Latest Articles
Latest News
Strategies to make your resolutions stick
January 7, 2018
Happy New Year! As we kick start 2018, you’ve probably made a few resolutions. It’s not a bad idea – simple lifestyle changes can improve our health and put valuable dollars back in our pocket. The trick however is to make your resolutions last the whole year, and that can call for a couple of...Read More
Avoid a nasty case of holiday debt lag
December 12, 2017
Enjoy a well-earned vacation without bringing home a mountain of high-interest debt. I do love a catchy new phrase, and this one made me laugh. “Debt lag” is a new one for me. It seems that as Chrissy approaches we plan a holiday, but don’t quite get around to saving for it. So some 2 million...Read More
How to deal with financial stress – nearly 1 in 3 affected
December 12, 2017
See how financial stress is impacting people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and what steps you could take to turn things around. Close to one in three Aussies is feeling the pinch financially, with money worries reportedly leading to sleep loss, conflicts in relationships, isolation, as well as a range of other things1. These were the...Read More
5 ways to stretch your Christmas dollars further
December 8, 2017
How to have a very merry – and affordable – Christmas Christmas should be full of laughter and good cheer, and if you plan wisely, you can also avoid a spartan New Year spent paying off your yuletide spending. With a survey finding that Australian shoppers spend about $10 billion on gifts alone, or $700...Read More
5 considerations before moving into a retirement village
December 4, 2017
It’s important you understand how retirement villages work and the type of costs you’re likely to come across. Today, around 184,000 Australians call a retirement village home. And, with the country’s senior population only set to increase, the number of people wanting to live in a retirement village is predicted to more than double by...Read More
Housing affordability down, rental affordability up
November 24, 2017
Despite national figures, there are still windows of opportunity within different Australian states. Aussie home owners are now forking out nearly a third of their annual income to meet average home loan repayments, according to research from the Real Estate Institute of Australia.1 The group said while home loan affordability showed a slight decline in the second...Read More
Think ahead about smart retiree spending and investing
November 20, 2017
A common personal finance trap is to concentrate on saving and investing to finance our eventual retirement without thinking enough in advance about how to invest and spend that money in retirement. Given that we have so much going on in our lives long before retirement –such as our careers, dependent children, home mortgages and...Read More
Downsizing is not always the answer
November 17, 2017
If you’re pinning your financial hopes on the ability to downsize your home in retirement, you may need to think twice. Many Australians don’t have enough in super to fund a quality retirement, but if you’re pinning your hopes on the value of the family home, it could pay to think again. Downsizing to a smaller place may...Read More
Where do different generations invest their money?
November 13, 2017
An Australian study could reveal some surprises when it comes to the investment preferences of both young and old. If you thought cash savings or investment property were the most popular retail investment choices among Aussies, a recent study by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) revealed that it was in fact shares, along with other on-exchange investments*1. The...Read More
What do Aussies do with their super?
November 8, 2017
Find out where and what retirees are investing in and spending their superannuation money on. A significant number of Aussies are now entering retirement with substantial superannuation balances, after compulsory super contributions for most employees were introduced a quarter of a century ago1. But what are retirees doing with their super money? Are they putting...Read More