News

George The Talking Clock

George The Talking Clock

One of my favourite segments on the Fiftyup Club radio show is “Please Explain”. Each week, Dave Liston (pictured below) from the Fiftyup office comes into the studio to explain something trendy that the youth of today are into. We were surprised this week when Dave threw one back at me with “Why do you older people call the talking clock?” Fair point. My mother still calls it (1194) to ... read more>
There is actually more joy in owning less 

There is actually more joy in owning less 

There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” —Jackie French Koller I heard an ad on the radio the other day for one of those loans where you sell a share of your home and you receive a lump sum cash amount to spend. When you sell, they get an agreed percentage of the future sale proceeds of your home, whenever that might be. The ad was ai... read more>
Shining a data-driven light on volatile petrol prices

Shining a data-driven light on volatile petrol prices

Australia’s unique urban petrol discounting cycle, which benefits savvy drivers but confounds many others, means the cost of filling up can be a gamble. Given this volatility and the unpredictability of price swings, and our sensitivity to the price of petrol meaning we’ll drive further to find a saving, consumers need help. Especially with the so-called ‘information asymmetry of oil ... read more>
Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October's days

Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October's days

I was speaking to a friend this week about Halloween and with furrowed brow he informed me that he didn’t like Halloween and it was “just another American thing” invading our shores. I appreciate the sentiment but my view is, if it brings happiness to people then why not. When my kids were all under 10 years old, I announced one year that instead of doing the rounds of the neighbourhood and ... read more>
Free Stuff!

Free Stuff!

Regular readers of our newsletter will know about our “What’s On In Your State” section each week. We feature an event from each state and where we can, we try and secure free tickets to these events. This week I thought we’d try something different and giveaway a book. We have three books to giveaway this week: More Please! – Manu Feildel with Clarissa Weerasena Manu has become on... read more>