Rising property prices have led many people to look for ways to unlock the increased equity in their homes so they enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in their golden years. For most of us, our homes represent the biggest or most significant portion of our wealth. But it’s an asset that
If money’s too tight to mention, here’s some small steps that can make a big difference in achieving your financial goals. How would you rate your level of financial wellness? Do you think you’re in a good position to meet your immediate and near-term financial obligations? What about your long-term
Why invest in property? Investing in property is a popular choice for many people as you can both earn rental income and benefit from capital growth. Another advantage of investing in property is the ability to negatively gear the property. Negative gearing allows you to deduct some of your costs from
Here’s some easy money management skills for children of different ages. Teaching good financial habits, such as saving and budgeting, is one of the best ways to prepare children to have a secure financial future. It’s never too early or late to start talking about money with your children —
Analysts have many financial measures to value companies. Here’s a brief overview. Share market investment analysts thrive on numbers. So, when you read reports about markets or specific companies being “overvalued” or “undervalued”, you can generally assume there’s been a fair bit of analytical number crunching going on behind the
Consider the expenses involved in refinancing If you’re debating whether to refinance your home loan, you need to think about whether the benefits of switching home loans will outweigh the costs involved. There are a number of expenses to consider, including charges and fees from your current lender (and from
Retirement means different things to everyone. It may be a definite point in time when you stop work, and begin a new phase of life. Or it may be a gradual process where you vary working hours as your priorities shift. You might decide to leave employment and return to
How capital gains or losses apply When you sell or dispose of a rental property you may make a capital gain or loss. A capital gain or loss is the difference between what it cost you to obtain and improve the property (the cost base) and the amount you receive
Recently, negative gearing has been making waves in the news and with rental affordability becoming a serious issue in Australia, various political parties have weighed in. While some argue that it’s a vital tool for encouraging investment in housing and fixing the housing crisis, others believe it fuels property price
Term deposits let you invest for a set amount of time and get a fixed interest rate. They can be useful when saving for bigger items like a car or investing when you want to be certain about the interest you’ll earn. If you want to save but might need
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is becoming more prevalent in our society and although there are many early adopters of AI, there is still a very high percentage of people who have reservations about how this type of technology can or could enhance our lives, not only in the workplace but
Interest rates are officially on hold, but unofficially they’re not. Don’t expect an official rate cut anytime soon. That was the latest message from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) as it kept its policy cash rate on hold at 4.35% and ruled out any near-term prospect of an official
