Keeping you informed and up to date.

Older Australians, First Home Buyers and Small Business are the clear winners from the Federal Budget, but the list of losers is long.  Treasurer Scott Morrison’s second budget may have been short and sweet but the bottom line is, taxpayers may all be paying more going forward. If you didn’t get a chance to watch…

Whether it is moving often, heading overseas or simply forgetting, Australians are losing track of their money and investments, with more than $600 million sitting in unclaimed bank accounts and a staggering $450 million in shares, ready to be claimed. It’s a staggering amount of wealth that could be checked easily with a quick search…

We all have women in our lives – a mother, daughter, sister, aunty or friend – and International Women’s Day is an opportune time to look at the sobering statistics around women and money. Here are the facts: Women are not paid equal to their male counterparts; Women’s superannuation balances lag behind men’s; Nine out of…

Health Insurance premium hikes will come into effect on 1 April 2017 with average premiums increasing by a total of more than 50 per cent since 2010. On average Australians can expect a hit to the hip pocket with an average increase to health insurance premiums by 4.84%, adding approximately $200 a year to the…

For the last few years, younger Australians have lead the charge when it comes to taking control over their superannuation with statistics from the Australian Taxation Office revealing that the median age of members of newly established self-managed super funds decreased to 48 years, compared to 59 years for all SMSF members. There are now…

Australians are delaying retirement by an average three years as cuts to the age pension and low interest rates force people to rethink their savings plans. A survey by research firm Roy Morgan conducted last October found that the average age of individuals planning to retire over the next 12 months was 61, up from…

By Olivia Maragna Some can only wonder what it’s like to win $55 million dollars but Queensland’s newest millionaires have had nearly a week for the news to sink in. Twenty-one state government employees shared a Powerball jackpot win last Thursday, pocketing more than $2.6 million each. But each will deal with the windfall differently….

By Olivia Maragna More than half of Australians are resolving to save money this year according to a Galaxy Research study, with nearly 40 per cent of households doing so because they are “struggling a bit financially”. The bad news is that the most will fall short of achieving their goals and will likely make…

By Olivia Maragna During the past 20 years, the age for Australians marrying for the first time has increased as couples call it quits later in life, with the median age of men divorcing around 45 and women at 43. Divorce has a significant impact on the lives of everyone involved with one in two…

By Olivia Maragna Around one-third of human life is spent working and while this might sound daunting for some, not being paid the correct amount of superannuation during your working life is certainly going to create a hole in your retirement nest egg. If you need a reminder to take notice of your own nest…

For many years, the Age Pension has been available to thousands of self-funded retirees who have sought advice around the generous rules and exemptions available and employed smart strategies to gain access to the Government Benefits, even with substantial superannuation balances. From 1st January 2017 however, the rules are being tightened! If you are currently…

November is here and as always it opens with the race that stops a nation. But the Melbourne Cup has been eclipsed by an even bigger race this month, and that’s the home stretch to the US Presidential election on November 8, which overshadowed global financial markets in October. Our newsletter gives you a snapshot…