Living longer, living well

  Living longer, living well A century ago few Australians lived long enough to enjoy a life after work.i These days, the average retiree can look forward to almost two decades of travelling, playing with the grandkids and generally enjoying life. In fact, a baby born today can expect to live to 91 if it is a boy and 93 if it is a girl. According to the latest government figures, the number of Australians aged …

Top places to retire in Australia and overseas

Top places to retire in Australia and overseas As Australia’s cost of living continues to rise, more and more retirees are seeking value for money–and not always in their own backyards. While some Aussies choose to stay in the family home in retirement, many are stretching their wings and enjoying life elsewhere in Australia, and overseas. Retirement hotspots in Australia Popular retirement destinations in Australia offer unique attractions: Sunshine Coast, QLD–a relaxed community atmosphere, local …

Four tactics to build an investment portfolio

  Four tactics to build an investment portfolio by Jeff Rogers, Chief Investment Officer, ipac Investment Management Learn strategies to help you focus on long-term wealth accumulation, so you can fund your aspirations for retirement. An increasing number of Australians are hitting retirement age, and more people are now seriously addressing the question of how they actually want to spend their retirement and how they will fund those aspirations. If you already have investment strategies …

Paying your bills in retirement

  Paying your bills in retirement Retirees and those nearing retirement have learned the hard way the importance of holding a portion of their nest egg in low-risk fixed income investments. During the financial crisis cash and bonds not only outperformed shares and property, they helped investors protect their capital and pay the bills.1 Now that interest rates on most term deposits are below four percent 2 and the official cash rate is at record …

Tips & traps of working part-time

Tips & traps of working part-time Can you live the dream? If you’ve ever daydreamed about working less hours, returning to a shorter week after having a baby or reducing your work days before retirement, there’s a lot to consider before making the move to a changed lifestyle. Australia has one of the highest rates of part-time, temporary or self-employed workers in the world (over 35%)1 who earn more per hour than their full-time colleagues. …

Money Saving Secrets For Housewives

Money Saving Secrets For Housewives Become a Financially Savvy Housewife! Housewives usually don’t get the same level of acknowledgement as working women do- and you want to know why? That’s because they don’t earn! Bitter, as it may sound, but you can’t deny the truth. No matter, how much your husband loves you, if you have only added to his financial responsibilities- he might become frustrated.  But there is no need to lose hope! You …

Tips for selling your home

Tips for selling your home How to prepare your property for a successful sale Property is a hot topic. Like most of us, you’ve probably found yourself around the backyard BBQ discussing house prices, interest rates and local demand. But we don’t tend to move that often – more than half of us have been in our present house for over five years.[1] So if you’re selling your house it’s important to get it right. …

The Power of Budgeting

The Power of Budgeting A budget can help you work out what you’re spending money on and when Are you aware you need to change your spending habits, but not sure where to start? A budget can help you get back to basics and work out what’s going where and when. Whatever your plans, a budget can help you to: get more organised with your finances cut down spending in areas you have a tendency …

Help achieve your investment goals with dynamic asset allocation

  Help achieve your investment goals with dynamic asset allocation It goes without saying that the investment landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Deleveraging has become an ongoing theme; central banks have played a significant role in guiding the economy and extreme swings in investor sentiment have all contributed to market volatility. All this will likely continue to impact the reliability of future investment returns. Investment cycles prevail The fundamental principle underpinning a dynamic …

Grandparents unsung childcare heroes

  Grandparents unsung childcare heroes It’s meant to be a time to kick back and pursue all those interests you put aside while you worked and raised a family. But increasingly, grandparents are being called on to fill the gaps in Australia’s formal childcare system while their adult children go out to work. Grandparents provide a staggering 23 per cent of all childcare to children under 12 in Australia, according to a recent AMP NATSEM …