Category: FP – Credit & Finance

New legislation aims to benefit first home buyers and downsizers

New legislation aims to benefit first home buyers and downsizers Changes aimed at improving housing affordability have passed through parliament. See what the new rules could mean for you. Government proposals around improving housing affordability in Australia were passed through parliament on 7 December 2017.i As part of the changes, first home buyers will be given a tax concession through the ability to save for a home deposit inside super, while Australians aged 65 and …

Blog / FP - Budgeting / FP - Credit & Finance / FP - Pre - Retirement Planning / FP - Property & Real Estate / FP - Retirement   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Personal debt – maybe the mortgage isn’t so bad

Personal debt – maybe the mortgage isn’t so bad Household debt in Australia is high but more of us are taking a sensible approach to debt management. Nationally, our household debt ratio is nudging 200%. On paper it means we owe twice as much in debt as we bring home in our pay packets each year. It sounds like an alarming figure but as 74% of all households have some level of debt, the reality …

Blog / E - Paul Clitheroe / FP - Credit & Finance / FP - Managing Money / FP - Money Management   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

What are the benefits of a split home loan?

What are the benefits of a split home loan? If you can’t decide between a fixed or variable rate, a split rate home loan could provide the best of both worlds. If you’re about to take out a home loan and are looking for some protection against interest rate rises, a fixed rate home loan may sound like the loan for you. On the other hand, if you don’t want to miss out on the benefits of …

Blog / FP - Credit & Finance / FP - Financial Planning / FP - Property & Real Estate   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Bitcoin – is it really for you?

Bitcoin – is it really for you? If I could sum up the contents of my junk emails over the last 12 months in a single word it would be: Bitcoin. I can’t tell you how many unsolicited invitations I’ve received to start trading bitcoin – you may have experienced the same thing. This alone is a concern but when heavy hitters like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) start calling out the risks of bitcoin, …

Blog / E - Paul Clitheroe / FP - Credit & Finance / FP - Managing Money   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Are Australian households more vulnerable than we think?

  Are Australian households more vulnerable than we think? A lot has been said and written about Australia’s household debt levels and possible implications on the banking system and the economy more broadly. But could Australian households be even more constrained than the headline numbers are suggesting? Michele Bullock, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Assistant Governor, highlights the stresses households will likely be facing well before any rise official interest rate materialises in this speech. Bullock points …

Blog / E - Insights Papers / FP - Credit & Finance   / / / / / /

What high household debt means for investors

What high household debt means for investors “High house-hold debt is Australia’s Achilles heel,” says AMP Capital Head of Investment Strategy and Economics and Chief Economist, Shane Oliver. “I’ve been thinking this for many years now and yet it seems to keep going higher.” Latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics puts total household liabilities at $2.466 trillion, or 199.7 percent of disposable income, putting it among the highest in the world. Australians have …

Blog / E - Economics / E - Insights Papers / FP - Credit & Finance   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Digital payment options could see you spend more this Christmas

Digital payment options could see you spend more this Christmas With the festive season just weeks away, Australians are gearing up for the annual peak spending period, and the growth of digital payment options could be widening the gap between what we regard as our spending limit and the balance of our bank account. The disconnect between cards and cash Credit cards make spending (and overspending) very easy, and a new breed of “digital wallets” …

Blog / E - Paul Clitheroe / FP - Budgeting / FP - Credit & Finance   / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /