Did You Know?

  • Debt: the good, the bad and the ugly 

    Updated on Debt

    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…

  • Should you downsize to boost your super? Pros, cons, and tax implications

    Updated on Superannuation

    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?

  • Help! I’m not ready to retire

    Updated on Retirement

    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!

  • The Hidden Cost of Lifestyle Creep – why upgrading your lifestyle too quickly can slow down long-term goals.

    Updated on Budgeting, Education, Finance

    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.

  • Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund This Year

    Updated on Tax

    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.

  • Steps that lead to a successful employee to entrepreneur move

    Updated on Education, Finance

    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.

  • The Truth About Paying Off Your Home Loan in 7–10 Years

    Updated on Debt

    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.

  • Why I Don’t Believe in Borrowing to the Max? (and Why Paying Off Your Home Still Matters) 

    Debt

    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.

  • How to start investing with just $500

    Investing

    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.

  • Juggling Two Jobs? Watch This Gap

    Updated on Insurance, Superannuation

    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. 

  • Estate planning for blended families – proceed with care 

    Education, Retirement

    Despite a slowdown in Australian economic and productivity growth in the last five years, Australia’s economy is usually considered strong and resilient when compared with other developed nations. Given our economic strength, why would anyone want to invest anywhere else? 

    To answer this question, let’s consider what stocks might be included in a share portfolio with an international focus.  

    For simplicity purposes, we will look into the portfolios of a leading provider of index managed funds and their top 10 holdings. These funds tend to be passively rather than actively traded, and seek to reflect their chosen share index over the medium-to-long term.

  • Super contributions explained . . . easily 

    Updated on Education, Superannuation

    A client once shared a poignant regret:
    “When I was working and the kids were young, I saved too much. It restricted what we did when the family was together.”
    This simple reflection struck a chord with me. It got me thinking about the delicate balance between saving for the future and living fully in the present. While we all know the importance of financial security, is it possible to save too much—at the expense of the moments that matter most?

  • Quarterly Economic Update: Feb-Apr 2025

    Updated on Economy, Investing

    A client once shared a poignant regret:
    “When I was working and the kids were young, I saved too much. It restricted what we did when the family was together.”
    This simple reflection struck a chord with me. It got me thinking about the delicate balance between saving for the future and living fully in the present. While we all know the importance of financial security, is it possible to save too much—at the expense of the moments that matter most?

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