Keeping you informed and up to date.

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…

Personal finance editor John Collett and financial planner Olivia Maragna discuss strategies for parents to help their children establish good savings habits.

With more than a 26 per cent growth in four years and more than $560 billion dollars in assets, the Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) industry has hit an incredible milestone – 1 million members. With an average balance of more than $543,000 per member, the growth of SMSF’s has continued with another 6374 net establishments…

With the talk of working longer and the emphasis on taking care of your own retirement, here are some super incentives you may be able to take advantage of. Consider these before the end of financial year. Salary sacrifice Salary sacrifice is not for everyone but it can be an effective strategy to reduce tax…

Olivia was recently invited to be interviewed by respected Finance Journalist, Alan Kohler.  You can listen to the interview below.  The interview must have made an impression with Alan as he then wrote about her the next day in The Australian newspaper and for ABC’s online news. Alan Kohler is the founder of Business Spectator,…

The Federal Budget this week has announced that from 1 July 2025, the Age Pension qualifying age will continue to rise by six months every two years, from the qualifying age of 67 years that will apply by that time, to gradually reach a qualifying age of 70 years by 1 July 2035. Check out…

Join Olivia on Nine News tonight talking about the impact on the Federal Budget.  Headline story with Laurie Oakes and Ross Greenwood.       To read more about the budget changes click here Olivia Maragna is the co-founder of Aspire Retire Financial Services and was awarded the Australian 2012 AFA Adviser of the Year. Olivia’s advice is general in…

The phrase ‘time poor’ is used freely nowadays to describe our busy lives. However, if you’re a successful executive, your workload alone can mean finding time to manage your own financial affairs can be seriously challenging. Having a strong income is undoubtedly a huge benefit in terms of living today, but executives often don’t realise…

Self managed super funds (SMSFs) are growing at a rapid pace in Australia, with latest statistics from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) revealing that there are more than 509,000 SMSFs with nearly 964,000 members. These numbers have continued to trend in an upwards direction, increasing from June 2012 when there were nearly 476,000 SMSFs and…

We’ve all seen media reports about ordinary Australians losing their entire savings after responding to a phone, email or mail offer that was impossible to resist. But while some people may be naïve, scammers are also getting smarter. Almost six million Australians are exposed to scams and frauds during any given year – so what…

Investing in property has been a popular way for Australians to build long-term wealth but like everything there is a time for growth, usually followed by a period of slowing down. So whilst it’s unlikely in the short term to see a repeat of the property boom we have experienced in the 2000’s, the question…

As a shareholder you receive a share in the company’s profits or earnings by being paid a dividend. Think of your dividend like interest on a term deposit – it is the income you earn from the investment. Generally Australian listed companies pay dividends twice each year. There is no requirement for the company to…