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Your recession survival guide

8 November, 202310 January, 2024 Updated on10 January, 2024 Economy, Education, Finance

In the ever-fluctuating world of economics, recessions are an inevitable part of the financial cycle.

While they can be daunting, understanding their nature and preparing for their impact can make a significant difference in weathering the storm.

Understanding Recessions

At its core, a recession represents a period where economic activity contracts, often reflected in consecutive quarters of negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth. This contraction is not just a statistic on a chart; it resonates through various facets of the economy.

Employment opportunities might become scarcer, leading to job losses or reduced working hours. Households might witness a dip in their income levels, which in turn affects their purchasing power. Consequently, consumer spending, a significant driver of the economy, takes a hit.

The onset of a recession can occur for various reasons, and often it’s a combination of several factors, rather than just one event.

High inflation rates, for instance, can reduce the value of money, prompting consumers to cut back on spending.

Additionally, rising consumer debt can be problematic. While borrowing can boost economic growth in the short term, too much debt can lead to payment defaults, affecting both households and the banks they borrowed from.

Moreover, unexpected events, such as a global health crisis, can interrupt business operations and reduce consumer demand, leading to economic downturns.

It’s the mix of these local and global factors that highlights the intricate nature of recessions and the importance of understanding them.

Preparing Everyday Expenses for a Recession

1. Budgeting: The cornerstone of financial resilience is a well-planned budget. Track your monthly income and expenses, prioritise necessities, and cut back on luxuries. This will not only help you save but also give you a clear picture of where your money goes.

2. Debt Reduction: High-interest debts can cripple your finances. Focus on paying off high-interest debts first, like credit card balances. Consider consolidating your debts or negotiating with lenders for better terms.

3. Emergency Fund: An emergency fund acts as a financial cushion. Aim to save at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses. This fund can be a lifesaver if you face job loss or unexpected expenses during a recession.

Fortifying Your Savings for a Recession

1. Automatic Savings: Set up an automatic transfer to your savings account each month. This ensures you’re consistently saving, making it less tempting to spend that money elsewhere.

2. Diversify Your Savings: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Consider diversifying your savings across different accounts or financial institutions. This can protect your money from bank failures or other unforeseen events.

3. Liquidity is Key: In uncertain times, having access to your savings can be crucial. While long-term deposits or high-yield accounts might offer better interest rates, ensure a portion of your savings is in easily accessible accounts, like a regular savings account or a money market account. This ensures you can quickly access funds without penalties or waiting periods should the need arise.

Navigating Investments During a Recession

1. Review Your Strategy: Recessions are not the time for hasty decisions. Re-evaluate your investment strategy in light of the current economic climate. Ensure your portfolio aligns with your long-term financial goals.

2. Seek Professional Advice: If you’re unsure about your investments, consult a financial adviser. They can provide insights tailored to your situation and help you make informed decisions.

3. Avoid Impulsive Moves: It’s natural to feel anxious during economic downturns. However, making impulsive investment decisions based on fear can lead to significant losses. Stay informed, be patient, and remember that recessions are temporary.

Recessions, while challenging, are a natural part of the economic cycle. By understanding their nature and preparing in advance, you can not only survive, but thrive, during these times.

Remember, the key is to be proactive, stay informed, and make well-considered financial decisions. With the right strategies in place, you can navigate any economic storm with confidence!

The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. 

