan Global Trust's net asset value (NAV) per unit grows too.

Is the Magellan Global Trust share price a buy?

At the current Magellan Global Trust share price, it's trading at a 5.5% discount to the current intraday indicative NAV per unit of $1.8833.

That's not a large discount, but it's better than nothing. I think it's an attractive combination to be able to buy, at a discount, an ASX share that has outperformed the global share market over the past three years by more than 1% per annum.

It offers an attractive yield, international diversification and it's quite defensive. At 31 August 2020, 16% of its portfolio was cash – which provides protection and ammunition for opportunities in case the global share market falls. I'd be happy to buy some Magellan Global Trust shares today, and buy more on price weakness. The US election could throw up some volatility.

The post Why Magellan Global Trust (ASX:MGG) could be a retiree's dream share appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Why is the share price soaring?

Esports Mogul has released a string of good news in the last 2 months which has likely supported its share price.

The good news started in early August with the announcement that former Spotify boss Kate Vale would join the Esports Mogul board as a non-executive director. In addition to her experience with Spotify, Vale has worked in leadership positions for YouTube and Google and has 24 years' experience in digital media, social media and technology. Commenting on her appointment, she said the esports eco-system was still in its early stages, which created opportunities for returns to shareholders.

Esports Mogul later announced it had appointed Michael Rubinelli as the new CEO. A former Electronic Arts, Midway and Disney executive, Rubinelli has 20 years' experience in executive leadership, product development and revenue growth. He also has experience leading a startup gaming company, and helped Disney to produce games which generated more than US$500 million in revenue.

In the company's half year report to 30 June 2020, released in late August, Esports Mogul announced that revenue had soared 266.66% to $161,242.  This came as the company promoted itself as a wholly online esports tournament provider while in-person tournaments were unavailable due to COVID-19.

Earlier this month, Esports Mogul announced a partnership with Buriram United, a leading football club in Thailand, to provide a branded hub for gaming tournaments. The company said the partnership had already generated 1000 paying subscribers.

Also in September, Esports Mogul announced it was improving matchmaking for the popular gaming title Fortnite to allow customised matchmaking. Rubinelli said the company looked forward to working with the Fortnite community for years to come.

About the Esports Mogul share price

Esports Mogul is a software company that provides an online platform for esports player matchmaking and tournaments. It offers its platform for some of the world's most popular esports titles. Esports Mogul has been listed on the ASX since 2011.

Th Esports Mogul share price is up 367% since its 52-week low of .3 cents. It is up 40% since the beginning of the year and 40% since this time last year. 

The post Why the Esports Mogul (ASX:ESH) share price is up 250% in 2 months appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Businesses that are steadily growing profit are likely to see the share price rise over time. If they decide to pay dividends (or distributions) then they can also provide a growing source of income to shareholders.

Here are three ASX shares that could offer an attractive combination of income and growth:

Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

This is a listed investment trust (LIT) which invests in global businesses. Indeed, the LIT tries to invest in the best businesses across the world.

It's run by Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG), with billionaire Hamish Douglass at the helm. The unlisted Magellan Global Fund, which is similar to the LIT, has been around for over a decade. Looking at the past 10 years, net returns from the unlisted fund have been 16.1% per annum. That's a solid record.

I think Magellan Global Trust's existing group of investments can do very well over the next few years. Some of its current largest exposures are: Alibaba, Alphabet, Atmos Energy, Eversource Energy, Microsoft, Tencent, Facebook, Visa, Mastercard and Reckitt Benckiser.

The ASX share targets a 4% distribution yield for investors. Based on the current Magellan Global Trust share price and net asset value (NAV), it's trading at a 3% discount.

Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV)

What is Clover? The company says that it has superior microencapsulation technology to enable nutritional oils, such as tuna, fish, algal and fungal oils, to be added to infant formula, foods and beverages. It claims its products reach the highest standards of purity, stability and performance, allowing customers to maximise and deliver nutrition whilst masking unpleasant taste and odour.

