A common narrative on the Australian housing market is that it’s in a giant speculative bubble propelled by tax breaks, low interest rates and “liar loans” that have led to massive mortgage stress and that it’s all about to go bust, bringing down the banks and the economy with it. Recent signs of price falls – notably in Sydney – have added interest to such a view...
SHARING FINANCIAL WISDOM
Interest rates: US Fed begins to tighten
The US Federal Reserve provided few surprises following its September meeting. While it left interest rates on hold, it confirmed that it will begin what it calls “balance sheet normalisation” next month and continued to signal its expectation that it will raise interest rates again in December and in the years ahead...
Income & Dividends: The search for yield
Investing is a Process
Investing: What is an index?
Investing In Yourself
Insurance: Income Protection - Stay Ready
5 MONEY MINDSETS HOLDING YOU BACK
MORE GREAT INVESTMENT CHARTS
As Warren Buffett once said: “There seems to be a perverse human characteristic that makes easy things difficult.” This has particularly been the case with investing where complexity has multiplied with new products, new ways to access various investments, tax changes and new regulations, all with social media adding to the noise. But it’s really quite simple and this can be demonstrated in charts...
Defining Enough
Do all your future plans rely on having a lot more money than you do now? If the answer is yes, it might be time to think carefully about your values so you can put together a realistic financial plan that will bring you closer to the sort of life you want.
Planning for your financial future doesn’t have to be about chasing more money. Achieving a real sense of having enough to feel comfortable and happy is more about understanding what’s important to you and then managing your finances accordingly. So just how much is enough for each one of us?
INTEREST RATES ON HOLD, GROWTH RETURNS...
MARKET PERFORMANCE TO 30 JUNE...
DO YOU HAVE FINANCIAL SMARTS?
THE RIGHT FINANCIAL ADVISER: A CHECKLIST
THE GFC TEN YEARS ON
QUARTERLY HOUSING REPORT
THE SANDWICH GENERATION
Many people approaching retirement with elderly parents and adult children are feeling the pressure on their time and finances. Find out why it’s important to put your own wellbeing first.
Thanks to the twin trends of growing life expectancy and rising house prices, more and more people are finding themselves joining the ranks of the sandwich generation. Recent estimates put the number of Australians in the sandwich generation at more than 1.5 million1. That’s a lot of people juggling the responsibilities of aged care, child care and often a job too.
THE THREAT OF WAR: IMPLICATIONS
Investing In Your Kids Education
When kids are starting school, will your finances be ready too? You’ll often have many other financial commitments at this time - your mortgage, family holidays, insurance, grocery bills and more. If you think a fee-paying school could be on the cards, how will you cope with another big bill to pay?