Education is a vital investment in your child’s future, but it can also be a significant financial burden for those who are unprepared.
Key Points :
- Estimate your child’s educational expenses.
- Make a budget and save.
- Pay off debt ASAP.
- Consider investing.
- Practise money-saving tips with your children.
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Know the Basics of Saving and Investing To Achieve Your Financial Goals
Key Points
Set goals
Save first.
Set a budget.
Consolidate accounts.
Consider investing.
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Key points
- Successful investing can be really difficult in times like now with immense uncertainty around inflation, interest rates, issues in global banks and recession risks impacting the outlook for investment markets.
- This makes it all the more important to stay focussed on the basic principles of successful investing.
- These five charts focus on critical aspects of investing that are insightful in times of market stress: the power of compound interest; don’t get blown off by cyclical swings; the roller coaster of investor emotion; the wall of worry; & market timing is hard.
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Use our calculator to compare different rates
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United Solar Investment promotes a suspicious scheme which claims to allow Australian consumers to purchase an interest in solar panel systems. The scheme is being promoted as a ‘financing of photovoltaic solar power generation’ offering unrealistic returns of up to 20% and unlimited referral commissions.
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Find out what ESG investing is and how it works. So you can choose investments that match your goals and values.
What ESG means
ESG investing is when a fund considers sustainability (including environmental, social and governance factors) to inform their investment strategy.
There is a growing demand for ESG investing, also known as sustainable (or sustainability-related), responsible or ethical investing.
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Key points
We are reasonably upbeat on the outlook for investment markets this year, but it won’t be smooth sailing and after a strong start to the year share markets are vulnerable to a further pull back in the short term given ongoing issues around inflation, interest rates, recession and geopolitics.
Seven key charts worth keeping an eye on remain: global business conditions PMIs; US inflation and our Pipeline Inflation Indicator; unemployment & underemployment; inflation expectations; earnings revisions; the gap between earnings yields and bond yields; and the US dollar.
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ASIC is alerting investors about an impersonation scam using email and cold calling tactics
Scammers are making fake offers of 30% discounts on bills and loan repayments
Unless you are dealing directly with the service provider, discount billing and upfront payment offers are often scams.
Scammers are using free email services to falsely impersonate a registered company to make fake discount offers on bills and loan repayments. Discount offers from third parties are often fake, especially when they make the offers by cold calling you.
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Making plans to move in with your partner or share finances can be exciting. Knowing your financial and legal responsibilities, and where to get help if you need it, can make your life together run more smoothly.
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What motivates people to become financial planners?
A key challenge facing the Profession is the recruitment of the next generation of planners. Central to recruiting more professionals is understanding what motivates individuals to become planners in the first place. In a recent article titled “Factors influencing the Motivation to Pursue a Career in Financial Planning” published by the Financial Planning Research Journal, Michelle Cull, Csilla Skultety and Ryan Kumar from Western Sydney University undertook research to understand the answer to this question.
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Whilst the average age at which Australians plan to reduce their work commitments and transition into retirement is 62.5 years, and the average age of being fully retired being 64.8 years, the actual reality is much different.
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Do these things for a happy life after retirement:
Start Saving Early
Prepare for the Changes
Make it Gradual
Exercise Your Body and Mind
Make New Friends
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Risks such as accidents, calamities and medical emergencies can change your life, leaving you with debt and losses.
For example, if a fire damages your home, you must use your savings to rebuild or seek help from friends and family if the house isn’t insured.
Such uncertainties are why you must protect yourself and your property with general insurance. General insurance policies protect you from losses if a risk covered by your policy happens.
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Key points
- The underperformance of Australian versus global shares since 2009 reflects a combination of tighter monetary policy, the strong $A into 2011, the slump in commodity prices, property crash phobia and classic mean reversion.
- Australia’s performance is much better if dividends are allowed for, but it has still underperformed since 2009.
- With the prior outperformance in the 2000s resources boom now reversed there is good reason to expect Australian shares to outperform over the next 5-10 years.
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People typically associate the new year with hope — a time for fulfilling plans, whether those are financial, personal or professional.
The past year is finally over and you can now look forward to what the new year has in store. While it’s also possible things won’t be so different from the last, you still need to plan for the year ahead. Why?
Top 5 advantages of homeownership to help you commit to your choice to invest in a home purchase
Security
Freedom
Savings and equity
Tax advantages
Family Legacy
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If you’re keen to join the work-from-home (WFH) bandwagon but don’t know if you have what it takes to do it successfully, worry no more. Here, we share possible career paths and opportunities you can take to get started on your WFH journey.
Administrative
Writing and editing
Teaching
Enterpreneurship
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Key Points
- 2022 was dominated by high inflation, rising interest rates, war in Ukraine & recession fears. This hit bonds & shares hard, driving losses for balanced growth super funds.
- 2023 is likely to remain volatile and a retest of 2022 lows for shares is a high risk. But easing inflation, central banks getting off the brakes (with the RBA at or close to the peak on rates), economic growth likely stronger than feared & improved valuations should make for better returns.
- Australian residential property prices likely have more downside, ahead of a September quarter low.
- The main things to keep an eye on are: inflation; central banks and interest rates; US politics; China tensions; and Australian residential property prices.
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How to spot the signs and Protect yourself from super scams
Phishing scams for your personal details
Encourage you to open a self-managed super fund
Offer to get access to your super early
Check your balance and contact details
Update your account security
Contact your superannuation fund directly
Know the rules about your super
Speak to someone you trust
Don't deal with anyone who is not licensed
Take steps to stop identity theft
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How to take care of your money as you get older
Your money in retirement
Aged care
Your home in retirement
Wills and powers of attorney
Paying for your funeral
Paying for your funeral
Supporting older Australians
Financial abuse
Memory loss, dementia and your money
Elder care and seniors support
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1. Be selective about events
2. Start new family traditions
3. Put a lot of thought into your gifts
4. Reconnect with loved ones you haven’t been in touch with
5. Make movie night meaningful
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Key points
– The surge in inflation should start to reverse next year
– However, five structural trends suggest higher medium term inflation pressures than pre-pandemic. These are: a move away from economic rationalist policies; the reversal of globalisation; rising defence spending; climate change & decarbonisation; & a fall in workers versus consumers
– This will likely constrain medium term investment returns compared to the pre pandemic years
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