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Category: Articles

This useless fluff is unlikely to deliver the goods

I feel like Homer Simpson at this time of year. Um, actually, maybe “I look like” Homer Simpson. After 25 Christmas parties in 25 days, I can’t see my belly button. I’ll tackle that in January. What I need help with is … what is that thing in my navel? Is it just useless fluff? […]

What are the most important financial lessons you have learnt this year?

Little DebtBoy starts school next year. He’s more excited about it than Christmas. More than anything, I’m desperate for him to love learning. If I can instil in him a passion for knowledge, my most important job as a dad will be done. Constant learning deepens your understanding of everything – even outside the area […]

Not everyone is cheering about interest rate cuts

Newton’s Third Law of Interest Rates: “For every cheer, someone sheds a tear.” I know, there’s no such thing. Sir Isaac was no economist (the dismal science). He was a physicist (something that deals in relative certainty). But you could convert all three of his laws of motion into equally accurate money rules. Most notably […]

What are the biggest Christmas hidden costs and money traps when buying presents?

Hey, I’m no Grinch. Well, maybe a little. I love Christmas, but I do believe we’ve fallen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for this whole present giving thing. Seriously, it’s like we’ve got a gun at our heads at the cash register! Since hearing an “alternate” story about the fat red-suited dude at age […]

The DIY pre-retirement garage sale

PORTFOLIO POINT: Numbers on post-retirement asset switching show SMSF retirees actually do de-risk their portfolios as they age. The shift from being a part of the workforce to being retired is a momentous decision in the life of anyone. Some cope with the transition really well. Others don’t. Most, as I wrote about here (15 […]

How do you plan to keep a lid on your Christmas and holiday spending this year?

By selling my children. And maybe also a kidney. That will both keep a lid on spending, and raise some bucks at this most expensive time of year. Sure, saying farewell will be sad. Maybe I can arrange visitation rights. Will the guy who buys my kidney want to catch up for coffee? Kids add […]

The ATO’s super property crackdown

PORTFOLIO POINT: The Tax Office has warned of a SMSF property borrowing crackdown. You must get these investments right up front. A fair warning has been issued by the ATO – if you haven’t set up your geared property deals correctly, they could be coming after you. And getting it wrong could cost you half […]

Invest or die, it beats the pension

“Invest or Die!” was the alarming title of a finance book by a mate, John Beveridge, a few years back. I was expecting cold hard facts showing that “if you don’t invest, you’ll die”. Good book, but that’s not what it was about. However, it is true that wealthier people are healthier people. While the […]

School’s almost out. What can your generation teach school leavers about money?

Demographer Bernard Salt says Generation X changed the concept of growing up. Xers believed age 18, even 21, was too early to become an adult. “Can we delay the whole responsibility thing for a while …” Maybe not as long as Charlie Sheen’s character in Two and a Half Men (and hey, with Charlie in […]