Even $1 million in savings may not be enough for a ‘comfortable’ retirement, according to an analysis by financial journalist John Collett in Fairfax Media publications this week. A million bucks will be barely enough for most people, Collett writes, based on estimates by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) which reveal the annual budget needed by Australians […]

As of Wednesday 12th March, the way your credit history is recorded has changed. Here’s how, in a nutshell: 1. You will have a mark against your credit history if you pay a loan or credit card bill more than 5 days after the due date. What’s more, if you’ve paid one of those bills 5 days late anytime since […]

It’s that time of year again, when Health Insurance premiums usually rise by hundreds of dollars for the average family. Last year, Health Minister Peter Dutton signed off on an average annual increase of 6.2% in private health insurance premiums, with Insurer NIB reported to be the highest of the 34 insurers with an average of 8%. “We desperately need discounted medical [insurance],” […]

Free visits to the GP could soon be a thing of the past for most people, after the Health Minister Peter Dutton last week proposed a radical overhaul of Australia’s health system. In a hardline speech in Brisbane, Dutton described the current system as “riddled with inefficiency and waste”, saying he wanted to “modernise and strengthen Medicare”. The upshot? You […]

Treasurer Joe Hockey’s “Age of Entitlement” schtick is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving. (Or taking, as the case may be.) Speaking at the start of the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Sydney last week, the Treasurer again flagged raising the retirement age, saying longer life expectancies imposed costs – including the age pension – which may […]