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Take your product home, pay for it within the specified timeframe, get charged 0% interest. What could go wrong? Branded the modern-day layby, ‘buy now, pay later’ services essentially offer the same thing, except you get the product up front—the outfit, the watch, even certain domestic flights within Australia. If you haven’t heard of buy...Read More
The best of times can also be the most worrying of times for investors. As we head off on the journey that is destined to become 2018, investment markets have been both kind and – until this week at least – relatively benign. Suddenly headlines are screaming at us about the billions lost off market...Read More
A lot has been said and written about Australia’s household debt levels and possible implications on the banking system and the economy more broadly. But could Australian households be even more constrained than the headline numbers are suggesting? Michele Bullock, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Assistant Governor, highlights the stresses households will likely be facing...Read More
What are the benefits of a split home loan?
February 26, 2018
If you can’t decide between a fixed or variable rate, a split rate home loan could provide the best of both worlds. If you’re about to take out a home loan and are looking for some protection against interest rate rises, a fixed rate home loan may sound like the loan for you. On the other hand,...Read More
Love and money? It’s not about control
February 12, 2018
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s a good time to explore shared ideas, and how you manage money as a twosome. Our approach to managing household finances can make a big difference to the health of a relationship. Thankfully, the old line about “I earn the money. She spends it” no longer has relevance...Read More
What is the retirement age in Australia?
February 7, 2018
With no definitive retirement age in Australia, the date you exit the workforce will probably come down to personal circumstances and whether you can afford it. The age you retire in Australia isn’t set in stone. You can really retire whenever you want to, but health, financial commitments and your ability to fund the lifestyle...Read More
Bitcoin – is it really for you?
February 5, 2018
Some people may have made big money, but plenty of latecomers would have experienced dreadful losses. If I could sum up the contents of my junk emails over the last 12 months in a single word it would be: Bitcoin. I can’t tell you how many unsolicited invitations I’ve received to start trading bitcoin. This...Read More
7 healthy habits that could improve your bank balance this year
February 2, 2018
See how you could benefit your body, while upping the change in your back pocket at the same time. For many of us, the new year often begins with good intentions and a handful of new year resolutions, which may or may not begin right on 1 January. You might be working toward the day...Read More
Are you eligible for government school subsidies?
January 22, 2018
Get up to speed with the government subsidies you may be able to claim before the kids go back to school. With 2018 now in motion, many parents and carers are looking at how they’ll cover school fees for the year ahead, not to mention other costs, such as uniforms, shoes, stationery and equipment. The...Read More
Now to clear the festive debt
January 12, 2018
Australians racked up an extra $29 billion in credit card debt over the festive season, and without early action plenty of people could still be paying off Christmas 2017 in 12 months’ time. Australian cardholders each notched up an average of $1,727 in holiday debt based on figures from comparison site Finder. The interest cost...Read More