Financial Planning News and Insights

It’s a day when we remember and honour our servicemen and women who’ve helped protect the wonderful free country we enjoy today. A day to celebrate everyday Australian values – mateship, courage, and sacrifice; values still well and truly alive with our “have a go” attitude and tendency to put others before ourselves.

We live in world today that is rapidly changing, driven primarily by technology. Reading the mainstream press, there seems to be a new technology-driven breakthrough almost daily.

Its seems that in today’s news cycle we swing from one cost of living ‘crisis’ to another. High on the agenda is the price of energy, specifically focused on electricity and gas prices.

Most couples don’t plan for divorce, but the fact is, one in three marriages in Australia end. It’s a financial stress that most people aren’t prepared for, but when it does happen they want the process dealt with swiftly. There are no winners in a marriage breakdown, but you do need to take the time to set yourself up financially for the future. The last thing you want is to look back in five years’ time and realise you short-changed yourself.

Last week, the Labor party introduced its proposed changes to the dividend franking system. For those of you who don’t know the history of dividend imputation, it was introduced by…

In recent years we’ve seen an explosion in housing prices in our major cities, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a well-worn subject, and one that has seen plenty of column inches across all media platforms.

Considerations around buying a car, however, are one of the top questions we receive and it’s a common area of commentary from our analysts. It’s hard to see a future where there won’t be a ‘car’ so to speak, but what is clear is that with technology advancing at a rapid rate of knots, what we’ll be driving in the not too distant future is facing a dramatic change.

We’re often asked about travel, particularly how you can best manage the financial aspects of it. So here are a few areas that I think you should look at to ensure you better manage your money when travelling.

With mixed reporting on the stock market drop over the last week, it is hard to know if we are preparing for another GFC or if it is a storm in a teacup. News outlets need to feed the 24 hour news cycle so it’s easy to understand the dramatic overtones, with many channels providing minute-to-minute updates on stock movements. The question is: Is it just hype or something bigger that we all need to brace for?

Every few years we tend to see a new financial money-making scheme hit the market. Some stick around; others quickly become consigned to the dustbin of history.