Australian men are spending more on looking good Research shows men aren’t far behind women when it comes to what they fork out on appearances. Once upon a time, male grooming was generally limited to a shave and few slaps of aftershave, whereas today, bathroom sinks around Australia are accumulating more tubes, tubs and pump packs, with a growing number of blokes keen to put their ‘best face’ forward. If it’s an all-too-familiar scenario at …
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 …
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” …
Four ways to make more retirement hay while the sun shines The latest AMP.NATSEM report, Going the distance: Working longer, living healthier, has found that although the pension age may rise to 70 if the Government’s proposed legislation passes, many people in their 60s simply aren’t going to be healthy enough to work that long. The report found that in 2035 one in four men and one in five women aged 60-69 are expected to …
Sending more to the tax office than you should? Can you keep more money for yourself and work towards being better off from 2017? As the year-end fast approaches, it’s a good time to think about how you can start working towards being better off. Before the end-of-year holidays start shifting into full swing and before you know it you’re splurging your hard-earned money, take a moment to think about whether you can give yourself …
What’s worth more – your belongings or your livelihood? At least one in five of us will be unable to work due to injury or illness in our lifetime, yet we’re still more likely to insure our car than our most important asset–ourselves. You might have the attitude ‘she’ll be right’ but looking at the statistics, there is more chance of something going wrong than you might think. Over 80% of Australians insure their …
Getting more done with fewer interruptions Learn how multi-tasking affects your productivity, and not in the positive ways you might think. So you think you’re pretty good at multi-tasking? Well, research[1] tells us we’re not – in fact we’re awful at it! And, according to Dr Julia Irwin, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Macquarie University who specialises in cognitive behaviour, we can’t perform multiple tasks with the same level of skill as when we perform …
5 ways to make your life more simple Time passes by so quickly that sometimes before we can cross the first item off our to-do list we’ve already added another. Here are some easy steps you can take to help simplify your life. If managing life’s everyday complexities only seem achievable when you’re daydreaming about the chef, cleaner, personal assistant or nanny that you don’t have, you’re probably not alone. And, if ‘turbulent’ is …
The Budget. What does it mean for you? This year’s Budget proposes the biggest changes to super in almost a decade. The proposed changes mainly affect contributions rules and the tax breaks available in super. If the Budget comes into effect, it would be after new laws are passed—then the proposed measures would take effect until 1 July 2017. Who’s better off? The changes announced for super contributions rules will generally be welcome news …
Ways to grow your Super, Value of Advice and More 1. Five ways to grow your super Are you looking for ways to boost your super account balance? Watch our video (3.01) and hear how Greg Elias, an AMP Client Adviser, explain five ways his client could grow their super to save for a comfortable retirement. He discusses five ways to grow super: 1. Bring together all your super accounts 2. Choose your super fund …
