News

Will the Housing Bubble Burst?

house-markets
While Melbourne’s residential market has recovered from the effects of the global financial crisis, 2010 is shaping up to be an interesting year.

Let’s consider factors influencing activity and prices. To date, we have had six interest-rate increases. We have an increasing population; there is a shortage of dwellings for them and the vacancy rate has been below 2 per cent for the past five years. Read more »

Credit Cards

Get credit for being a good repayer

credit cards

If you are looking for personal finance and like the majority of Australians finding it hard then you might be in for a change. Reports in the media suggest that the way your credit score is compiled and viewed by credit agencies and leading lenders is about to change. Read more »

Banking

Most of salary goes towards debt

aus money

What are these? More than 40pc of Australians spend more than half their monthly salary on paying off debt. MORE than 40 per cent of Australians spend around half their monthly income repaying mortgages, credit cards or personals loans, a new survey has found. Read more »

Investing

Super – Any real returns

superfundegg

It’s hard not to be disappointed by the returns on superannuation in recent years but take heart, writes Annette Sampson.

The best balanced super funds reported returns of 10 per cent or more in the past financial year. But if you feel like you’ve been treading water, rather than building a healthy nest egg for retirement, you wouldn’t be far wrong. The average fund is still in the red over the past three years and has barely beaten inflation over the past five. Read more »

Insurance

Families get better deals on health cover

CHILDLESS couples pay the same in health insurance premiums as families with children, research shows.

Financial services research group Cannex’s study of 1500 forms of health cover said families were in a better position to afford private health insurance.

Will the Housing Bubble Burst?

While Melbourne’s residential market has recovered from the effects of the global financial crisis, 2010 is shaping up to be an interesting year. Let’s... Read more »

Super – Any real returns

It’s hard not to be disappointed by the returns on superannuation in recent years but take heart, writes Annette Sampson. The best balanced super funds reported... Read more »

Home Loans on the Up

The number of new owner-occupied home loans rose 1.9 per cent in May, the first increase in eight months. Lending to housing investors continued its recent surge,... Read more »

Home loans drop to 9 year low

Demand for new home loans fell to a nine-year low in April as rising interest rates dampen enthusiasm for housing. Finance commitments for owner-occupied housing... Read more »

Australian Stocks Slding

THE stockmarket was sharply lower by late afternoon and the weak Australian dollar remained vulnerable as investors reeled amid fears about the risks of slowdown... Read more »

Most of salary goes towards debt

What are these? More than 40pc of Australians spend more than half their monthly salary on paying off debt. MORE than 40 per cent of Australians spend around half... Read more »

Sydney suburbs ready to go boom

SOME Sydney suburbs will have their populations double or even quadruple in just 25 years, official NSW documents reveal, as the city hurtles towards a population... Read more »

Finance Articles

Sir Allen Stanford, Who?

Sir Allen Stanford: how the small-town Texas boy evaded scrutiny to become a big-time ‘fraudster’ For a town of just 10,000 people, it is remarkable... Read more »

Tips to Get Yourself out of Credit Card Debt

1. Consolidate debt. If you love credit cards and have more than one fix the one with the smallest interest one and get rid of all the rest. You’ll save lots... Read more »

Escaping the debt trap

THERE is a debt crisis among Australia’s young people. The “buy now, pay later” culture promoted by retailers and lenders is impacting heavily... Read more »