Everyone is reacting differently to COVID-19 and the way it's changing our lives. Some are going into panic mode - as witnessed by the bare supermarket shelves, some are ignoring the warnings and the threat - as witnessed by people still going to the beach/river/lake/park/wherever they want to go, some are missing loved ones that they've been separated from, some are frightened about what [...]
Right now it's a perfect time to be watching what you're spending and reducing costs where you can So here are my top tips to start cutting costs. If you have credit card debt, ring your credit card provider and make sure you're on the cheapest option possible. Right now, having a low interest rate may be more important than accruing frequent flyer points. [...]
These are really concerning times and there is a whole lot of panic and fear around. The important thing here is to not let that fear consume us. There are ways through and around this, and we're all in it together. I want to share a word of warning around claiming financial hardship with your bank or lender. Please, only use it when it's [...]
There's a whole lot of panic talk at the moment and I don't like it. People are talking about recessions, stock market crashes, toilet paper hoarding - all kinds of stuff that makes our minds go into overload. So in the midst of all this craziness, I'm asking you to remain calm. Things are changing, there's no doubt about it. We need to be [...]
Brisbane's unit market has been a hot topic for the last five years or so. It's been oversupplied, unit values have dropped, demand has fallen as supply has increased dramatically. The market has under-performed and disappointed many unit owners and investors. It's important to note that we're only talking about units here. The housing market, on the whole, has been performing well and houses [...]
You know how at work you seem to have meetings over everything, well you need to have money meetings at home if you're serious about saving for a house... At work, some meetings are effective, some aren't so effective. It's your job to make sure your money meeting is effective. If you're saving with your partner, make sure you're both in attendance and fully [...]
The numbers don't lie. The property market is on the move, and it's heading up. Last weekend we saw a 46sqm double garage sell in a nice inner city Melbourne suburb for $645,500. That was $245,500 over reserve. The auction clearance rate in Sydney was 84%, Melbourne was 77%, Brisbane was 64%, all of which are way over the 57%, 55% and 38% respectively [...]
There is something so amazing about watching someone crushing it. Someone doing something so well that it just leaves you in awe and inspired to go out and do something great yourself. It's even better when it's one of your mates who is doing it - and even better again if it's you doing it! So who, in your world, is doing something amazing? [...]
Every day I talk to people who want to buy property - as a home or an investment. Some are desperately saving for their first home. Some are keen to upgrade to get more space. Others want to adventure and live somewhere new. Others are wanting to build wealth and security through investing in property. Some of those are in a strong financial position [...]
So you want to buy a home. Do you really? How badly? Badly enough to modify your spending habits, tone down your social life, cut back on your excesses? Chances are high that you will have to do all three to save your deposit. And then you will have the next 30 years or so to pay it off. Is it still so appealing? [...]
