Planning on tying the knot?
Joining financial forces sooner rather than later will help you establish strong financial foundations and values to last a lifetime.
Joining financial forces sooner rather than later will help you establish strong financial foundations and values to last a lifetime.
Aussies love travelling overseas – it’s a simple fact. According to ABS stats, more of us head abroad for our holidays than ever before (ABS, 3401.0). This is despite the fact that the Aussie dollar hasn’t fared too well of late, making it more expensive for us to get our hands on other currencies to make purchases at our destinations.
So how does one afford an overseas holiday with an underperforming Aussie dollar? It’s not necessarily about resorting to hitchhiking and staying in backpacker hostels. Rather, it’s about being smart with your choice of destination. There are a number of countries around the world where luxury hotels, shopping and local activities are still affordable for Australians.
“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.”
Groucho Marx might have been joking when he said this, but there’s no getting around it: money is a prime source of tension in marriages and domestic partnerships right around Australia. A survey by Relationships Australia found that 70% of couples are affected by disagreements about money. 84% of respondents said money troubles would be more likely to push people apart than bring them together. Cooperating on financial matters is well worth it for most couples. It’s not just your bank balance which will benefit from working together. Working through money issues with your partner can help develop communication skills, improve bonding through a sense of teamwork, and set up shared values to pass on to children.
When you visualise your retirement, what do you see? If you’re like thousands of other Aussies, chances are you think about getting stuck into a hobby, spending more time with your family, seeing the world, or exploring the great outdoors right here in our own backyard. Whatever your image of the ideal retirement, it gives you something to work towards; a goal to keep you on track.
A common misconception about income protection insurance is that it’s only for high-earners, but this isn’t the case. In reality, no one can afford to be without this safety net, regardless of the amount of income you earn.
There are a number of factors that determine the cost of an insurance policy. A cheap life insurance or income protection insurance policy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an inferior one, and by the same token, the most expensive policy may not be the best to suit your needs.
With the introduction of the $1.6 million transfer balance cap and related restrictions around contributions and the retention of death benefits inside superannuation, the question of whether you should also be looking to build wealth outside of super is becoming more widely-asked.
The sun is shining, the days are getting longer, flowers are blooming, the department stores are bringing in their Christmas stuff… yes, spring is finally here. Everyone knows that spring is the season of fresh starts. Most people will take the opportunity to do a bit of spring cleaning, getting to all those pesky once-or-twice-a-year jobs around the house. But right now is also a great time of year to review your finances.
One of the biggest misconceptions around life insurance is that it’s solely designed to provide a payout if you die. But life insurance is relevant at all stages of life.
Most of us have a few bank accounts set up to help make our money management easier – perhaps one for our main income, one to save for an upcoming holiday, one for bills and other living expenses and so on. Of course what we rarely think about is that more often than not, each of these accounts and sub accounts have fees attached to them.