If you’ve taken a look at your finances recently, you may have found yourself with a few debts. While it’s possible to pay them off by simply keeping up your minimum repayments, you may want to get them sorted quicker. If so, here’s a few simple steps to help you pay off your debts sooner … Read more
Is money the key to happiness? Numerous research reports and studies agree having more money can lead to improved wellbeing, but only up to a point. It seems that once your personal income cruises past roughly the six-figure mark, you can’t expect to get any happier from having more. How you spend your money, on … Read more
When you access your super at retirement your super fund may ask you to sign a declaration stating that you intend to never be employed again. But there may be compelling reasons why someone would subsequently return to work. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the most common reasons retirees return to full … Read more
According to recent research from Mortgage Choice and Core Data, 35% of Australians give in to the temptation to spend money to keep up appearances. It seems that more than a third of us can’t help but follow the urge to upgrade our current lifestyle, even if that means missing out on important future goals … Read more
In the cooler months we spend a lot more time getting cosy inside. Why not use some of that quality indoors time to give your finances and future plans a little love? Dust off your budget Has your budget been gathering cobwebs? Or maybe you haven’t made one in a while, if at all? There’s … Read more
In the simplest terms, investing your money means buying an asset with the expectation of earning returns from ownership of that asset. If you own an investment property, for example, you can expect to receive rent as income. But if you then sell the property for a higher price than you paid, you’ve increased your … Read more
Housing is the most important asset owned by the majority of Australian households, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). A house not only serves as a place to live, but as a long-term investment, a measure of household wealth and a source of consumer spending. Therefore, a change in house prices can have … Read more
We like to think we’re rational beings. But the reality is that a lot of our daily behaviour is influenced by our subconscious. Behavioural scientists have looked at the way human beings are wired and discovered some ‘cognitive biases’ that influence our everyday behaviour. So if you find yourself clicking on that Amazon special or … Read more
Borrowing, or gearing, can help you accelerate your wealth creation. It can allow you to buy assets such as an investment property, or shares that you may not be able to afford outright. However, borrowing to invest is considered a high risk strategy and can result in you losing more than your invested capital. Before … Read more
Your super returns may be doing ok, but could they be better? Being actively involved in how and where your super is invested, could make a real difference to your retirement savings over the long-term. This article considers four examples of investment strategies for your super. The importance of diversification Before we discuss the various … Read more