I don't see any other option. I can't see myself being a corpo rent slave for the rest of my life (which has caused immense damage to my mental health already) and things just seem to be getting worse across the board in terms of public services.

I'm thinking of buying a cheap house in regional NSW like Orange and start growing my own stuff, collecting rainwater and installing solar.

How legit is this plan? It's the only thing i can think of to escape and atleast live a decent life.

Home loans where the only security is the home have a stupidly low interest rate compared to business loans where they want 200% security.

Given homes are not great wealth creators for the country, why does the government through regulation make business loans so much more expensive?

Is this a good strategy for someone who has given up on owning a house here? I can speak the language of the country i want to move to and have connections there (40m)

They're kinda doing my head in and it's impeding my personal growth. Keep in mind I was gonna leave this money to buy a car and do 1 New Zealand trip, I just need a car for when I leave uni as it's a requirement 🙄 this is in east Melbourne. Also keep in mind the house is a health hazard

Apart from sacrificing super and claiming WfH expenses.

Hi all, looking for some dentists to share their opinion on the industry. The pros and cons of being a dentist. Would you recommend your career to someone looking for a healthcare job? Why/why not?

Hi, beginner investor and was just wondering if it is bad to start investing in the IVV when AUD is worth so little when converting to US dollar since it is tracking US companies?

Thank you in advance

How much do you plan to have in your super?

I recently received an inheritance that's currently making 5% in savings (provided I don't withdraw in a month).

I've been doing some mental gymnastics and thought I'd seek some advice.

I'm in my 30s, super not yet at $100k. Super is in the most aggressive accumulation option.

I have been considering having work deduct an additional $1k per fortnight pre-tax this year to get my super to over $100k, whilst reducing my taxable income, and pulling out $30k from the savings for bills etc to make up for it.

Currently renting, hoping to buy a house within 2-3 years so currently unsure how to (reasonably safely) invest the balance until then.

I'm 25 and looking at purchasing a property, I have officially got over half my deposit saved (so excited!) and have a good paying job (90k) but getting a pay rise in September. I'm not looking to buy in the city as I live more regional.

What are some tips on how to get a house as a single person? Is it harder to get a loan? Any advice?

So like I said, I’m new. I like to think I’ve done some research and have come up with what I think is a sound strategy, but am a total n00b and looking for feedback or suggestions. Main goal is ‘savings’ - fortnightly deposits into each of the below for the long term (10+ years). Looking for low fees, minimal overlap between ETFs and a broad spectrum so I’m not overexposed to risk (particularly with the uncertainty of Trump about to take office in the US). So here goes:

1) IOZ 2) IVV 3) VEU

Idea would be to have 33% of my portfolio in each but any suggestions in that regard would be welcomed!

Currently I hold IOO also, thinking of keeping that but not investing any more and moving all future deposits (for that particular component) to IVV instead.

So have at it! Is this dumb?

I'm currently assisting my brother-in-law with sorting out their finances. He has a lot of debt whioch we have worked through over last 6 weeks.

I have paid off all his afterpay / zip accounts and have confirmed they are now closed (nearly 10k)

He has left as follows:

- 80k credit card (CC) debt across 5 different lenders.

- 2.5k through a lender called Humm.

He is employed as a business manager (marketing) in a large business and has been there nearly 20yrs, earning 200k per annum before tax. Rents, and has a wife and 2 children.

He came to me as he is embarrassed as how things have gotten out of control. I am not here looking for further judgment about him, I think he has been through enough of late and I care for them and only want to help them out.

I'm guessing his credit rating is crap as although not in arrears seems to manually pay his monthly credit card accounts (minimum payment) but always late (almost randomly looking at his statements).

I cannot personally afford to bail him out any further.

What upsets me is he seems to paying circa $1500 month in interest on the CC's - however I'm guessing no one would touch him from a debt consolidation perspective?

So - does he have any options? One payment, one loan I thinnk would be ideal however I cannot see a way to make this happen. I am also unable to provide him with gaurantor support as am reserving this for my older children.

Hey AusFinance.

My parents are both reaching retirement age. Any sort of major healthcare expense would likely fall on me.