Federal Government’s October 2022 Budget

9 November, 20229 November, 2022 Economy

A sudden uptick in the unemployment rate and slower economic growth combined with continued strong inflationary pressures are set to test the Australian economy during the next two years, according to the Federal Government’s 2022 October Budget. While record commodity prices and higher Government revenues have provided some relief reducing the annual budget deficit from $78 billion to $36.9 billion, the economic outlook remains uncertain. Government spending will continue to outpace revenue with Canberra doing little to address the long-term structural difficulties contained within the budget, despite trying to restrain spending in order to limit inflationary pressures within the economy. Perhaps more importantly is the very real possibility that the Australian economy could tip into recession next year with unemployment set to spike at 5.5 per cent while economic growth is expected to slow to just 1.5 per cent. Global political and economic uncertainty cast a long shadow over this budget, with the Government allocating some $1.4 billion in aid to Pacific nations during coming years – one of the few areas of higher Government spending. Despite keeping a tight hold on outlays, the budget centrepiece is a pledge to build 1 million new houses across the nation during the next five years, in an attempt to alleviate the country’s chronic housing and rental shortages. Nonetheless, households will continue to face their own tough budgetary realities with energy prices tipped to explode by more than 56 per cent in the two years ahead and real wages expected to continue to fall. Fearful of pushing domestic inflation even higher, the Budget contains no cash relief or direct subsidies for households facing increasing cost of living pressures from higher energy costs, higher fuel prices and higher interest rates. Medicines will become cheaper with the maximum general co-payment for medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme cut from $42.50 to $30 while an additional 17 million scripts will now receive Government subsidies to reduce their cost to patients. In the meantime, the Government has left the door open to review the much-debated 2024 income tax cuts, which are focused on providing tax relief for high income earners, particularly wage earners who have been adversely impacted by ‘bracket-creep”. The former Government’s much talked about commuter car park programs have been axed along with $1.7 billion slashed from various Government regional dams’ projects over the next four years and $4.6 billion over the next twelve years. While the Government has promised to spend $1 billion to create 180,000 additional fee-free TAFE and vocational training places, little has been done to support small business, emerging from two years of pandemic created restrictions and tough trading conditions. Nonetheless, the whole country will benefit from the Government’s commitment to move to a low carbon economy and its “Rewiring the Nation” program is set to improve energy transmission and connect new renewable energy projects to the nation’s electricity grid. $800 million has been set aside for Powering Australia, which plans to cut taxes on electric vehicles, invest in a national EV charging network and provide solar battery storage for up to 100,000 Australian homes. The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice.

Millennials & Money – your unique needs

25 September, 20198 September, 2022 Updated on8 September, 2022 Finance

If you entered the world between 1980 and 1996 you’re part of the “millennial generation”. You’ve grown up in an age of unprecedented abundance and incredible technical innovation, and as a group, enjoy a greater wealth of opportunity – professionally, socially and recreationally – than any previous generation. Many goods and services have never been cheaper in real terms, allowing you to live more for today than adopting your parents’ and grandparents’ single-minded focus on buying a home and saving for retirement. Career or a combo? That’s not to say you don’t face challenges. Increased employment casualisation, short-term contracting, and the threat of automation, can potentially threaten your job security. Or you might actually embrace a ‘come and go’ career, interweaving periods of work with stints of travel, child-raising or volunteering. Indeed, many millennials are discovering that the whole concept of work versus recreation is becoming blurred. With a computer the primary tool of trade in many professions, you may be able to work just as easily from a spare bedroom in Berlin or Barcelona as in Parramatta or Perth. Medical advances promise a long and healthy life, meaning you may not even intend to ‘retire’, choosing to work for as long as health allows. Is home ownership that important? Some of your cohort find it liberating not to be tied down to one place by a mortgage and a heap of stuff, however the likelihood is that if you haven’t bought a house already, you still aspire to the great Australian dream of home ownership. This is a real challenge particularly for younger millennials and may involve unacceptable compromises such as living a long distance from work. But attitudes to long-term renting are changing. While Australia has yet to develop both the culture and cooperative ownership structures that make life-long home rental the norm in some countries, it’s a sure bet that enterprising millennials are working to change that. In any case, renting can be an economically viable alternative to buying. There’s an app for that Whether it’s finding a meaningful job, financing a new venture through crowd funding, borrowing through P2P platforms, finding a house or just a room, or even looking for love, you know where to find the apps. Still, with the mass of opportunities that have arisen from greater connection and changing social attitudes, life is in many ways more complicated than it was for your forebears. Let’s talk about money Managing money is no exception. For a start, there’s the challenge of working out what the right balance is between funding a desirable lifestyle now and saving for medium and long term goals. Once that’s decided there are the questions of how to save and where to invest. The Internet is awash with information and advice, with much of it of a high standard. Unfortunately this is balanced by a vast amount of misinformation and an abundance of shonky investment offers, making it difficult to distinguish the good from the bad. Fortunately, help is at hand. We’ve made it our business to understand the wants and needs of all generations. There is more to life than saving for retirement and maximising entitlement to the age pension. If you have that millennial feeling and need some advice on how to manage your unique financial needs to get as much out of life as possible, explore our website a little more, find us on Adviser Ratings, then contact us for a chat. This is general information only

