A testament to the awesome buying power of the Over-50s!

With all the kerfuffle about the present American President we would do well not to overlook the pearls of wisdom of one of his predecessors. 

Not many outside the US would be too aware of President Andrew Jackson, in power 1829-37, but consumers might do well to listen to his advice (a  maxim also attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte).

“Take time to deliberate but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in.”

In our surveys, 25% of members say they have never switched providers of products like energy, insurance and mobile, which suggests there’s 65,000 of you perhaps unnecessarily paying top dollar for such household services.

Fair Go for Fifty Ups this week unveiled what is probably our most ambitious group of offers so far: electricity/gas in most states, as well as car and home/contents insurance offers and a brand new mobile package.

So the time for deliberation is now with us, but as the President or Napoleon warned, when the time for action comes, go in!

Click here to see the exclusive new Offers on ENERGY, MOBILE, CAR & HOME INSURANCE

While President Jackson’s words are a warning about procrastinating about the more important things in life such as war, love and our jobs, I’m mindful of its application to our spending lives.

You may have heard of the apathy tree as many of us are stuck up it. It’s been said part of the role of consumer groups like the FiftyUp Club is to shake this tree and see who comes down.

Being stuck at the tree can prove expensive  in terms of what’s called opportunity cost ie  the benefits on the forest floor you don’t see or take advantage of because you are installed on a branch instead.

Joining the campaign, which is still open to newcomers, is of course without cost or obligation but the offers are for a limited time only.

Your deliberation about them might include comparing the offers to your existing tariffs, premiums or contracts which considering there could be tempting potential savings is worth a little effort.

Pull out recent electricity and gas bills and compare the cost of the usage and supply charges. With power this means the amount you use measured in kilowatt hours and the daily sum for being connected to the network payable regardless how much or little you use.

If the difference between what you pay now and our offer is significant enough to switch follow the simple steps and/or call your current providers to see if they can match it.

Likewise with the gas and solar components of the offer, which like electricity, vary from state to state due to the regulation of the market.

Insurance is a bit more involved in getting a quote as the circumstance of homes and their location, and cars and their drivers, vary so much and these are what’s called risk-based products.

But hesitate from just renewing your cover with the same company and see what the insurance offer can deliver your home and car in terms of the benefits of the price beat, price freeze for two years and discount provisions.

Finally with the True Blue Telco offer, as the name suggests, honours your many requests for a trusted and widespread 4G network and an Australian-based call centre.

It’s a bring your-own-handset offer so compare its cost and details such as data, coverage, unlimited talk/ text etc. It’s not as hard as many fear.

All the services above are designed to be switched in ways as easy as currently possible, especially energy and the mobile, and it’s of course up to you to decide what to do.

With due respect to the President we consumers never want to stop thinking but sometimes it’s wise to ease up on the procrastination. The Fair Go campaign gives you a chance to shake your own apathy tree in ways that suit you and your interests. Good luck.

Click here to hear Christopher's Interview on the Daily Drive