The Clover share price dropped 8% in reaction to the FY20 result despite it showing solid growth numbers. Sales revenue increased by 15.1% and net profit after tax (NPAT) rose by 23.6% to $12.5 million.

The company continues to see growth across the world and it's excited by the potential for new products and partnerships, particularly in Europe after infant formula manufacturers adjust their formulations to meet the new EU standards.

There were delays at the Melody Dairies nutritional spray dryer because customer audits have been impacted by COVID-19 preventing travel, which will slow production volume initially.

If net profit can keep rising at an attractive double rate then its share price could keep rising over the coming years as well.

The ASX share also increased its final dividend by 5% to 2.5 cents. At the current Clover share price it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 1.6%. The dividend could keep rising by double digits each year if net profit keeps growing strongly.

BWX Ltd (ASX: BWX)

BWX is a natural beauty business that manufactures and sells through a variety of brands including Sukin, Andalou Naturals and Mineral Fusion.

Before COVID-19, the natural beauty industry was growing even faster than 'regular' beauty.

BWX is certainly growing its market share at an impressive rate. In FY20 it grew net revenue by 26% to $187.7 million, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 30% to $27.5 million and statutory net profit rose 59% to $15.2 million. Pleasingly, the gross profit margin improved to 58%.

I'm excited by BWX's growth potential. It is expanding its distribution network across the world with Sukin being rolled out in the northern hemisphere. Andalou Naturals is being brought to customers in Australia.

In FY20 the ASX share grew its dividend by 44% to 3.9 cents per share. That's a big increase, yet the dividend growth was slower than the reported statutory growth, which is a healthy way to do it.

At the current BWX share price it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 1.1%. It's trading at 24x FY23's estimated earnings.

Foolish takeaway

The valuations of both BWX and Clover seem reasonable for how much growth they could make over the next few years. Whilst you own them, you will receive a decent, (probably) fast-growing dividend. Magellan Global Trust offers diversification and exposure to some of the best businesses in the world, though I think it will be better value later this year.  

The post 3 ASX growth shares I'd buy today for growth and income appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Dividends are great

I think that dividends from ASX shares are great. It's wonderful that we can get paid by our investments for no effort, except the initial investment.

Businesses can pay out dividends (or distributions) from their annual profits and retain some of the profit to re-invest for more growth.

I think it's a good idea for most Australian companies to pay out a dividend. It's nice for shareholders to receive cash payments just being part owners of the business. Some high growth businesses may need all of the available capital to fund growth, but larger businesses don't need to retain all of their cashflow. 

Franking credits

Australian companies get particular advantages for making taxable profit in Australia. The country does have a relatively high company tax rate, however all corporate income tax paid can be used as a refundable tax credit (called franking credits) for Australian tax residents. Franking credits reduce the taxes owed by taxpayers who receive dividends. For some low income earners and retirees it can mean the entire franking credit amount being refunded to investors when they do their tax return.

Franking credits can turn a $70 dividend into a $100 grossed-up dividend after the tax return is completed.

Which ASX dividend shares are good ideas?

Different investors will have different opinions about which ASX shares are good ideas for income.

Some people are just attracted to large ASX blue chips which are seemingly safe dividend ideas like Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).

However, as this COVID-19 period has shown, I don't think some businesses can be relied on as dividend ideas because they're not that defensive.

Below are some of my favourite ideas. Before I get into it, I just want to tell you that a listed investment company (LIC) is a company which invests in other businesses on behalf of shareholders. Here are my ideas for an ASX dividend share portfolio:

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) has a grossed-up dividend yield of around 4%. It's a diversified investment conglomerate.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) has a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.4%. It is a diversified property business.

Future Generation Investment Company Ltd (ASX: FGX) has a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.6%. It's a philanthropic, diversified LIC.