Why financial advice may be your best investment

30 March, 202223 March, 2022 Updated on23 March, 2022 Education, Investing

It is commonly assumed that seeking financial advice is for the wealthy, and it only helps the rich become richer, yet financial advice can prove useful to anyone who wishes to better their financial future. Financial advice is like getting a health check-up for your financial situation. Your financial adviser is like your personal trainer, assisting you in achieving your best possible financial health. Seeking professional financial advice provides you with a clear path to achieve your financial goals, and that is an investment worth making. Why invest in financial advice? Financial advice isn’t only about investing your money in the share market. Want to save to buy your first home? Want to protect your children in case of your death? Want to enjoy a comfortable retirement? Don’t understand what to do with your super or how to invest in the share market? Think of a financial adviser as a one-stop shop for the majority of your financial issues in life. Come to think of it, be it your parents telling you to save money from your first job or an Instagram ‘finfluencer’ explaining the benefits of compound interest while dancing to a trendy song, these are all informal pieces of financial advice you receive throughout your lifetime. However, a professional adviser can legally provide holistic advice by reviewing your entire financial situation and your risk-taking capacity to recommend an appropriate investment portfolio. Also, an adviser’s investment recommendations are based on research which can give you comfort over your decisions rather than constantly worrying about the investment you made based on your work colleague’s stock ‘tip’. Is financial advice cost effective? The financial advice industry has undergone a monumental transformation following the Financial Services Royal Commission of 2017-2019. As a result, new education and compliance requirements have been legislated to further protect the client’s best interests. This has led to a drop in the number of financial advisers Australia-wide – from approximately 28,000 in 2018 to just 19,000 in 2021. The silver lining here is that while there are fewer advisers to choose from, the quality of advice is deemed to improve exponentially. As per Russell Investments “Value of an Adviser” report, advisers added a value of approximately 5.2 per cent to their client’s portfolios in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the true value of financial advice is much more than comparing the fees you pay against the performance of your investments, or the tax saved on your income. A financial adviser can be a sounding board for your financial ideas, a resource to answer the simplest or most complex of queries, provide research-backed recommendations, and guide you over the long term based on their experience. Ready to make the investment? Your day to day job may not allow you to focus on the financial aspect of your life. In contrast, your financial adviser’s primary daily responsibility is to help you handle your finances efficiently. So, are you ready for your financial check-up? Take the first step and book an appointment with us today. The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice.

Turbo boost your retirement savings

18 November, 202017 September, 2021 Updated on17 September, 2021 Retirement, Superannuation

Once your mortgage and other financial commitments are manageable, it is usually time to put the pedal down on your super. Those prime income years, between age 40 and 50 in particular, should be used constructively. However, the task may not always be easy. Many couples choose to have children later and as a result, parents’ financial responsibilities can now often extend well into their 50s, even 60s. Furthermore, the earning opportunities for many people over age 50 often begin to decline. Other factors can also disrupt retirement savings planning – time out of the workforce to raise a family, periods of unemployment or extended illness are but a few. Is there a logical solution? Usually, the least painful (and most disciplined) option is to use a superannuation salary sacrifice arrangement. For most employed people on high incomes this can represent a useful and straightforward method of bolstering retirement provisions. It works like this You agree to forego a specified amount of future salary and in return your employer makes additional future super contributions for an equivalent amount. This means your extra long-term saving starts to accrue faster, pay by pay. “Sacrificing” salary to super is also a tax-effective form of remuneration because if the arrangement is put together correctly, no personal income or fringe benefits tax is payable on the extra amount of contribution. You do need to keep in mind the impact of superannuation contribution limits however we can provide guidance on this issue. Consider this case study: Michael is 45 and he and his wife Marie have been working away at their mortgage for some time. Now they are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. Michael’s employer has been contributing 10% of his $110,000 remuneration package to superannuation ($11,000 per annum). Michael thinks that he may now be able to afford more, but he is not all that happy with the employer’s fund investment options. He discusses the situation with Marie and their adviser. Together they agree that Michael should set up a new super fund with a different provider and increase his contribution to 15% of salary. From the next fortnightly pay, Michael’s pre-tax salary is lower by $211.54 but the amount he actually receives will be lower by only $129.04 (since he will pay $82.50 less personal income tax as well). The $211.54 pre-tax amount was paid directly into Michael’s new super account. This means that his total after-tax super contributions for the next year will be $14,025 net instead of $9,350 and he has been able to select a fund that meets his needs. Salary sacrifice to super is just one way in which you can enhance your retirement provisions. If you would like more information about the options, talk to us today and we can assist you in determining what is right for you. The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice.

“Tap and go” and then what?

