Most people intend to retire between ages 65 and 66, according to the latest data and, surprisingly, despite growing superannuation balances, the Age Pension is the main source of income for many retirees.i The intended retirement age has increased significantly in the last two decades, from just over 62 years on average in 2004. Australian … Read more
Australian share prices have seen record highs in 2024 after a sluggish couple of years. The S&P ASX200 index added just under 7 per cent in the 10 months to October 31 closing at 8160.i It reached its previous all-time high of 8355 just two weeks before. So, if you were invested in an index … Read more
Which records to keep for your property so you can work out CGT when you sell it. Property records you should keep For your property, you should keep records of: your acquisition of the property and related expenses, such as purchase contract stamp duty legal fees settlement statement survey and valuation fees your disposal of … Read more
Deductions you can claim for the costs of earning interest, share dividends, or income from other investments. Interest income expenses You can claim a deduction for account-keeping fees you incur on an account held for investment purposes, such as bank accounts or income bonds. You will find these fees on your statements. If you have … Read more
Key points – 2024 was another strong year for investors with shares up strongly on the back of better than feared growth & profits and global central banks cutting rates. Volatility was low and balanced growth super funds returned around 11%. – 2025 is likely to see positive returns but after the strong gains of … Read more
Six ways to get more money into your superannuation fund. The start of the 2024-25 financial year on 1 July saw some significant changes come through designed to help working Australians get more money into their superannuation. Fundamentally they involved increases to the statutory amounts individuals can contribute into their super every financial year. The … Read more
If money’s too tight to mention, here’s some small steps that can make a big difference in achieving your financial goals. How would you rate your level of financial wellness? Do you think you’re in a good position to meet your immediate and near-term financial obligations? What about your long-term goals? They’re tough questions, asked … Read more
Here’s some easy money management skills for children of different ages. Teaching good financial habits, such as saving and budgeting, is one of the best ways to prepare children to have a secure financial future. It’s never too early or late to start talking about money with your children — start as soon as you … Read more
Why invest in property? Investing in property is a popular choice for many people as you can both earn rental income and benefit from capital growth. Another advantage of investing in property is the ability to negatively gear the property. Negative gearing allows you to deduct some of your costs from your taxable income and potentially … Read more
Analysts have many financial measures to value companies. Here’s a brief overview. Share market investment analysts thrive on numbers. So, when you read reports about markets or specific companies being “overvalued” or “undervalued”, you can generally assume there’s been a fair bit of analytical number crunching going on behind the scenes. But how do investment … Read more
How capital gains or losses apply When you sell or dispose of a rental property you may make a capital gain or loss. A capital gain or loss is the difference between what it cost you to obtain and improve the property (the cost base) and the amount you receive when you dispose of it. … Read more
Consider the expenses involved in refinancing If you’re debating whether to refinance your home loan, you need to think about whether the benefits of switching home loans will outweigh the costs involved. There are a number of expenses to consider, including charges and fees from your current lender (and from your new lender if you’re … Read more