WAM Microcap Limited (ASX: WMI) has a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.6%. It's a LIC which invests in small caps.

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) has a FY21 distribution yield of 4.7%. It's a farmland real estate investment trust (REIT).

Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG) aims for a 4% distribution yield. It's a globally-focused listed investment trust (LIT).

WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) has a grossed-up dividend yield of 8%. It's a LIC which focuses on large cap ASX shares.

If you bought an equal amount of each of the above ASX dividend shares your portfolio would be very diversified and it would have a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.3%.

What size portfolio would you need with a 5.3% yield to make $1,000 a month in dividends?

The dividend yield of your portfolio dictates how much income you'd make from it. If you had a $100,000 portfolio with a 10% dividend yield then you'd receive $10,000 of dividends a year.

If you had a $200,000 portfolio with a 5% yield it would pay $10,000 a year.

You'd need a portfolio worth $226,415 with a 5.3% grossed-up yield to get $1,000 a month, or $12,000 a year.

Of course, not many people have almost a quarter of a million dollars sitting around in cash to invest into shares. It takes saving, investing and compounding to reach that type of wealth. According to the Moneysmart calculator, it would take less than 11 years by investing $1,000 a month into ASX shares to reach a portfolio size of $230,000 if it compounded at 10% a year.

Of course, your portfolio could reach $230,000 faster if you invested more per month or identified investments better than the overall market (which is still a good wealth builder).

The post How to generate $1,000 a month in dividends appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Well, Magellan has recently released the shares that its flagship Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG), as well as the high-octane Magellan High Conviction Trust (ASX: MHH), are currently holding. Magellan Global Trust (and its unlisted equivalent, the Global Fund) aims to hold 20-40 shares in a balanced and well-diversified portfolio. Meanwhile, the Magellan High Conviction Trust (and its unlisted sibling, the High Conviction Fund) instead aims to hold 8-12 shares in a concentrated, high-conviction strategy.

So, without further ado, here are that top shares, in alphabetical order, that the Global Trust was holding, as of 31 August:

1. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA)
2. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL)
3. Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO)
4. Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB)
5. Mastercard Inc (NYSE: MA)
6. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
7. Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc (LON: RB)
8. Tencent Holdings Ltd (OTCMKTS: TCEHY)
9. Visa Inc (NYSE: V)
10. Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: XEL)

And here are the top 5 stocks that the High Conviction Fund is holding, as of 31 August:

1. Alibaba Group
2. Alphabet Inc
3. Facebook Inc
4. Microsoft Corporation
5. Tencent Holdings

What can we learn from Magellan's share picks?

It's interesting to note that Magellan is still betting big on the giant United States tech shares that have come to dominate the US markets over the last few years. FAANG stocks Facebook and Alphabet make up large proportions of both portfolios, as does fellow tech giant Microsoft. Magellan is also investing heavily in Chinese e-commerce, represented by the online titans Tencent and Alibaba.

Interestingly, both funds remain far from being fully invested. The Global Fund holds a 16% cash position, while the High Conviction Trust is 20% in cash. This tells us (in my view anyway) that Magellan is keeping a foot in both camps and is keeping some cash handy for any upcoming market volatility.

The Global Fund is also notably holding a number of defensive shares, such as utilities Xcel and Atmos, and consumer staples giant Reckitt Benckiser (who you might know as the maker of Dettol and Mortein products).

Magellan seems to be sticking with a philosophy of 'keeping winners and letting them run'. Many of these shares have been in Magellan's portfolios for years now. So it's nice to see the company isn't killing the geese that keep laying golden eggs.

All in all, I think there are many interesting and useful insights we can glean from Magellan's August stock holdings. I hope you agree.

The post Magellan (ASX:MFG) reveals best share buys for September appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

However, I think it's important to have a good foundation and a good money mindset so that you can invest confidently.

