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Homebuyers who make higher repayments than the minimum required are developing a valuable buffer to help cope with future rate rises or unexpected financial setbacks. A mortgage buffer makes much sense. More than three years ago, the Reserve Bank reported that “anecdotal evidence suggests” that about half of households had not reduced their regular monthly...Read More

New Year resolutions and portfolio rebalancing face common challenges. Both spring from the best of intentions. Both can drift into the background as the holiday season draws to a close and the urgency and demands of everyday life return. For self-managed super funds (SMSFs), the more relaxed pace of life earlier in the year often...Read More

When the word retirement is mentioned in everyday discourse it’s often associated with numbers. The amount you’ll need to retire. The age at which you’ll stop working. The tax you’ll incur as you draw on your super. But what these numerical references neglect is the psychological dimension. As someone who’s decades away from retirement, I can’t...Read More

The warmth of January doesn’t always extend to our relationships. The New Year can be a peak period for divorce lawyers as couples call it quits after sharing one last Christmas together. No matter whether starting afresh as a newly single person brings heartache or a sense of relief, the fact is, separation and divorce...Read More

If you’re thinking about what school to enrol your children into, it might be a more complicated decision than merely opting for something in the local area. Family values, student facilities, extra-curricular activities and your financial situation could all come into play. We look at some of the things to consider and what you can...Read More

There seems to be a common misconception that having an estate plan is for wealthy people. Wrong. Having an estate plan is for everyone. It is about being prepared, minimising risk and making sure your loved ones receive the benefit of your estate. Today, there are many factors which influence an estate plan. Simply having...Read More

If you’ve got a baby on the way or are thinking about having one in the future, it’s worth being aware of the upfront and ongoing costs likely to be coming your way, so you can plan ahead accordingly. After all, according to AMP.NATSEM research, it costs an average of $144 a week to raise...Read More

Raising children is a rewarding and, often complex, responsibility. We all want to do our best to ensure we give our kids a platform from which to lead a successful life, but there are many different ways to describe success. The Oxford dictionary defines success as the “accomplishment of an aim or purpose, the attainment...Read More

No-one wants to think about death in the prime of life. But it’s important to decide what will happen to your assets when you die. Find out how you can give instructions to your family about your legal and medical preferences should you fall ill or lose the capacity to make those decisions yourself. Estate...Read More

The infrastructure asset class has been growing in popularity as an investment destination for both institutional and SMSF investors. This is because infrastructure offers a range of investment characteristics that can be particularly attractive in the low interest rate and volatile market conditions we have seen in recent times. Attractive, consistent returns For example, infrastructure...Read More