From early November retailers have been telling us what we can’t live without and what our kids must have if they are to still love us on Christmas Day. It’s easy to get caught up in the momentum. Of course, the downside is you end up with the post-Christmas blues when the credit card statements arrive. This may mean that wealth plans get scrapped because you have to pay off the debt first.
As you progress towards retirement age, the idea of reducing your working hours can be appealing, especially if you can do it without reducing your income. Fortunately, there is a way to do this. It’s called a Transition to Retirement Income Stream (TTRIS), which allows you to supplement your part-time income with regular payments from your superannuation savings.
Life does not always go to plan. Illness, job loss, accidents, or unexpected expenses can arrive without warning. While we cannot prevent these events, we can prepare for them. Having the right protections in place provides peace of mind and ensures your family is supported when life takes a turn.
There’s no shortage of financial advice out there. Everywhere you look—social media, news articles, investment forums—you’re bombarded with strategies, opinions, and predictions.
Despite the temporary, sudden downturns caused by the 2007-2009 global financial crisis and the 2020-2021 COVID pandemic, the value of the ASX increased by more than 160% between 2000 and 2024, as evidenced by the growth in the ASX 200 market index. This demonstrates that it’s better to invest in a variety of shares rather than sticking to just a few.
When most people think about retirement, they picture a dollar figure. How much super will I need? Do I have enough investments to last? While money is important, true retirement planning is about much more than a number on a page.
Discover why Charlie Munger’s quote, ‘The big money is not in the buying and selling, but in the waiting,’ holds the key to investment success through patience, compounding, and investor psychology.
Investing isn’t just about the numbers—far from it. Over my 26 years as a financial adviser and more than three decades as an investor, I’ve realized that understanding balance sheets,…
When it comes to money, it is often the small, consistent steps that make the biggest difference. You do not need to make dramatic changes overnight. Building good habits and sticking with them over time can transform your financial future.
In the context of your personal finances, SMART refers to setting clear, quantifiable, feasible and appropriate financial objectives, to be carried out within a defined time frame. You’re much more likely to succeed if you avoid vague, non-measurable, unrealistic and inappropriate aims with no actual deadline. Relying on SMART goals will help you stay on track as you shape your financial future.
Over the last few years, I’ve taken on the management of many self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), and in doing so, I’ve encountered a particular investment type that often causes significant…
When we think about health, we often picture diet, exercise, or regular check-ups. What we do not always think about is money. Yet financial wellbeing and overall wellbeing are closely linked.
The opinion of many people towards debt can be best summed up in the often quoted line from Shakespeare, ‘neither a borrower nor a lender be.’ Yet others will embrace…
The idea of downsizing can be very appealing to empty-nesters. There will be less cleaning, gardening and maintenance, more time for hobbies and travel, and the icing on the cake comes if you can use the cash surplus you created to give your super a significant tax-effective boost.
But is the picture totally rosy, or are there some drawbacks to downsizing?
When it comes to money, more is not always better. Multiple super funds, a handful of bank accounts, different investment platforms, and stacks of paperwork can make it hard to see the bigger picture. Simplifying your finances can reduce stress and often leads to better results.
If you don’t feel prepared for retirement, you’re not alone.
Retirement preparedness doesn’t just mean having enough money to leave work but includes emotional challenges like your sense of self and what your future might look like.
Set yourself up for a rewarding retirement by meeting the following common challenges, head-on!
It is natural to want to enjoy the rewards of hard work. A new job, a pay rise, or a bonus can make it tempting to upgrade your car, move to a bigger house, or start spending more on dining and holidays. This is called lifestyle creep, and while it feels good in the short term, it can quietly slow down your long-term financial goals.
You may be one of many Australians who make an interest-free loan to the federal government every year. That’s because, when you receive a tax refund, you’re not getting free money. All that’s happening is that cash which is rightfully yours is being returned, somewhat late. So it makes sense to make it work as hard as possible once it’s back in your hands.
If you’ve ever dreamed of setting up your own business you’re not alone.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, (ABS), in the financial year 2023 – 2024 over 400,000 Aussies did just that!
Over the same period, almost 363,000 small businesses called it quits.
If you’ve ever clicked on a Facebook or Instagram ad about paying off your home loan in under 10 years, chances are you’ve been bombarded with more of them since. I’m all for reducing debt as quickly as possible. But let’s be real: not all strategies are created equal, and not all of them are safe.
Recently I got a perfectly understandable question on social media. Actually, it was in two parts:
Why wouldn’t you borrow as much as the bank will let you?
Why would you even bother paying off your own home?
I get why someone would ask this. Around 80% of the marketing you see on social media in the finance space is from businesses promoting the purchase of investment properties. And surprise, surprise the people saying this are usually in the business of selling property. That’s a built-in conflict of interest.
When you have a spare $500 and are wondering whether to spend it or save it, why not consider a third option?
Invest it. Make a commitment to your financial future, instead of wasting it on purchases that will deliver only temporary pleasure.
Invest that $500 and watch it grow. Here’s how.
We often think investing is about the numbers: profit margins, balance sheets, dividend yields, and all that jazz. And yes, they’re important—but if you ask me, there’s something even more…
Brie is a 30 year old who, like about 7% of working Australians, has two jobs: her main job is as a learning support assistant at a primary school, where she works about 30 hours a week, and she also works one night a week as a disability support provider. Brie earns $1,760 a week from her main job, and $600 a week from her second job, totalling $2,360 a week.
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