The power of financial planning As father to his two beautiful children, a 21 month-old son and a new baby daughter, Dante De Gori has a whole new perspective on his priorities in life. Here he talks about how he’s preparing for the future and just how important a financial plan is to achieving important goals for him and his family. A different lens on life Two years ago Dante De Gori took on …
Being prepared for aged care Aged care isn’t something most people want to think about when they’re planning for a life of freedom and comfort in retirement. But by taking the time to explore a few important issues and questions, you can get the best possible outcome if you should need support in later years. In a recent survey of more than 5000 older people in WA, only 12% of respondents have a plan in place …
Personal debt – maybe the mortgage isn’t so bad Household debt in Australia is high but more of us are taking a sensible approach to debt management. Nationally, our household debt ratio is nudging 200%. On paper it means we owe twice as much in debt as we bring home in our pay packets each year. It sounds like an alarming figure but as 74% of all households have some level of debt, the reality …
What’s debt consolidation and do I need it? Stuck with a post-Christmas spending hangover? Debt consolidation could be a solution, but tread carefully: there are no easy fixes. Debt consolidation involves taking all your monthly debts – for example, from your credit cards, store cards, mortgage, car and other loans and so on – and rolling them into a single low interest rate loan. If you are rolling all your debt, including high interest rate …
Investing for kids – ways to save for their future Whether you’re thinking about childcare, education or beyond, saving even a bit now could make a big difference later. It’s natural to want the best for the children in your life, whether you’re their parent, step-parent, carer, aunty, uncle, grandparent or even godparent. And, while money won’t be the be all and end all when it comes to raising happy little humans, you’d probably agree …
We tried a no-spend challenge – here’s what we learned What happened when three AMP employees set out with a grand ambition: to spend no money at all for a week. If you’re like most of us, you’d probably like to spend less money. But keeping track of where your money goes – and especially your spending on all of the little things – can be hard. One way to identify and tackle your spending …
Share financial goals to make your relationship stronger When money can be such a big source of stress and conflict in relationships, it makes sense to get on the same page with finances. Our guest contributor, James Trethewie Financial Planner AFP®offers some important advice to help couples succeed in sharing and achieving their financial goals. So you’re convinced that love conquers all and money matters can’t possibly come between you and your partner. Some …
The inconvenient cost of convenience apps In today’s digital world, there’s a mobile phone app for just about everything. It can make life easier, but convenience can come at a cost. Smartphones have wrought remarkable changes to our way of life in just a few short years. Need a ride somewhere? There’s an app for that. Too tired to cook dinner? There’s an app to supply takeaways direct to your door. Need cash in a …
What’s your side hustle? Freelance work and the gig economy are on the rise in Australia. If you’re planning to follow the trend by starting your own business or joining Airtasker, here are some things to think about before saying goodbye to your salary. The gig economy is definitely taking off. Australia’s very own peer to peer portal for casual jobs, Airtasker, recorded 1.8 million members in January 2018, up from 950,000 just a year …
Handy hints to create a better budget for you Nearly two out of five Aussies believe budgeting is too much effort, but these quick tips could make it a simpler task. Around 75% of Aussies will be going into 2018 with no specified budget, according to a survey by AMP, which—reality check—is probably going to make achieving financial goals, whether it’s getting out of debt, going on that long-overdue holiday, or saving for something big, a little …
