Turn up your scams radar + Manage living costs + Make a balance transfer work for you

Protect yourself from scams

Use this four-step guide to turn up your SCAM radar so you can spot a scammer and protect yourself. By keeping up to date with the latest scam trends, you can stay one step ahead of scammers

Step 1: STOP
Step 2: CHECK
Step 3: ACT
Step 4: MONEYSMART

Read full article here.

Manage the cost of living

Having a plan will help you feel more prepared when your living expenses increase. There's also support and services available if you're feeling overwhelmed.
Practical steps to help you manage living costs and keep on top of bills.

  • Make a plan

  • Get help if you need it

Read full article here.

Benefits of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) is a government-funded program in Australia that provides eligible seniors with access to a range of healthcare services and concessions. 

The program is designed to assist seniors in managing the costs of healthcare and living expenses by providing discounts on prescription medicines, medical services, and utility bills. 

Benefits:
- Access to discounted prescription medicines
- Medical services
- Discounts on public transport
- Savings on utility bills
- Free or discounted rates on dental, hearing and eye care services

Click here to read the full article

How parents can prepare for the cost of education in Australia

Education is a vital investment in your child’s future, but it can also be a significant financial burden for those who are unprepared.

Key Points :
- Estimate your child’s educational expenses.
- Make a budget and save.
- Pay off debt ASAP.
- Consider investing.
- Practise money-saving tips with your children.

Read full article here

Oliver's Insights – Five charts on investing to keep in mind in rough times like now

Key points

- Successful investing can be really difficult in times like now with immense uncertainty around inflation, interest rates, issues in global banks and recession risks impacting the outlook for investment markets.

- This makes it all the more important to stay focussed on the basic principles of successful investing.

- These five charts focus on critical aspects of investing that are insightful in times of market stress: the power of compound interest; don’t get blown off by cyclical swings; the roller coaster of investor emotion; the wall of worry; & market timing is hard.

Click here to read the full article.

Compare mortgage rates + Solar investment scam + Greenwashing

How much will your mortgage repayments be?

  • Use our calculator to compare different rates

Click here to read full article.

Scam alert: United Solar Investments

  • United Solar Investment promotes a suspicious scheme which claims to allow Australian consumers to purchase an interest in solar panel systems. The scheme is being promoted as a ‘financing of photovoltaic solar power generation’ offering unrealistic returns of up to 20% and unlimited referral commissions.

Click here to read full article.

Investing without the greenwashing 

Find out what ESG investing is and how it works. So you can choose investments that match your goals and values.

What ESG means

  • ESG investing is when a fund considers sustainability (including environmental, social and governance factors) to inform their investment strategy.

  • There is a growing demand for ESG investing, also known as sustainable (or sustainability-related), responsible or ethical investing.

Click here to read full article.

Oliver's insights - seven key charts for investors to keep an eye on

Key points

  • We are reasonably upbeat on the outlook for investment markets this year, but it won’t be smooth sailing and after a strong start to the year share markets are vulnerable to a further pull back in the short term given ongoing issues around inflation, interest rates, recession and geopolitics.

  • Seven key charts worth keeping an eye on remain: global business conditions PMIs; US inflation and our Pipeline Inflation Indicator; unemployment & underemployment; inflation expectations; earnings revisions; the gap between earnings yields and bond yields; and the US dollar.

Read full article here

Scam alert: Fake bill and loan discounts

  • ASIC is alerting investors about an impersonation scam using email and cold calling tactics

  • Scammers are making fake offers of 30% discounts on bills and loan repayments

  • Unless you are dealing directly with the service provider, discount billing and upfront payment offers are often scams.

Scammers are using free email services to falsely impersonate a registered company to make fake discount offers on bills and loan repayments. Discount offers from third parties are often fake, especially when they make the offers by cold calling you.

Click here to read more.

What motivates people to become financial planners?

What motivates people to become financial planners?

A key challenge facing the Profession is the recruitment of the next generation of planners. Central to recruiting more professionals is understanding what motivates individuals to become planners in the first place.  In a recent article titled “Factors influencing the Motivation to Pursue a Career in Financial Planning” published by the Financial Planning Research Journal, Michelle Cull, Csilla Skultety and Ryan Kumar from Western Sydney University undertook research to understand the answer to this question.

Click here to read the full article

Importance of General Life Insurance

Risks such as accidents, calamities and medical emergencies can change your life, leaving you with debt and losses.

For example, if a fire damages your home, you must use your savings to rebuild or seek help from friends and family if the house isn’t insured.

Such uncertainties are why you must protect yourself and your property with general insurance. General insurance policies protect you from losses if a risk covered by your policy happens.

Read full article here

Oliver's Insights – Seven reasons why Australian shares are likely to outperform global shares over the medium term

Key points

- The underperformance of Australian versus global shares since 2009 reflects a combination of tighter monetary policy, the strong $A into 2011, the slump in commodity prices, property crash phobia and classic mean reversion.

- Australia’s performance is much better if dividends are allowed for, but it has still underperformed since 2009.

- With the prior outperformance in the 2000s resources boom now reversed there is good reason to expect Australian shares to outperform over the next 5-10 years.

Read full article here

5 Things to do as you plan for the year ahead

People typically associate the new year with hope — a time for fulfilling plans, whether those are financial, personal or professional.

The past year is finally over and you can now look forward to what the new year has in store. While it’s also possible things won’t be so different from the last, you still need to plan for the year ahead. Why?

Read full article

Oliver's Insights – Review of 2022, outlook for 2023. Expect a rough ride but ultimately better returns

Key Points

  • - 2022 was dominated by high inflation, rising interest rates, war in Ukraine & recession fears. This hit bonds & shares hard, driving losses for balanced growth super funds.

  • - 2023 is likely to remain volatile and a retest of 2022 lows for shares is a high risk. But easing inflation, central banks getting off the brakes (with the RBA at or close to the peak on rates), economic growth likely stronger than feared & improved valuations should make for better returns.

  • - Australian residential property prices likely have more downside, ahead of a September quarter low.

  • - The main things to keep an eye on are: inflation; central banks and interest rates; US politics; China tensions; and Australian residential property prices.

Read full article here

Superannuation scams

How to spot the signs and Protect yourself from super scams

  • Phishing scams for your personal details

  • Encourage you to open a self-managed super fund

  • Offer to get access to your super early

  • Check your balance and contact details

  • Update your account security

  • Contact your superannuation fund directly

  • Know the rules about your super

  • Speak to someone you trust

  • Don't deal with anyone who is not licensed

  • Take steps to stop identity theft

Please read full article here