Life gets so busy and the months soon roll into years when suddenly you find that your finances are off track and you’re nowhere near achieving your goals. Instead of thinking it’s all too hard take a few moments to review these money tips. Set your goals using the S.M.A.R.T. principle: Specific: What exactly do you want and how are you going to do? Measureable: If it can’t be measured, you can’t manage it. Attainable: Can it be achieved in…
As most long-term investors know, investment markets have their ups and downs. The downs are usually associated with periods of uncertainty, perhaps due to political or economic factors, or even natural disasters. Uncertainty leads to volatility – more extreme movements in asset prices – which can have a big impact on portfolio values. This can be of particular concern if you are preparing for retirement and preparing for your last payday. So what can you do about it? If you…
Prior to COVID, we were steadily moving towards a cashless world. Post 2020, even the most resilient of us has made the leap to tap-and-go payments sooner than we expected. From the morning coffee to filling up the petrol tank, we wave that plastic with little thought to the impact on our account balances. In fairness to us, many retailers are now adopting the ‘no-cash, please’ trading regime, but we Australians have a reputation for embracing technology and touchless shopping…
Once upon a time, banks would lend would-be home owners a sum of money based on repayments being less than 30% of the borrower’s gross income. As interest rates fell in the early 90s and competition from non-bank lenders flourished, home loan providers relaxed this rule and increased the flexibility of loans generally. Many Australians are now paying dearly for ignoring a rule which was initially put in place to protect us and are now confronting mortgage stress. How to…
There is an old saying that no investment is as safe as a bricks and mortar investment, or in other words property investment. But is that really the case or is it something that we just like to believe, spurred on by what appears to be the never-ending increase in property prices? While it’s easy to think investing in residential property is a fail-safe way to make money, there are endless traps for anyone hoping to get rich quick by…
Buying a property is one of the biggest investments many people will make in their lives. When it comes to securing a mortgage, many buyers may be so focused on the immediate steps ahead that they don’t consider having the right protections in place first. Understanding the different insurance options to protect your mortgage is an important part of protecting yourself and your loan if you’re unable to meet repayments. What are the different insurances that can protect a home…
Few client meetings have been as challenging especially when helping someone with separation planning. After years of being happily married, Sarah and her husband decided to separate, and the story of her acrimonious divorce was certainly distressing. It started with a chance meeting, where in passing, Sarah mentioned the divorce. She assured me she’d had enough of advisers for a while and just wanted some time out. I insisted we meet as quickly as possible. Will The first step was…
The newest generation of young investors were raised during the Age of Information. Growing up alongside the internet, this generation has been exposed to more information and technological advancement than any generation before them. Young investors have greater access to education around investing, more diverse opportunities for investing, as well as a rise in social media content creators creating communities around building wealth – making this topic much more popular among younger generations. However, the world of investing can still…
Did you have a savings account when you were young? It wasn’t uncommon and those old Passbook accounts funded many a first car. Now you’re a parent, are you thinking of opening an account for your kids? Record low interest rates have taken some of the fun out of watching bank accounts grow, but there are alternatives. For example, have you considered a share portfolio? Direct shares follow market movements, whether that be up or down, but over time, quality…
With premiums often running to thousands of dollars per year, whether or not to take out private health insurance is a major financial decision. Here are some of the key issues you need to consider in making that decision. Why go private? There are two main types of private health insurance: hospital cover, and general treatment (or extras) cover. In some states you may also need to take out ambulance cover. Many common treatments, including physiotherapy, optical and dentistry, are…