Here are three good personal finance tips:

Have an emergency fund

I think it's important for every adult Australian to have an emergency fund. At least $1,000 is a good target in my opinion. Having that cash set aside can be invaluable when you need it most.

I believe that having that cash reserve set aside allows you to take on a little more 'risk' with your investing. I'm not saying that having an emergency fund should mean you invest in small cap biotech shares. I just mean that having cash set aside can allow you to confidently invest more into (ASX) shares.

Perhaps having an emergency fund would allow you to go for more growth options like Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) or City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX). You won't feel as though you need to go for defensive ideas. 

Personal finance is important for your life and your family. If you have children and a mortgage then it could be a good idea to have up to six months of living expenses set aside in a high interest savings account. There are plenty of places to find a savings account including businesses like Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) and Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN).

Don't take on risky debt

I think debt is a very dangerous thing when it comes to investing.

It's almost impossible to buy a property without using debt. However, that's not the case with investing in shares. You can invest with as little as $500 – you don't need to borrow to do it.

Debt can accelerate your returns if your investment picks are good. However, the risk of a wipeout is too much in my opinion.

A margin loan could be called precisely when you want to be buying shares not selling them. Selling in a market crash would permanently reduce your wealth.

Every person's personal finance mindset is different. But if you have debt hanging over your portfolio then you may not invest the same as if you didn't have that debt. That would be a shame in my opinion. I think it's best to avoid having high-risk debt when it comes to investing in shares.

And don't forget, debt isn't free money. You have to pay interest, which reduces your returns.

Regularly invest

Unless you're in retirement, most people reading this will be able to invest regularly over the coming years. Or at least when the COVID-19 impacts are over.

A few people may be able to find the next Apple at an early stage and make millions from a relatively small investment. However, you can't assume that will happen for your portfolio.

I believe the easiest way to invest is to regularly put money to work in your investment account – whether that's inside or outside of superannuation. The more you put in the more it can grow. If you invest regularly it's less likely that you'll miss any good buying opportunities.  

Personal finance can be very simple if you 'automate' most of your money. That includes your investment schedule. 

You can regularly invest into your best ASX share ideas – for me it's something like Pushpay – or you can go for your favourite exchange-traded fund (ETF) like BetaShares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY) or fund manager like Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG).

The post 3 personal finance tips to help strong investing appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

2 ASX shares perfect for beginner investors

1) Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

Our first share for beginners is a company everyone would be familiar with – Woolies, you know, the fresh food people one. I've chosen Woolworths, not for its growth potential or 'shoot the moon' possible returns. Far from it. Woolies is a steady, mature, dividend-paying business that is probably unlikely (in my view anyway) to significantly outperform the market over the long term.

Saying that, I still think it's a good choice for a starter investor. It's relatively easy to understand as a business, and it's easy to go and visit a Woolies store and get a feel for how 'your company' works and how it makes money — invaluable experience for a beginner in my view. As mentioned earlier, you'll also get a biannual dividend, which on current prices signals a yield of around 2.57%. I think Woolies is a company you can comfortably buy to get a handle on investing, and leave in the bottom drawer.

2) Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

Our second share today is this listed investment trust (LIT) from Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG). Magellan has steadily built a reputation as one of the best global fund managers in Australia. The Global Trust is designed so you as the investor don't really have to do anything apart from buy the shares. A management team picks the actual shares held within the trust for you and buys and sells them on your behalf.

MGG focuses on a well-diversified portfolio of global companies. As of 31 July, some of the companies it currently holds include Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB), Visa Inc (NYSE: V) and Tencent Holdings (OTCMKTS: TCEHY). MGG also aims to pay a cash distribution of 4% annually, which you can choose to reinvest at a 5% discount. All in all, I think this LIT is a top choice for a beginner. And just like Woolies, I think you can easily put MGG in the bottom drawer and forget about it if you so wish.

