Have you ever wondered what would happen to you and your family if you became ill? Trauma insurance provides a lump sum benefit in the event of being diagnosed with a serious medical condition. It can provide financial relief and certainty at a stressful time, giving you peace of mind so you can focus on […]
With the children gone and things slowing down it may be time to downsize. When you’ve got a family, a big house with plenty of room may make sense. But these days a smaller place may suit you better. Dreams of a change may be beckoning… you may be yearning to wake up to the […]
In some ways I find analysing China amusing. First, as long as I can recall numerous commentators have been calling for a Chinese hard landing. And for as long as I can recall they have been wrong.
You enjoy a challenge – right? Then step towards financial fitness by cutting your debts this year. Understand and embrace your debt. Firstly, work out where and what type of debt you have and start to plan how you’re going to cut it down. For example, if you roll multiple debts into one, you […]
Property prices may go up, but there are ways to get onto the property ladder. We love property in Australia―it’s part of the Australian dream1. About 70% of us live in our own homes. But owning property can seem an impossible dream for first homebuyers with research revealing they hold less than 12% of all […]
Through 2013-14 it seemed the Australian economy was starting to transition away from a reliance on mining investment to more broad based growth.Unfortunately this transition has wavered a bit recently and growth has remained below trend. Fortunately, the RBA has recognised the problem and resumed cutting interest rates. This note looks at the outlook for […]
It pays to avoid making mistakes when running your own superannuation fund. The government imposes severe penalties on self-managed super funds (SMSFs) that breach the strict legislation governing SMSFs. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has identified the four most common breaches made by SMSFs and they’re outlined in the table below. One of the most […]
You can invest your super in an ethical way without affecting your bottom line. Socially responsible investing has come a long way over the past 15 years or so. It used to be a marginal activity, confined to government agencies and activists, and focused more on ‘negative screening’ by excluding companies that take part in […]
In this article, reader Melissa Huang asks Dr Shane Oliver about the pros and cons of buying off-the-plan property. As house prices continue to rise, is it a good idea to buy an off-the-plan property for capital growth? When it comes to investing in property or any investment for that matter, there’s no such thing […]
Investing can be profitable as well as fun, but it can also be unnerving and unprofitable if you don’t understand markets and don’t have the right mindset. The basics of successful investing are timeless and some experts have a knack of encapsulating these in a way that’s insightful. A year ago I wrote on 21 […]