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You’ve finally paid off your home loan. Now what?
July 31, 2017
You’re down to zero on your home loan? Congratulations! You’ve finally done what many people dream of. But while the goal of paying off your home loan is a common one, it’s important to work out a smart plan for how to use the money that used to go to your lender. Your first instinct...Read More
Don’t become a one-eyed investor
July 28, 2017
Behavioural economists warn investors about a trap known as “confirmation bias”. This involves deciding on a course of action and then looking around for evidence to support that action. The proliferation of online investment newsletters and blogs means that investors can almost immediately find someone, perhaps a so-called expert, who agrees with them. In short,...Read More
A self-managed super statistic that doesn’t seem to change much over the years is the strong preference of new SMSFs for individual trustees rather than a corporate trustee. The latest-available tax office statistics on SMSF trustee arrangements show that 93 per cent of SMSFs established in 2015-16 had individual trustees – a percentage that has...Read More
The risks of trying to pick future winning stocks
July 17, 2017
It’s tough for both professional and personal stock pickers to consistently beat or at least match the market. But maybe many investors don’t recognise just how tough it is for stock pickers to succeed. Recent research by a US academic underlines that pickers of individual stocks typically have a minimal chance of achieving a satisfactory...Read More
Are you looking for a home loan to buy your first home, update your current one or as an investment in retirement? Are you confused by all the jargon and what type of home loan is right for you? We delve into two of the most popular home loans: principal and interest and interest-only. What...Read More
Your options in aged care explained
July 3, 2017
It’s possible that in the future you, or someone close to you, may need some form of care or daily living assistance. With lots of information to sift through and the conversation sometimes a tricky one to approach, we’ve pulled together some information to make navigating aged care an easier process. The current state of...Read More
It’s been a good year for investors
June 28, 2017
The end of financial year is with us, and if we take a look at how some of the major asset classes have performed, it turns out the last 12 months have been pretty good for investors. Residential property has stolen the limelight, with figures from CoreLogic showing property values have climbed 8.3% across our state...Read More
How can I help my kids get onto the property ladder?
June 25, 2017
With one third of young Australians taking more than five years to save for a deposit on their first home1, there are plenty of ways you can help your kids get into the property market sooner. Non-financial ways to help: Teaching your children things like how to budget and save, how interest rates work, the consequences...Read More
Investing internationally now cheaper and easier
June 13, 2017
Australians are keen investors with over 11 million of us holding investments outside of super. That’s great news! What we’re not so good at is spreading our money across different assets, and four out of ten investors admit they don’t have a diversified portfolio. In particular, we tend to focus on local investments yet there’s...Read More
It pays to contribute to your partner’s super
June 9, 2017
If your spouse (husband, wife, de facto or same-sex partner) is a low-income earner or not working at the moment, chances are they’re accumulating little or no super at all to fund their retirement. The good news is, if you help by contributing some of your own money to their super, you could be eligible...Read More