The post 2 top notch ASX shares for beginners appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

I'm not a fan of 'old school' ASX shares like Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) or Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS). I believe that good earnings growth needs to be likely over the medium-term-to-long-term for an investment to make sense. I don't see that for Westpac or Telstra, but I do see it for these ASX shares:

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

Rural Funds is an agricultural real estate investment trust (REIT) which owns a variety of farms including cattle, cotton, macadamias, almonds and vineyards.

I like the diversification offered. Its farms are diversified by farm type, different climatic conditions and they are geographically diverse.

I believe that Rural Funds is an ASX share that would be a good choice for all retirees.

It aims to increase its distribution by 4% each year. It's able to do this thanks to a few different factors. It has contracted rental growth which is either fixed at a 2.5% increase per annum or linked to CPI inflation, plus market reviews. Rural Funds also invests in its farms for productivity improvements, which increases rental income and the valuation of the farms. Rural Farms will occasionally make an accretive acquisition too.

I think Rural Funds is a very defensive business with a pleasing distribution. At the current Rural Funds share price it has a FY21 distribution yield of 5%.

Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

Magellan Global Trust is a listed investment trust (LIT) which invests in the highest-quality global shares that it can find.

Not many of the best global businesses are ASX shares. They are listed overseas, usually in the US. Some of its largest holdings are: Alibaba, Alphabet, Atmos Energy, Eversource Energy, Facebook, Microsoft, Reckitt Benckiser, Tencent, Visa and Excel Energy.

It offers good diversification both geographically and through the industries it's invested in. Whilst many of the businesses it's invested in are listed in the US, the underlying revenue is generated from across the world.

The biggest investment allocation is to internet and ecommerce businesses. These are the businesses with inherent operating advantages and they can also continue to perform during these difficult COVID-19 times.

Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) has performed strongly with its investment funds over the past decade and I think many Aussie investors need to expand their portfolio to non-ASX shares. This LIT is a good way to do it.

A bonus is that Magellan Global Trust targets a 4% distribution yield. At the current Magellan Global Trust share price it's trading at a 5% discount to the net asset value (NAV) per unit.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Soul Patts could be one of the best ASX shares for retirees. It's a great ASX dividend share.

It has grown its dividend every year since 2000. It has actually been listed since 1903 and paid a dividend every year since then. That's a reliable track record. It's good to know you're likely to get a bigger dividend than last year.

The investment conglomerate owns a variety of investments. It's invested in ASX shares like TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API), Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV), Milton Corporation Limited (ASX: MLT) and Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI).

Soul Patts also owns unlisted businesses like resources, agriculture and swimming schools.

It's probably not going to generate huge returns like tech shares, but it's a business you could invest in and hold for decades.

At the current Soul Patts share price it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.1%.

Foolish takeaway

I think each of these ASX shares are good options for retirees for the long-term. I believe it's important to get international exposure, so Magellan Global Trust could be a decent option. However, for long-term Australian business investing I think Soul Patts is the best option.

The post 3 ASX shares every retiree should own appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

If you bought during the crash then you're probably sitting on pleasing gains. But what happens if it crashes again? There are a few things that could cause a crash like the upcoming the US election, disappointing vaccine news or perhaps a geopolitical event relating to China.

Uncertainty is part of investing in ASX shares. But volatility can be exciting for investors, it creates opportunities to buy shares at cheaper prices.

These are three ASX shares I'd buy if the ASX were to crash again:

Share 1: Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

I think Altium is one of the highest-quality businesses on the ASX. The Altium share price has risen by 48% since 23 March 2020. That's a pretty strong recovery.

However, COVID-19 conditions have impacted Altium's short-term and longer-term earnings. It temporarily lowered prices to attract more customers. In FY20 revenue only grew by 10% and 'normalised' earnings per share (EPS) only grew by 5%.

It's now trading at 56x FY22's estimated earnings. I like this ASX share, it's one of my preferred long-term investment ideas. However, the buying price is very important with investing. I'd be interested in buying Altium shares were around 20% cheaper at approximately $30 (or lower).

