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Author: Helen

Rate cut bonanza

Rate cut party in … da … house! Woo-hoo! There’s nothing like the smell of a rate cut as you’re heading into winter. The Reserve Bank has just deposited a huge wad of money into your pockets. Thanks Guv’nor Stevens! Nice guy to shout all us struggling homeowners a drink, ain’t he? Not so fast, […]

What can a householder learn from how the Federal Government manages its Budget?

“Oooh, ooh! Me, sir, me! I know this answer! Please sir!” “Ye-e-es, Debt Man,” the teacher says hesitantly. (He always hestitates when I raise my hand.) “That you shouldn’t get cornered into making promises that, deep in your heart, you really don’t want to keep?” Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised at the last election that […]

Super honeypot

“One small swing for Swan. One giant blow to mankind.” If you believe that where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire, superannuation is going to cop a bullet to the head in next week’s Federal Budget. A little bit like Danny Glover revoking “diplomatic immunity” in Lethal Weapon 2. The low-tax environment that is super could be […]

Should Australians be tipping at restaurants, and if so, how much?

Who’s my waitress for the evening? Two Broke Girls? If it’s Penny from Big Bang Theory, my tip … will be HUGE! If it’s Roseanne Barr … loose change. She’s a scary bad waitress. I flip and flop on this issue. I go through stages where I tip a standard-ish 10 per cent, or round […]

How much money should young adults receive from their parents as a financial kick-start?

Depends. Who’s reading this? If it’s Boomers and Retirees, then the answer is “lots. You’re too old to enjoy it. Give it to the kids now, you old geezers!” If it’s Generations X and Y, then … sod it, we know we really should make our own way. Our parents did a great job of […]

DIY countdown to June 30

PORTFOLIO POINT: The countdown to 30 June has started. Here’s your SMSF preparation checklist to make the most of this year. While superannuation isn’t a race, there are aspects of it that take on great urgency at times. And, for those who run their own SMSF, that’s especially true. Leaving everything to the last minute […]

Debt from a previous relationship, or a current partner, can cripple your finances. How do you fix it?

Simple: Love ’em and leave ’em. Or is that too cruel? When it comes to finances, one person inevitably has a better understanding of money and tends to take some sort of control. If that happens, the other has to have an open mind and accept that “control” is often for their own good. If […]

Henry Murray bonds

Everyone with an opinion loves to be able to say “I told you so”. Hey, it’s fun. Who would ever tire of getting predictions right? If you had the power to predict, would you use it for evil? Much as I’d want to think I’d only use it for good, I’m pretty sure, at least […]

In-specie transfers: Get in quick

PORTFOLIO POINT: In-specie share transfers will become less appealing and more expensive for SMSFs post June 30. So you might want to act now. Every time rules change, opportunities present themselves. And superannuation rules change constantly. The “opportunities” can flash by. In February (8/2/12), I warned that gearing for SMSFs in property could end later […]

Most of us like flashy cars – is it always a waste of money to buy a brand new one?

Oooh, I haaaate flashy cars! Cars – beautiful shiny cars … are, the greatest way Gen Xers can waste money on this planet. New cars are gigantic wealth suckers. The flashier, the suckier. Financial vacuum cleaners, souped up by Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor. They clean out wallets, bank balances and credit ratings like little […]