Wondering how much cash to hold alongside your ETFs? Learn what a cash buffer is, why it matters, the trade-offs, and how to find the right amount for your investing strategy — without guesswork.

How much of a cash buffer should I hold alongside ETFs?

In this investing Q&A, Dave Gow from Strong Money Australia tackles a slew of topics – from high dividend ETFs, to whether it's possible to mess up debt recycling. Enjoy!

July 2025 investing Q&A with Strong Money Australia

I currently have a stockspot account for my (4yr) daughter. It has its own HIN. I have an account for myself and one for my son in Pearler and I'd prefer to move forward with setting up an account for my daughter alongside ours in Pearler. Do I need a new HIN for that or can I use the same HIN attached to her stockspot account? Is it problematic having 2 HINs? Especially since I essentially have 3 HINs aready under my name that I use for my Myself and my two kids. Is another one going to make it quite messy? I'd prefer not to pay the transfer fee to move the shares across from stockspot. Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Can I have one HIN with two brokers?

What are the best tech stocks to invest now in the US market?

US stock

Hi, I’m fairly new to investing and this is a dumb question but what is the difference when investing in the AU shares vs US shares tab? 
Is it that the AU shares are funds held by brokers in Aus and the US one is US brokers? Is there a better option for an Aus investor? What are the tax implications of investing in US EFTs over Aus ones? 
Thanks, Molly

AU vs US shares

I currently hold shares in various Australian ETFs including VDHG, NDQ, ETHI, etc. My question is whether I should also be investing in US ETFs such as VOO. If these ETFs are made up of mostly the same/similar companies, are there any other benefits in choosing to go with US and AUS ETFs? Thanks!

Aus v US shares - smart to invest in both?

Essex Property Trust Inc. (ESS:US) Share Price | Pearler

IVV.AX was created on 2000-05-15 by iShares. The fund's investment portfolio concentrates primarily on large cap equity. The Fund aims to provide investors with the performance of an index, before fees and expenses. The index is designed to measure the performance of large capitalisation US equities.

The iShares S&P 500 ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-capitalisation U.S. equities.

iShares S&P 500 Etf

VDHG.AX was created on 2017-11-20 by Vanguard. The fund's investment portfolio concentrates primarily on target outcome asset allocation. Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF seeks to track the weighted average return of the various indices of the underlying funds in which it invests, in proportion to the Strategic Asset Allocation, before taking into account fees, expenses and tax.

Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF seeks to track the weighted average return of the various indices of the underlying funds in which it invests, in proportion to the Strategic Asset Allocation, before taking into account fees, expenses and tax.

VAS.AX was created on 2009-05-04 by Vanguard. The fund's investment portfolio concentrates primarily on total market equity. Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF seeks to track the return of the S&P/ASX 300 Index before taking into account fees, expenses and tax.

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) seeks to track the performance of the ASX 300 index before account fees, expenses, and taxes. The index tracks the top 300 companies on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). These are mostly large and established Australian companies. It is a popular choice among passive individual investors who don't have the time or the expertise to actively invest in stocks.

Vanguard Australian Shares Index Etf

Establishment Labs Holdings Inc. is Costa Rica-based medical technology and aesthetics company that is focused on women's health reconstruction market. The Company is engaged in the designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing of product portfolio consisting of silicone-filled breast and body shaping implants. The main activities are conducted at two manufacturing facilities in Costa Rica including Motiva Implants brand sold in over 80 countries globally through a combination of distributors and direct sales to customers.

Establishment Labs Holdings Inc

Express Scripts Holding Company is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company. The Company is engaged in providing healthcare management and administration services to its clients, including managed care organizations, health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, workers' compensation plans and government health programs. The Company operates through two segments: PBM and Other Business Operations. The PBM segment includes its integrated PBM operations and specialty pharmacy operations. Its Other Business Operations segment includes its subsidiary, United BioSource Corporation (UBC), and its specialty distribution operations. Its integrated PBM services include clinical solutions, Express Scripts SafeGuardRx, specialized pharmacy care, home delivery pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy services, retail network pharmacy administration, benefit design consultation, drug utilization review and drug formulary management.

