Darren Titmus

Whether it’s doing up the bathroom or kitchen, or adding an entire new wing to the house, some focused planning will help your home renovation project run smoothly. Here are some renovation financial tips to help you get the biggest ‘bang’ for your renovation buck. 1. Budgeting and saving Renovating is a major expense so unless you’ve already saved up the necessary funds you will either need to prepare for increased loan repayments or get cracking on a savings plan. …

I can understand during difficult economic times that business owners search for ways to reduce their costs and outgoings, but when those decisions affect others detrimentally, that’s when I get cranky. It all stems from knowing the difference between an employee and a contractor. Recently I had a phone call from a client who had been retrenched six months ago. Although this man is very skilled and talented, he has been struggling to find full-time work in his chosen profession.…

How much does it cost to raise a child? Obviously the answer is highly dependent on individual circumstances. However, as a guide, a 2013 national study[1] found that a typical middle income family would spend about $812,000 on raising two children from birth to age 24. At that time child-raising costs were increasing at around 9% per annum, so it’s a reasonable estimate that these days the cost of getting two kids to the point where they’re ready to leave…

As any experienced investor knows, all investment markets have their ups and downs. Regardless of investor experience, turbulent times are a cause of anxiety, and that can lead to poor decision-making.  So if turbulent markets are inevitable, even if their timing is not predictable, how should your portfolio be positioned in anticipation of, and in response to market volatility? What’s your objective? First up, it’s important to go back to your investment objective. Is it to grow wealth over the medium…

It’s an old saying but it will be forever true – “the only constant in life is change”. Whether it’s due to economic downturns, new technology or extreme weather disasters; no business, job or career will ever stay the same. And it’s impossible to know what might happen in the coming months or years in your career or industry. Although the thought of planning now for a time when your skills might become redundant or your employment suddenly ends for other…

The real power of investment comes from compounding returns – the process of putting your investment income straight back to work so it can earn more income. To help their investors reap the rewards of compounding, many companies offer dividend reinvestment plans (DRPs).  The potential benefits of a DRP Under a DRP, investors can choose to use some or all of their dividends to automatically purchase additional shares in the company. As a sweetener, investors avoid brokerage, and some companies…