Our Top 10 lifestyle costs Six out of the top 10 categories relate to just two things. Can you guess what they are, and could you be cutting back? As a nation, Aussies aged 18 and over spent approximately $145 billion on lifestyle costs over a 12-month period, with the average spend per person around $7,800, according to research1. While clothing and footwear took out the number one spot by a country mile on the …
Weekly Market Update 2 August 2019 Investment markets and key developments over the past week It was back to “risk off” over the last week as the resumption of the US/China trade war, a less dovish than expected Fed and mixed economic data pushed global share markets down. The Australian ASX 200 followed the All Ords index to a new record high early in the week but the local market succumbed to global share market falls …
Helping grown-up children with their finances It’s only natural to want to help your kids with big ticket items to give them a good start in life—particularly in an era when tuition fees and house prices make higher education and owning a home less affordable than in previous generations. But it can be difficult to know when to start turning off the tap. If you have an adult child who isn’t very good with money, …
Weekly Market Update 26 July 2019 Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets rose over the last week helped along by positive news on trade, a deal to resolve the US debt ceiling and reasonable US earnings. While Australian shares slipped on Friday, they rose through the week helped by the positive global lead with the All Ords finally surpassing its 2007 all-time high with strong gains in energy, consumer, industrial …
Be aware of your money biases Knowledge is power. The more you’re aware of how your mind works the more you can adjust your attitude towards money. Six cognitive biases that influence how we save, spend and invest money We like to think we’re rational beings. But the reality is that a lot of our daily behaviour is influenced by our subconscious. Behavioural scientists have looked at the way human beings are wired and discovered …
Weekly Market Update 19 July 2019 Investment markets and key developments over the past week US, European and Japanese shares slipped over the last week as trade war uncertainty continued to weigh amidst some mixed US earnings reports. Global trade war uncertainties also weighed on the Australian share market with a sharp fall in oil prices particularly hitting energy stocks, but gains in materials, consumer and health stocks left the local market broadly flat for the …
Why saving is behaving Did you know there are 293 ways to make change for a US dollar, but only 50 for an Australian dollar? Cashiers in America must have jumped for joy when debit cards became the rage. Is your bank taking you for a ride? We all have our own methods of saving money. Some are strict―people who set a budget for the week and won’t buy a fourth glass of shiraz if …
Weekly Market Update 12 July 2019 Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets were mixed this week. Dovish comments from US Fed Chair Powell confirmed market expectations for rate cuts starting from July boosting US equities but these expectations were tempered by stronger US consumer price data. This week, US shares are up by 0.3% (and hit a record high), European shares are 0.9% lower, Japanese shares fell by 0.5%, Chinese …
When can I access my Super? Superannuation is generally intended to help fund your retirement, but there are instances where you may also be able to withdraw your super savings early, depending on your situation. Here is a high-level summary as to when super may be accessible to you. When you retire (and have reached your preservation age) Typically, you can access your super when you’ve reached your preservation age and you retire. Find your …
Weekly Market Update 5 July 2019 Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share market rose solidly over the last week buoyed by a bunch of good news including the latest US/China trade war truce, the nomination of Christine Lagarde to head the ECB after Draghi and, in Australia, another rate cut and Parliamentary support for tax cuts. Bond yields continued to fall though on the back of soft economic data with Italian …