Altium is still aiming for revenue of US$500 million by 2025, but it could take six to twelve months longer to reach. I'm comfortable waiting for a cheaper price before buying more shares. Perhaps the US election will throw up the best chance to buy at a price of around $30.

Share 2: Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

I think the best global businesses are worth owning in any portfolio. But the problem is that they're not ASX shares, they're listed overseas.

A good way to buy them could be to get indirect exposure with a listed investment trust (LIT) like Magellan Global Trust which is run by Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG).

Magellan likes to stick to the highest-quality ideas that it can find. It owns positions in names like Microsoft, Facebook, Alibaba, Alphabet, Tencent, Reckitt Benckiser, Atmos Energy, Visa, Eversource Energy, Mastercard, Xcel Energy and Crown Castle International.

During the last selloff we saw that not only did the Magellan Global Trust net asset value (NAV) fall, but the share price dropped even further. This offered an attractive discount to buy shares. I'd be happy to buy shares again with a NAV discount of around 10%.

Share 3: WAM Microcap Limited (ASX: WMI)

WAM Microcap is a listed investment company (LIC) which invests in small ASX shares. It targets businesses with market capitalisations under $300 million at the time of purchase.

The high-performing LIC is run by the team at Wilson Asset Management (WAM). It has been a very strong performer since inception, with gross portfolio returns of 17.8% per annum – that's before fees, expenses and taxes.

During the COVID-19 crash, WAM Microcap's share price plunged from $1.58 to $0.85. It has since recovered to $1.48.

If another crash occurred and WAM Microcap's share price were to suffer heavily again, I think that would be a really good buying opportunity, particularly for income investors because WAM Microcap is paying out a large dividend each year.

At the current WAM Microcap share price it offers an ordinary grossed-up dividend yield of 5.8%. That yield doesn't include the regular special dividends that it has paid in each of the last three financial years.

Foolish takeaway

I really like each of the above ASX shares. At the current prices I'm not eager to buy any of them, though a crash could create good buying opportunities for all of them. Due to WAM Microcap's impressive returns, it would probably be the one that I'd be drawn to the most during another crash.

The post 3 ASX shares I'd buy if the share market crashes again appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Both are 'hands-off' investments that invest in different companies on your behalf, with very little active input required. Here they are:

1) iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

This index that this exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracks is one of the most popular investments in the world. It's none other than the S&P 500, which follows 500 of the largest companies in America (and the world). It holds everything from eh FAANG stocks like Apple and Amazon.com to Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Bank of America, Ford and Walmart.

Investing legends ranging from Warren Buffett to the late Jack Bogle have recommended the S&P 500 as a perfect investment for anyone unable or unwilling to get into the weeds of investing. Thus, I think IVV is a great stock for any starter portfolio. You get fantastic diversification, access to some of the best companies in the world and a small stream of dividend income, all in one easy share. Another benefit? IVV charges a minuscule management fee of just 0.04% per annum. That means you can have $10,000 invested in this ETF and pay $4 a year for the privilege.

2) Magellan Global Trust (ASX: MGG)

Magellan Global Trust is another great option to consider for a starter portfolio. This investment isn't an ETF, but a Listed Investment Trust (LIT). That means it doesn't track an index but instead has a fund manager investing on your behalf. In this case, the fund manager is the reputable Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG), which has steadily built a reputation as one of the best fund managers on the ASX over the past decade.

MGG focuses mostly on shares outside Australia. It aims to hold between 20 and 40 of the world's best companies, according to its mandate. As of 31 July, these included Alphabet (owner of Google), Microsoft, Starbucks and Tencent Holdings.

As a way to get access to a high-performing and concentrated portfolio of international shares, I think this LIT is a fantastic choice and one perfect for a starter portfolio today.

The post 2 ASX shares perfect for a starter portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.