Your money goals and how to reach them

Your money goals and how to reach them It’s easy to have big ideas about your financial future, but harder to achieve them. As most dieters know, you can follow the best dieting program, but struggle to stick to it. The same is true for your financial goals, whatever they include, and the plan you draw up to achieve them. Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to fall “off the wagon”. Life is full …

How can I prepare my finances for having a family? (Video)

How can I prepare my finances for having a family? (Video)  Louise Lakomy CFP® Louise has a wide range of experience and depth of knowledge in all facets of financial planning providing advice over 15 years specialising in retirement strategies. As part of the Financial Planning Association’s Ask a Planner video series, Louise Lakomy CFP® answers the commonly asked question, “What can I do financially to prepare for having a family?” If you have …

Do I need an accountant to do my tax return?

Do I need an accountant to do my tax return? Depending on whether your finances are straightforward or more complex, you may choose to do your tax return yourself or engage a professional. If you have multiple sources of income, various investments, possibly your own business or have lots of deductible work-related expenses, using an accountant (who’ll need to be a registered tax agent1) to prepare and lodge your tax return may be useful. However, …

Financial planning for business owners

Financial planning for business owners With the freedom you get from running your own business comes the responsibility for generating your own income and building your enterprise into something you can retire on. We talked to CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional Steven Monaco, Associate Director at Hood Sweeney, about how financial advice can help you look forward to a better future for you and your business. Why is good financial advice particularly important when you run …

What is an asset class?

What is an asset class? If you are starting to invest, you are sure to come across the term “asset class”. Don’t panic! You’ve probably heard of the different asset classes under their real names: cash, bonds, property and shares. An asset class is simply a group of investments that share similar characteristics, behave similarly in the market and are subject to the same rules and regulations. Most importantly, each asset class comes with different …

A financial planner’s guide to preparing for retirement

A financial planner’s guide to preparing for retirement Planning for retirement can start at any time, the earlier the better, but often it gets left until people are in their fifties and actually approaching retirement age. We asked James McFall of Yield Financial Planning for some tips on making the most of your final years as a wage earner. What does pre-retirement look like? Pre-retirement is widely recognised as being around 50 to 65 years of age, …

Weekly Market Update 29 June 2018

Weekly Market Update 29 June 2018  Investment markets and key developments over the past week The past week saw geopolitical concerns around trade, and particularly the US-China relationship, continue to dominate investment markets. This saw most share markets fall, with the Chinese share market falling particularly sharply, but the Australian share market held up pretty well with higher oil prices boosting energy stocks. Bond yields continued to fall on the back of safe haven demand, except …

How will a financial plan help me reach my goals? (Video)

How will a financial plan help me reach my goals? (Video) Louise Lakomy CFP® Louise has a wide range of experience and depth of knowledge in all facets of financial planning providing advice over 15 years specialising in retirement strategies. As part of the Financial Planning Association’s Ask A Planner video series, Louise Lakomy CFP® answers the commonly asked question, “How can a financial planner help me achieve my goals?” If you have a question …

Environmental and financial costs of fast fashion

Environmental and financial costs of fast fashion Avoid becoming a fashion victim by understanding the real cost of fast fashion. You might have a friend who wouldn’t be caught dead in the same outfit twice. But what’s the real cost of fast fashion –  the buy it, wear it once, throw it away culture of cheap clothing that has hit the mainstream? What is fast fashion? Not dissimilar to the fast-food movement, fast fashion is …

How can I prepare for my dream retirement? (Video)

How can I prepare for my dream retirement? (Video)  Andrew Donachie CFP® Andrew Donachie is the National Financial Planning Manager at First State Super. Andrew has 12 years’ experience as a financial planner and is CFP® qualified. As part of the Financial Planning Association’s Ask a Planner video series, Andrew Donachie CFP® answers the commonly asked question, “I’m looking to retire in the next 10 years. What can I do now to prepare for …