Combining work commitments with family responsibilities can be something of a balancing act. We look at some of the expenses you might encounter as well as some of the financial benefits. The cost of childcare For most parents, the first thing that comes to mind when contemplating returning to work after having a child is […]
Whether your gap year is made up of work, study, travel, volunteering, or all of the above, more than four in five people who’ve taken a gap year believe they’re more employable because of it.1 In fact, recruiters have also recognised that ‘constructive’ gap years can help people stand out from the crowd when it comes […]
By the time you are considering retirement, it is likely that you will have substantial equity in your home. You may even own your house outright. Selling the family home is one way to free up cash for retirement. The money you receive can be invested in shares, term deposits, managed funds or superannuation. The […]
A landmark stage in the life of a self-managed super fund is when at least one of its members moves from the accumulation phase to retirement phase. SMSFs often have members in the accumulation and pension phases. And typical two-person funds have both members retiring within a short time of each other – if not […]
Are you in the process of selling your home or thinking about it in the not too distant future? Perhaps you need a change of scenery, more space for a growing family, less space if the kids are grown up and living out of home, or maybe there are financial or health considerations at […]
You’re down to zero on your home loan? Congratulations! You’ve finally done what many people dream of. But while the goal of paying off your home loan is a common one, it’s important to work out a smart plan for how to use the money that used to go to your lender. Your first instinct […]
A self-managed super statistic that doesn't seem to change much over the years is the strong preference of new SMSFs for individual trustees rather than a corporate trustee. The latest-available tax office statistics on SMSF trustee arrangements show that 93 per cent of SMSFs established in 2015-16 had individual trustees – a percentage that has […]
A mix of low interest rates, high housing prices and waves of baby boomers nearing or already in retirement is increasing Australia's levels of grey mortgage debt. Greater longevity would also have made some of us more comfortable about carrying debt into older ages than in the past. Ideally, we would enter retirement with our […]
Are you looking for a home loan to buy your first home, update your current one or as an investment in retirement? Are you confused by all the jargon and what type of home loan is right for you? We delve into two of the most popular home loans: principal and interest and interest-only. What […]
When it comes to insurance, many people adopt a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude, but looking at the statistics, there’s more chance of something going wrong than you might think. Research has found that one in five families will be impacted by death, a serious accident or illness that leaves a parent unable to work, […]