As we commence another year and ponder how fast the last 12 months have come and gone, many of us find ourselves thinking about the year to come and our aspirations for the future. Now is the time to reflect on what we have achieved; where we want to go; and what we need to […]

This article is the first in a mini series titled: ‘Traps to avoid in retirement’. This first article details the many choices you have in retirement once you can access your Super and the importance of making the right decisions. Retirement: you’ve made it!  And one of the rewards for all your hard work is […]

We all want to give our children a head start in life.  This three-step article will help you to instil sound financial habits in your children by setting the foundations of good money management and savings now. For many of us, our first experience of banking and savings was the school Savings Account Program.  But […]

Move over debit and credit cards; consumers are flocking to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services. Afterpay, Zip Pay and several similar payment solutions allow shoppers to take home their goodies now while paying them off via a few weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments. There’s no interest payable as such, although fees are charged for […]

While cuts in interest rates are greeted with glee by homebuyers and other borrowers, for the millions of retirees and others who depend on interest payments for their income, falling interest rates can be a disaster. For them, a drop in interest rates from 4% to 3% equates to a 25% drop in income. If […]

Just as night follows day, it seems part of the regular cycle of the world’s share markets that downturns and falling prices follow good times and rising prices. The impact of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic was typical of such downturns, prompting a 35 per cent sell off in world share markets and a dramatic fall […]

When we get to the end of another year, we often feel the stress and events of the last 12 months weigh on us. As we head into the holiday season, the overwhelming pressure and stress of spending can take a toll. You don’t need to keep up with the Jones’ at Christmas, or any […]

With premiums often running to thousands of dollars per year, whether or not to take out private health insurance is a major financial decision. Here are some of the key issues you need to consider in making that decision. Why go private? There are two main types of private health insurance: hospital cover, and general […]

When Jack and Jill met through mutual friends, they hit it off immediately. Both had previously been married and, besides having a child each, found they had quite a lot in common. Dinner dates quickly morphed into family-style outings with their children, to the zoo or adventure theme parks, and soon the couple was talking […]

COVID-19 remained the big story of the last quarter. Tragically, by the end of September the pandemic had caused over one million deaths. That was up by 500,000 since the end of the previous quarter, and many countries were experiencing devastating ‘second waves’. While most of Australia managed to keep case numbers of coronavirus at […]