This is the fifth article in the mini-series: Traps to avoid in retirement. This article explains how carrying debt into retirement can be a burden and explains ways in which you can avoid or manage debt in retirement. Increased housing costs and low wage growth are seeing more Australians carry higher levels of debt into […]

This is an in-depth view of what’s involved in buying a home. It answers 12 questions starting with preparing to borrow through to explaining interest rates and a calculation to show what portion of a loan is taken up by interest. Ready to make the leap from renting to buying a home? Well, before you […]

Older people tend to be very private around subjects like their finances, estate planning and aged care, etc. This article provides information around what you should be discussing with an elderly relative, and how to open a two-way conversation that puts everyone’s mind at rest. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. None of us likes to consider our own mortality. […]

This is the fourth instalment in the mini-series: Traps to avoid in retirement.  This article discusses why it is important not to ignore estate planning and provides a checklist to help get your estate planning on track.   Don’t have a Will? You’re in good company.  Less than half of Australian adults do.  Even then, […]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that Australians aged 65 years and over account for 16% of the population – and that figure is rising. Whether you’re concerned about your future self or a loved one, aged care is an issue most of us will have to manage at some time in our lives. […]

Buying an investment property is a well-worn road to riches for many Australians. Despite a few ups and downs residential housing has delivered strong returns over many years, and experts predict property prices will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. The key driver of this growth is record low interest rates. On the one […]

This is the third article in the mini series titled: ‘Leaving it too late to achieve your goals’. Most of us had retirement dreams and could not wait to finish work. So once retired, why haven’t we started ticking items off the bucket list? There is no time like the present for living your dreams. […]

Did you have a savings account when you were young? It was not uncommon and those old Passbook accounts funded many a first car. Now you are a parent, are you thinking of opening an account for your kids? Record low interest rates have taken some of the fun out of watching bank accounts grow, […]

Virtual currencies, or cyber currencies, are both a medium of exchange and a store of value, just like traditional money. However, unlike banknotes or coins cyber currencies exist only as digital data stored in computers. Trading in virtual currencies requires membership in an online community connected by appropriate software, with the value usually being determined […]

This is the second article in the mini series titled: ‘Traps to avoid in retirement’. There’s a common view that as you approach retirement you should tilt your investment portfolio towards more conservative investments. This means favouring things like term deposits, annuities and cash management trusts while reducing exposure to more volatile assets such as […]