Five money matters for FY 2019/20
The start of a new financial year brings important changes to address and new opportunities to explore. Here are our top five money matters to consider for 2019/20. Insurance in super New laws that took effect on 1 July 2019 could impact insurance held in super. From...
read moreTraps to avoid in retirement – Leaving it too late to achieve your goals
Most of us had retirement dreams, and couldn’t wait to finish work. So once retired, why haven’t we started ticking items off the bucket list? There’s no time like now for living your dreams. When Tony and Chris retired they had grand plans involving a campervan,...
read moreThe link between financial stress and mental health
If you’ve ever laid awake at night thinking about your finances you’ll know: financial stress can be debilitating. What you may not be aware of is the strong link between financial stress and mental health. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,...
read moreTraps to avoid in retirement – Investing too conservatively
There’s a common view that as you approach retirement you should tilt your investment portfolio towards more conservative investments. This means favouring things like term deposits, annuities and cash management trusts while reducing exposure to more volatile assets...
read moreIt’s been a volatile time in markets. What should you do?
Times like the present are stressful for investors. No one likes to see their wealth fall and uncertainty seems very high. We don’t have a perfect crystal ball, so from the point of sensible long-term investing the following points are worth bearing in mind. First,...
read moreWill I have enough savings to retire on?
Growing older comes with a lot of changes, but that shouldn't apply to your steady income. Here’s what you need to know to keep your retirement on track. You’ve worked hard for the bulk of your adult life and are looking forward to enjoying the spoils of a carefree...
read moreDollar Cost Averaging 101
It’s easier to show how this works, than explain it. Here’s an example of investing $250 a month for 12 months into a hypothetical managed fund. Month Unit price Units purchased 1 $3.00 83.33 2 $2.80 89.29 3 $2.50 100.00 4 $2.60 96.15 5 $2.10 119.05 6 $1.98 126.26 7...
read moreTraps to avoid in retirement – Going too hard too fast
Retirement: you’ve made it! And one of the rewards for all your hard work is that you can now access your superannuation. Suddenly a world of opportunities opens up – a Caribbean cruise, major home renovations or maybe helping your kids reduce some of their debt. Of...
read moreThe benefits of investing in yourself
A growing number of Australians are choosing to return to study as mature-age students. Perhaps caught in the hamster-wheel of mortgage and family, furthering their education wasn’t an option when they were younger. But that was then. Harriet had long fancied setting...
read moreCould a tree-change work for you?
Cleaner air, less traffic, open spaces, lower cost of living…did we mention less traffic? There are any number of reasons to consider a tree change, but if you’re serious about leaving the bright lights behind, better do your homework first. Housing affordability...
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