What’s debt consolidation and do I need it? Stuck with a post-Christmas spending hangover? Debt consolidation could be a solution, but tread carefully: there are no easy fixes. Debt consolidation involves taking all your monthly debts – for example, from your credit cards, store cards, mortgage, car and other loans and so on – and rolling them into a single low interest rate loan. If you are rolling all your debt, including high interest rate …
Investing for kids – ways to save for their future Whether you’re thinking about childcare, education or beyond, saving even a bit now could make a big difference later. It’s natural to want the best for the children in your life, whether you’re their parent, step-parent, carer, aunty, uncle, grandparent or even godparent. And, while money won’t be the be all and end all when it comes to raising happy little humans, you’d probably agree …
We tried a no-spend challenge – here’s what we learned What happened when three AMP employees set out with a grand ambition: to spend no money at all for a week. If you’re like most of us, you’d probably like to spend less money. But keeping track of where your money goes – and especially your spending on all of the little things – can be hard. One way to identify and tackle your spending …
Handy hints to create a better budget for you Nearly two out of five Aussies believe budgeting is too much effort, but these quick tips could make it a simpler task. Around 75% of Aussies will be going into 2018 with no specified budget, according to a survey by AMP, which—reality check—is probably going to make achieving financial goals, whether it’s getting out of debt, going on that long-overdue holiday, or saving for something big, a little …
Simple steps can have a big impact on your money situation Doing nothing may be the path of least resistance, but it could cost you in the long run. Taking a few simple steps can be the difference between forging ahead financially and merely coasting along. And, action – rather than inertia – can pay off in regard to both saving, and making money. Take a closer look at key service providers On the savings …
How to be an ethical consumer and save money Want to use your spending power to make a difference? By shopping more ethically, you can do your bit and save money. Whether you want to change the world or just reduce your impact on it, it seems more and more of us are considering the provenance of what we buy and how it’s produced when making purchasing decisions. And the best news is that spending …
What you need to know about buy now, pay later services Take your product home, pay for it within the specified timeframe, get charged 0% interest. What could go wrong? Branded the modern-day layby, ‘buy now, pay later’ services essentially offer the same thing, except you get the product up front—the outfit, the watch, even certain domestic flights within Australia. If you haven’t heard of buy now, pay later services, or are keen to know …
Time for women to celebrate March 8 marks International Women’s Day – a good time for women to embrace opportunities to achieve financial independence. After more than 30 years in the money business I’ve seen women make great strides with their personal finances. The gender pay gap is narrowing, lenders no longer shun single women when they apply for a home loan, and little by little, women are gaining a larger slice of the superannuation pie. …
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, …
The top 10 lifestyle costs draining Aussies of cash Six out of the top ten categories relate to just two things. Can you guess what they are, and could you be cutting back? As a nation, Australians aged 18 and over spent approximately $145 billion on lifestyle costs last year, with the average spend per person around $7,800, according to research by comparison site Mozo1. While clothing and footwear took out the number one spot …
