How might divorce affect insurance cover? More than 45,000 Australian couples divorce each year, and almost half of those divorces involve children under the age of 18. Thousands of de facto relationships will also come to an end. Regardless of the type of relationship it is a time of great […]
Early Access to Super We all know that our superannuation is there to provide for our financial needs in retirement. That means we can’t usually access our super until we reach preservation age and meet a condition of release. Preservation age is between 55 and 60, depending on date […]
A different way to help the grandkids Many grandparents want to give their grandchildren a head start in life, and a common way to do so is to help by paying some (or all) of their school fees. This can, of course, simply be done by making a contribution at […]
What is the Pension Loan Scheme? Currently 1.8 million Australian homeowners receive some level of age pension, with around 700,000 on a part pension. What many of these part-age pensioners may not know is that, along with recipients of the disability support pension, carer payment and some other Centrelink payments, […]
Lending money to friends or family – should you do it? What would you do if a family member asked to borrow money – besides the less painful option of beating yourself over the head with a fence paling? You want to help, but you’re right to be wary. It’s […]
Superannuation statements. Boring, right? But if, like many people, you toss your annual super statement in a drawer or hit delete, you could be depriving yourself of many thousands of dollars just when you need it. So it’s worth the small effort to take a closer look at your superannuation […]
Before heading off on an overseas holiday, Sam decided to buy an expensive new camera to document his travels. The camera store offered a ‘buy now, pay later’ option, and attracted by the ‘no interest’ promise of the credit provider, Sam signed up. All was well to begin with. Sam […]
Whether it’s due to over-enthusiastic lenders or desperate borrowers, failure to adhere to robust lending standards can land some borrowers in serious financial distress. In many cases the difficulties experienced by these borrowers could have been avoided if the lenders had complied with their responsible lending obligations. In brief, this […]
If you’re an Australian resident over 18 and earning more than $450 in a calendar month, you are probably contributing to superannuation. In a nutshell, super is a strictly regulated, tax effective way of putting money aside for your retirement. The government sets a minimum compulsory contribution amount, which your […]