Express Scripts Holding Company

Essex Property Trust, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust. The Company is engaged primarily in the ownership, operation, management, acquisition, development and redevelopment of predominantly apartment communities, located along the West Coast of the United States. The Company operates through three segments: California, Northern California and Seattle Metro. The Company owns approximately interests in 252 operating apartment communities, aggregating 62,000 apartment homes. The Company owns all of its interest in its real estate and other investments directly or indirectly through Essex Portfolio, L.P. The Company invests primarily in apartment communities that are located in predominantly coastal markets within Southern California, Northern California, and the Seattle metropolitan area. 

Essex Property Trust Inc.

The investment seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100â¢Index. The fund invests at least 90% of its net assets in stocks that are included in the index. The index is designed to measure the performance of high dividend yielding stocks issued by U.S. companies that have a record of consistently paying dividends, selected for fundamental strength relative to their peers, based on financial ratios.

US Dividend Equity ETF Schwab

Realty Income Corporation is a real estate investment trust. The Company is engaged in acquiring and managing single-unit freestanding commercial properties under a long-term net lease agreement with its commercial clients. The Company owns and operates diversified portfolio of over 12,237 commercial properties, with approximately 236.8 million leasable square feet. The Company has 12,111 properties leased and 126 properties available for lease or sale. It offers these properties to different clients doing business in approximately 84 separate industries. Its properties are located throughout all 50 states in United States (US), Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, and Italy. Its properties are leased to retail and industrial clients that have a service, non-discretionary and/or low-price-point component to their business. The Company’s property types include retail, gaming, industrial, and other types, such as agriculture and office.

Realty Income Corporation

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT), which is engaged in the business of investing in, owning, and leasing healthcare real estate. The Company conducts all of its operations through its subsidiary, MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. (the Operating Partnership). The Company acquires and develops healthcare facilities and lease the facilities to healthcare operating companies under long-term net leases. It also makes mortgage loans to healthcare operators collateralized by their real estate assets. In addition, the Company selectively make loans to certain of its operators through its taxable REIT subsidiaries (TRS). The Company have healthcare investments in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America. The Company’s portfolio (including real estate assets in joint ventures) consists of approximately 444 properties leased or loaned to 55 operators, of which seven are under development and five are in the form of mortgage loans.

Medical Properties Trust Inc.

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is engaged in ownership, operation and redevelopment of retail-based properties located in coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Its portfolio includes retail in many formats ranging from regional, community and neighborhood shopping centers that often are anchored by grocery stores to mixed-use properties that are centered around a retail component but also include office, residential and/or hotel components. These properties are located in metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, California, and South Florida. The Company’s 102 properties include approximately 3,200 tenants, in 26 million square feet. The Company has approximately 3,300 commercial leases and 3,000 residential leases, with tenants ranging from sole proprietors to national and international retailers.

Federal Realty Investment Trust

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in advancing medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis and cancer. The Company offers products in HIV, Onocolgy, Liver Disease, Vekulaery, and Other. Under HIV, it offers Biktarvy, Complera/Eviplera, Genvoya, Odefsey, Stribild, and Truvada. Its Veklury (remdesivir) is a nucleotide analog RNA polymerase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Under oncology it offers cell therapy containing Tecartus and Yescarta. Under this Liver Disease consists of Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) (Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir and Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir) and Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) / hepatitis delta virus (HDV) (Vemlidy and Viread). The Company's other products include AmBisome and Letairis. It also operates a portfolio of small molecule inhibitors targeting PARP1 for oncology and MK2 for inflammatory diseases.

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ESS

Description

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Performance

$210.38

▲ $46.81 (28.61%)

1M

10Y

GRAPH

TABLE

GRAPH

TABLE

Quick facts

N/A Growth

N/A

$15 AUD minimum investment

$0 USD median portfolio

Costs

N/A

Community insights

General statistics

.css-1ourppy{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;min-width:0;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-weight:500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease;transition:all 0.3s ease;display:inline;color:var(--primaryDark);}1 investors hold ESS

N/A average time between investments

N/A average holding per investor

1016 days since last community investment

Demographics

Income of investors

100%

0%

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0%

Age of investors

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Legal gender of investors

100% male

0% female

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