Cyber criminals are targeting people based on personal details and preferences – and reeling them in with professional looking follow ups. Find out how to protect yourself. Next time you like or follow a friend or a brand on social media, keep in mind that it may not be just your friends and family who …
Planning for retirement is a daunting task but it’s too important not to think about – especially for women. Fortunately, there are some small steps women can take today to protect and grow their finances for the future. It’s probably no surprise to hear that Australian women often retire with less money saved up than …
The total superannuation balance or TSB was a significant change introduced as part of the Government’s superannuation reform package, taking effect on 1 July 2017. However, unlike other changes, such as the pension transfer balance cap, the total superannuation balance has generally been overlooked despite its broad implications. If legislated, the Federal Government’s proposal means …
Investing your money may be an effective way to help you build long-term wealth. While it can seem overwhelming at times, given the breadth of options available, you don’t need to be a financial expert to be successful at it. But as Warren Buffet says: “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.[i] So understanding …
How could the proposals impact you and your finances? May 2024 The 2024 Federal Budget provides cost of living relief through 1 July tax cuts, lower power bills, higher welfare payments and support for small businesses. Note: These changes are proposals only and may or may not be made law. You should speak to your …
The First Home Super Saver Scheme is a valuable initiative to help first time buyers overcome the challenges of entering the property market. Purchasing a home is a significant financial milestone, but the ever increasing property prices make it challenging for first time buyers in Australia to enter the market. To help ease this burden, …
Government Age Pension payments increased on 20 March, so if you’re one of the millions of eligible Australians, you’ll have a little more to spend. The increases are designed to help address inflation and cost of living increases. Here’s what happened. Age Pension payments increase in March 2024 due to indexation Here are the maximum …
Encouragingly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its global growth forecast for 2024, following ‘surprisingly resilient’ economic conditions. IMF officials now expect global GDP growth of 3.2% this year. Despite this positive news, major share markets lost ground in April following five months of unbroken gains. Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, particularly in the Middle East, was …
Cash has been one of the best performing defensive assets over the past three years. When compared with global bonds (a riskier asset class), a typical portfolio of term deposits would have returned a cumulative 12.6% in comparison to -8.5% for global bonds over the three years to December 2023. With interest rates expected to …
With the Australian dollar trading below long-term averages and expected to rise as the US dollar peaks, it’s time to think about protecting overseas investments with hedging. The following are the reasons why: Hedging can offset currency movements Rising AUD could crimp returns on overseas assets. The Aussie dollar is below its long-term average against …