The unwritten rules of gift-giving The holiday season is full of tough questions. What to wear to the office Christmas party, whether to go in for seconds (or thirds) of ham, how long leftover seafood keeps for (don’t push it), whether pudding is an acceptable Boxing Day breakfast (it is). But the toughest dilemmas of all have to do with exchanging gifts. If you’re feeling a bit nervous about gift shopping, you’re not alone. A …
Five tips for happy healthy ageing The best ways to sustain or improve physical, mental and financial wellbeing in your pre and post retirement years are sometimes the simplest. If you’re in or approaching retirement, you may be surprised to know when it comes to living a longer life and leading a healthier and more active lifestyle, the best methods are often easy tasks you can turn into everyday habits. As Australians have one of …
A modern-day myth exposed: multi-tasking If you have little faith in your ability to do more than one thing at a time, science reveals you’re onto something. Cognitive behavioural researchers shine a light on our inability to multi-task. We simply cannot perform multiple tasks with the same level of skill as when performing one task at a time.i The old adage that women are better at multi-tasking may after all be untrue—or more accurately reflect …
Don’t want to work fulltime? What are the pros and cons of going part time? If you’re a fulltime worker you may be considering joining the multitude of Aussie part-timers, and having more time to do what really matters to you. Maybe you’re a parent who wants to spend more time with your family, an executive who wants to put an end to too-long hours at the office or perhaps you’re working your way towards …
Is that a driverless car in the next lane? As technology forges ahead, we’re all but chasing after it. Life as we knew it in the 80s and 90s is now ancient history. Today, digital devices in Australia have made the way we communicate, socialise, work and behave just about unrecognisable. The fact is Aussies are so screen-obsessed that we’re walking and texting, talking and browsing, eating and researching, reading and driving—all at the same …
Do parents make good employees? Research reveals surprising correlations between productivity and parenthood. It’s official: Australia is the most expensive country to live ini. So it’s no wonder that more and more parents are working while raising a family. In fact, recent media reports say Aussie parents work more than parents in other countriesii and 90% of Australian mothers always or often feel rushed or pressed for timeiii. But what’s the impact on the work …
A growing family doesn’t have to blow the budget If you’re thinking of expanding your family, be sure to keep on top of things financially. Having a family usually comes not just with extra expenses but also a drop in income as one or both of you take time off work. Raising children and growing your family can be one of life’s greatest joys. But it can also be costly. You’ll need to plan ahead …
Blinded by optimism We’re designed to believe bad things won’t happen but it pays to think clearly and put plans in place, ahead of time. Behavioural science reveals that it’s in our nature to believe bad things won’t happen to us in the future, even if we’re accustomed to bad things occurring in the past. It may be illogical but it’s something we’re hardwired for according to the experts—it’s a phenomenon known as the human …
What’s your biggest obstacle to financial success? Science reveals how our human-hardwiring can get in the way and cost us much more than we think. As humans we have changed a lot over time. Vast periods of time have seen us adapt and evolve—from hunting for food to ordering online and as our behaviour has changed, our brains have developed. But even though we no longer live in caves, some of our ancient hardwiring still …
Be a senior entrepreneur on your own terms! Many people over 50 are putting their skills and experience to work in their own businesses. Retirement is no longer the destination it used to be. If you’re like many Aussies who are heading into their later years after a lifetime of developing skills and expertise, you undoubtedly have more to offer, not less. If you’re thinking about starting your own business or considering how you’ll keep …