2 March, 202224 February, 2022 Updated on24 February, 2022 Budgeting

Talk about hammering the plastic. In November 2021, Australia’s 13.2 million credit card accounts were used to make over 292 million transactions with a total value of $31.9 billion. Card holders who don’t pay their balances in full every month are currently paying interest on more than $18 billion worth of credit card debt. Interest rates range from 10% to 22% per annum so that adds up to billions of interest owing – and growing! It’s not just the easy money that cards provide; it’s the easy form of delivery via “tap and go” that’s pushing our debt to extraordinary levels. The quicker the transaction, the less thought or planning required. Pay now and think about it (and deal with it) later. Don’t become a statistic – here are some things to look out for plus a few tips. Traps Over 40% of credit card spending goes on groceries and utilities. While this isn’t a problem if you pay off your card balance in full each month, if you’re paying interest just so you can buy the necessities of life, it’s a real danger sign that you may be living beyond your means. Most credit limits are well beyond cardholder needs. On average, Australians only use about a third of their available credit limits each month. However, by giving you a higher credit limit card issuers hope temptation will get the better of you. If that means you can’t pay off your entire balance each month you’ll end up paying them lots of interest. Tips Financial institutions can only offer to increase your credit limit if you specifically ‘opt in’. This can be done in writing or over the phone. However, it’s prudent to withhold this permission to keep your limit under control. You can always apply for a once-off increase if you really need to. Switch to a reloadable (prepaid) credit card. Like a debit card it means you are using your own money with the added advantages that you can pre-set a limit on your spending and reduce the risks associated with buying online. Prepaid cards are available from banks, other financial institutions, and Australia Post. Make sure you check any fees and charges before buying one. If you sign up for a new card for an interest-free purchase, pay it off during the interest-free period then cancel the card before the renewal fee is automatically charged. There is no point paying an annual fee if you’re not going to use the card. And a myth Many people think that it is only lower income earners who are susceptible to the siren call of easy credit. But like the Sirens of Greek folklore themselves, it’s a myth. In fact, higher income earners also rack up huge balances on gold, platinum and diamond cards, and can experience real difficulty in paying them off. If your credit cards are more an enemy than a friend, a financial adviser will be able to suggest a range of solutions to get you back on track. The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice.

Quarterly Economic Update: Oct – Dec 2023

10 January, 202410 January, 2024 Economy, Finance, Investing

Global growth is forecast to slow and remain below its historical average in 2024, reflective of tighter monetary policy in advanced economies, as well as a soft outlook for China. Australians can expect higher prices, higher interest rates and higher population growth, with economic growth and unemployment decreasing. Inflation continues to bite With a new Governor at the helm of the RBA, and inflation tracking down since its peak in the December quarter 2022, public sentiment hoped that rate rises would be paused. However, the RBA delivered another rate hike at the November 2023 meeting, bringing the official interest rate to 4.35% – the highest level since 2011. It is likely that an increase in the monthly CPI indicator was a key trigger for the RBA to raise rates, as the monthly indicator rose to 5.2 per cent in August, and then rose again to 5.6 per cent in the September data. However, the next monthly data point, for October (which came out after the November rate rise) had inflation decreasing to 4.9 per cent. Services inflation remains high and was the primary driver of stronger-than-expected underlying inflation in the September quarter. Interest rates – will they or won’t they? The RBA continues to be cautious about the inflation outlook for Australia for several reasons: high and sticky inflation in the services market, house prices recovering sooner than anticipated, a tight labour market and increasing population growth due to migration. A survey of 40 economists by the Australian Financial Review shows that the median forecast is that the RBA will start cutting rates in September 2024, whilst the bond market is projecting an easing of rates by mid-2024. The RBA will meet only eight times in 2024, reduced from 11, beginning in February – following an independent review ordered by the Treasury. Coupled with the RBA governor’s commitment to return inflation to the target range of 2-3%, more rate hikes may be on the cards. Holiday spending to remain flat A survey by Roy Morgan forecast shoppers to spend $66.8 billion during the pre-Christmas sales period, only up 0.1% from the same period in 2022, likely as a result of cost of living impacts. Sales spending for the Boxing Day period to December 31 was expected to be about $9 billion, including $3 billion on Boxing Day itself, as retailers prepared larger discounts than usual after a slow year. Hot Property House and unit prices grew steadily in 2023, with a national annual growth rate of 5.42% (6.54% in capital cities). The main drivers include the highest net overseas migration levels ever recorded, few vacant properties and stronger demand for established homes due to the construction industry facing capacity and cost issues. This growth forecast is expected to continue as most experts believe demand for housing will continue to outstrip supply. However, Australia’s cost of living increases and interest rate uncertainty will keep biting—leading to weaker price growth than previous years. The rental market remains in a critical shortage of available dwellings according to SQM Research. Due to the ongoing supply and demand imbalance, the market is expecting capital city rental increases of 7-10% for 2024, on top of an average 10% market increase in 2023. The information provided in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. 

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