It’s never too early to start saving
Thousands of kids have just finished either high school or university and are about to enter the full-time workforce for the first time. This...
The money missing from your Will
Estate planning is complicated! From experience, most people are unaware that their superannuation does not form part of their estate and therefore is not...
What happens when a business partner dies?
Most of us are aware that there will be financial consequences if we lose our husband or wife and understand that this event is...
Is the housing bubble about to burst?
Earlier this month, Channel Nine’s ‘60 Minutes’ program ran a segment suggesting that Australia is about to see the biggest property crash in our...
The dangers of credit cards
Credit cards are the easiest way for people (especially young people), to get themselves into financial difficulty. It is easy to obtain credit, it...
The important difference between price and value
When developing a spending plan (or budget), an easy trap to fall into is focusing on the cost of something as opposed to the...
How much money do you need to retire?
Last week, I was reviewing a client who was overly worried that she would essentially be living on the poverty line in retirement. Thankfully,...
Pensioners and the assets test
The rules surrounding Centrelink entitlements are quite complex. It is therefore extremely important, when developing retirement strategies, to be mindful of the Centrelink implications.
Most...
Fixed or variable?
In a “practice what you preach” moment, I’m currently reviewing my finances and part of that process involves addressing my mortgage. I’m happy with...
Tough week for finance industry
As a Financial Planner who is proud of what my colleagues, my competitors and I are able to do for our clients, I have...
Income streams after retirement
The superannuation system is designed to build wealth in order to provide us with income in our retirement years.
Once we retire and need income,...
Getting the right advice at the right time
As life changes, so do our financial planning needs. This week, I have created a list of some important life events that are commonplace...
Why you need to review your financial products regularly
I’ve written about this previously, but I never cease to be amazed at how lackadaisical many people are about their financial products despite it...
Early access to our super
From social media platforms to conversations in the pub, people often want to know if they are able to access their super to pay...
Emotions guiding our investment decisions
All too often, human nature causes us to be overly influenced by our emotions rather than logic. This is particularly relevant when it comes...
How to boost your retirement savings
We all know the old adage, if it seems too good to be true it probably is! This is almost always the case; however...
Helping your kids enter the property market
It has never been harder to enter the housing market with the average household now spending 40 per cent of net income on their...
The difference the right insurance can make
Coincidentally, I spoke to two tradies recently who both suffered serious long-term injuries from seemingly innocuous workplace falls, with vastly different results.
The first tradie...
Investment bonds still have a place
In the 70’s and 80’s an investment bond, also known as an insurance bond, was a very popular investment vehicle that went out of...
Managing your time (and money)
Ever heard the saying ‘time is money?’ There a lot of similarities between the two. Just like money, you can spend time on friends...