5 ways to simplify your life

5 ways to simplify your life If managing life’s everyday complexities only seem achievable when you’re daydreaming about the chef, cleaner, personal assistant or nanny that you don’t have, you’re probably not alone. And, if ‘turbulent’ is the way you’d describe your day-to-day routine, these tips may help you get back the hours you need for the things that matter most. 1. Organisation – the Holy Grail Planning yours or the family’s life can take …

Marriage in later life

  Marriage in later life Romance blooms at any age, including as we get older and supposedly wiser about such things of the heart, and head. So, if you’re considering marriage, perhaps for a second time or more, give thought to the financial implications of marrying later in life and sidestepping some of the money-related hazards. Financially, there are two important areas to address. Probably not for the wedding day speeches – but what happens …

A bump in the road, then a new start

A bump in the road, then a new start Taking stock of how your life’s travelling at the start of a new year is a great idea but you might feel more urgency if you’ve recently come to the end of a serious, long term relationship or gone through a divorce. What’s next, you want to know. How do you rebuild your life, is your financial outlook positive, what happens if you find a new …

Fight for the fittest – Insurance discounts for the active

  Fight for the fittest – Insurance discounts for the active Rupert Murdoch wears one, so does Gwyneth Paltrow. Wearable fitness devices are the latest must-have accessory for health conscious media moguls, celebrities and ordinary Australians. So it was only a matter of time until health insurers got behind the trend. Some major health funds have recently launched campaigns to attract new members by offering them free fitness-tracking devices. Wristbands such as Fitbit, Polar Loop, …

Aged Care – Changes to Assessment of Rental Income

Aged Care – Changes to Assessment of Rental Income Leaving the family home to enter residential care is a tough decision. On the one hand, you (or your loved ones) are leaving a place you’ve made your own over decades. On the other hand, those moving in to aged care often experience an immediate boost in quality of life – fewer responsibilities, more time for hobbies, a close-knit community of neighbours, and more. Making the …

Gen Y investing in home and away

  Gen Y investing in home and away Gen Y has been brandished a generation of non-savers but that is not the reality. Gen Y is saving but unlike earlier generations they are not necessarily saving for a home. Some of that move away from saving for a home comes down to the high price of property, particularly in the major cities. According to the Bank for International Settlements, Australian house prices are the second …

New year, new start – are you ready for retirement?

New year, new start – are you ready for retirement? If 2016 is the year you were thinking about retiring, Renata Singer – a writer, community activist and educator who recently released a book called Older and Bolder, Life after 60, actively encourages women in particular, to not give up work too soon. “If you’re feeling the pressure to retire, stay doing what you love and are good at for another ten years,” she insists. …

How You Can Save Money On Back To Back When Shopping For School?

How You Can Save Money On Back To Back When Shopping For School? When the vacations are over, the excitement of children is at their peaks. A new school year is a beautiful new prospect for students each year with parents often rejoicing the steps on the ladder of education by their child. Yet the start of the school year can be a worrying sign for some families that believe firmly in budgets since new …

Live happier, Live Longer Positive Ageing tips from around the world

Live happier, Live Longer  Positive Ageing tips from around the world By Dr. Timothy Sharp Dr. Timothy Sharp is an academic, clinician, coach and founder of the ‘Happiness Institute’. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and at Melbourne’s RMIT University. Did you know, you are more likely to live an extra twenty to thirty years more – another adult lifetime – than your predecessors did, only two or three generations …

After the dust settles, a fresh start…

  After the dust settles, a fresh start… Taking stock of how your life’s travelling at the start of a new year is probably an exercise you’re likely to pursue with greater urgency if you’ve recently come to the end of a serious, long term relationship or gone through a divorce. What’s next, you want to know. How do you rebuild your life, is your financial outlook positive, what happens if you find a new …