Extra payments into super, no matter how tiny, can do a lot for your balance. It doesn’t have to be a regular amount or a big lump sum to make a difference. More bang for your buck Putting money away for spending in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time is a lot to ask. But […]
Ever wondered how the wealthy manage their money and what they do differently from the average Australian? New research* from Colonial First State (CFS) has uncovered seven secret financial habits that will help you build wealth. How do well off Australians create and maintain their wealth? From CFS’ research* over the past two years, there […]
Strong share market returns have caused many portfolios to move out of alignment. Investing is generally about achieving good returns. So, what happens when good returns put your investment portfolio into a higher risk category than you’d prefer? Can one have too much of a good thing? It sounds totally contradictory, yet that’s exactly the […]
Six ways to get more money into your superannuation fund. The start of the 2024-25 financial year on 1 July saw some significant changes come through designed to help working Australians get more money into their superannuation. Fundamentally they involved increases to the statutory amounts individuals can contribute into their super every financial year. The […]
Your financial health is key to the health of your wellbeing, relationships, work and home life. It’s important to have a regular checkup of your financial position to ensure you’re on track and to confirm your money is where you think it is, your investments are performing as they should, and debts are regularly serviced […]
An increasing number of parents are making regular investments into minors’ accounts. October has become a particularly busy investment month for many parents in the United States, and the activity has nothing to do with Halloween. It’s because of two, some might say, quirky annual days in the first couple of weeks of this month, […]
In retirement, every dollar counts and it is worth exploring different strategies to grow your retirement income. Here’s how do it… Use your super wisely If you’re about to retire or are in retirement, it can be tempting to take your superannuation as a lump sum payment. However, this means taking money out of a […]
Looking for higher returns than cash in the bank with less volatility than shares and property? With interest rates generally considered to be at or near their peak, fixed interest investments, such as bonds and other credit investments, may offer an attractive ‘middle ground’. Interest rates represent the cost of borrowing money. They affect how […]
It’s lucky Aussie homeowners are a pretty resilient bunch. All the interest rate rises over the past couple of years have delivered a serious reality check, leaving variable rate home loans higher than they’ve been for a generation. So you need to get your home loan working as hard as possible particularly if your fixed […]
While cash is often viewed as a safe haven, it does have investment risks. Australian households are collectively sitting on close to $1.5 trillion in cash, which for the record is substantially more than the total value of Australian bank notes in circulation. This vast sum represents the amount of cash deposits that were being […]