In January 2018 there were over 16.7 million credit cards in Australia and 70.19% of us have a credit card1. In addition: • Australian households have the fourth highest debt levels in the world after Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway. • The ratio of average household debt to income has almost tripled since 1988 from […]
A 2017 report found that about 52% of people aged between 25 and 64 can expect a ‘comfortable retirement’. On the flip side that leaves over 47% of us (or 5.1 million people) unlikely to have enough put aside to live comfortably in our retirement years. However, the story it tells for single people is even […]
Mortgage brokers drive competition and reduce prices • The mortgage broker channel works for all Australians by driving competition, which helps to make interest rates more competitive for everyone. It has contributed to a fall in lenders’ net interest margins of more than three percentage points in the past 30 years. • Mortgage brokers bring […]
Congratulations! There you are in your cap and gown, degree in hand. This is what you’ve been working towards these past few years. So… what’s next? Completing tertiary study can be both the most exciting AND daunting time of a graduate’s life. Some may head off for poststudy travel (read our article about ‘debt lag’!) […]
When people buy property together, particularly if it’s with a partner or spouse, they often register the title in both people’s names – especially if they’re going to live in the property. But other arrangements are possible, several friends might opt to own individual shares in a property, for example, or a couple might choose […]
Australians LOVE a holiday and while overseas travel is high on the list for many of us we are also blessed with an abundance of fabulous holiday destinations in our own backyard. For some of us, when we find a piece of paradise on home turf the lure of our own holiday hideaway is strong. […]
Coffee is an essential part of daily life for many of us with caffeine often referred to as ‘the world’s most popular drug’. You only have to look around at the explosion of cafés and coffee trucks over the past 20 years to gauge its popularity. If you’re a traveller you will know coffee in […]
Aussies are a nation of international travellers. In fact, during 2016 a record breaking 10 million residents left Australia to travel overseas on a short term basis. That’s 41 out of every 100 of us! We often hear people say “no matter where you travel overseas you’ll run into an Australian”. You can see why! […]
Does it seem like the finance world is dominating the news at the moment? Between the ongoing Royal Commission and the recent federal budget we wouldn’t really blame you if you were starting to ‘switch off’ to finance news. Is there a problem with ‘switching off’? Well possibly – especially if changes in the finance […]
We are all told that purchasing your home is the biggest financial decision you will ever make. Well that may be the case for most Australians. However for those 20% of us who invest, or those who are considering investing in property for the first time, it really is the NEXT biggest financial decision to make. Investment considerations […]