Is it worth getting them hospital insurance or does the Australian healthcare system take care of its citizens enough such that it is not really necessary?

From what I've read so far, private hospital cover would be redundant for emergency surgeries as the public system would take care of it, however I am worried about any non-life threatening conditions that significantly reduce quality of life and would be considered an elective procedure under the Australian healthcare system.

Is there anything else I am missing?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all, I came into some money via inheritance a couple of years ago now and I wanted to ensure I was using it responsibly, so I contracted a financial advisor to create and implement a strategy for me. I've always wanted to retire early and don't spend a lot of money, so they suggested an investment bond due to the tax benefits.

However, reading the personal finance Australia site in the pinned resources, it seems that these are actually not all they're cracked up to be unless you're making extremely large amounts of money, and even then it's questionable.

The bond I have is a GenLife bond and will be in its 5th year in April, with a balance of about 230k. If I understand correctly, selling before the 10th year means I'll have to pay CGT without concession as well as the tax that was already paid on the bond. So I'm wondering whether I should: 1. Sell the bond contents and eat the CGT without concession, and move the funds into a cheaper direct holding of VDHG (which is the whole contents of the bond anyway) 2. Take the L on the fees and keep the bond until year 10, then sell once the tax benefits materialise and move into VDHG at that time.

I'm leaning towards 2 as I don't see how I could end up saving more over the next 5 years by selling early but maybe you guys know some secret trick I don't? Only other option I have at present is to speak to my accountant and I don't know whether he'll have much idea, seems more the domain of a financial advisor.

Hey all decided to swap to passive from active managed super. I want to go eith a 70/30 INT to Aus shares mix. When it comes to hedged and unhedged there seems to be pros and cons for both. I want to set just and forget. is it worth Just doing all hedged to reduce some volatility or a 50/50? Or similair split.

If it would be beneficial to check every now and then what should I base this on/look for. It seems to be based on coversion currency? (I could be way off and wouldnt be surprised lol)

What are your mixs and of course if you dont mind sharing any resources I could learn more.

Thanks

My car was recently written off and I’m financing approx. $25k for a replacement, second hand car. My mortgage is currently with P&N and their rate for an unsecured car loan is 9.99%. Is it worth speaking to my broker to see if we can get a reduced rate, or should I just shop around and see who can offer the lowest rate? Or am I better off going with the finance that a dealership recommends? Apologies if these seem like stupid questions, I’ve never financed a car before so not sure the best way to go about it. Thanks in advance!

Hello, I downloaded a spreadsheet to help me monitor my portfolio’s dividend performance. And one of the columns I need to fill is dividend growth rate (5 year CAGR). It’s not hard to find if it’s a US stock but couldn’t find for Aussie stocks, especially ETFs. For example VAS. Where do I find it? Thanks.

Hi people! I am about to purchase my first. I have around 15% of deposit saved and was wondering the next. We all know about FHSS, and how we are able to contribute extra to our super and then pull out those contributions for deposit. Additionally, we can put extra contributions for previous years too (I think it goes 5y back right?). I know max contribution for FHSS per year to pull out is 15k. Now my question is, can I contribute all 15k for past 5 years (for each year) so something like 75k this week, and then reduce my Tax (get some money back as refund at EOFY) and then "walk"into bank second week and say that I will be using that 75k of extra contributions for deposit?

Does this make sense? and is it doable?

Before anyone says anything, yes, I know I should be speaking to an accountant/solicitor etc.

But I figured, I'd get a headstart and start researching.

I've got a considerable amount of money I've been holding onto for my young child. It's just tied up in HISAs at the moment. But I'd like to start investing it, and also putting more of my money with it.

We're just about to finish paying off our PPOR so will have about $100K+/year to start investing.

So here's my question:

I set up a family trust in 2017, but I never got around to opening a bank account for it. It has the whole folder, with paperwork, and I can see an ABN and TFN in there for it. And there's $10 paperclipped to one of the pages. It all looks legit, was set up through my accountant at the time and should have been done correctly.

I am wanting to set up a bank account for it this week, as I'm expecting some more money for my daughter from overseas and just want it to go straight into the trust.

If I haven't done anything with it or lodged any tax returns etc. would it still be active?

Hi guys. I’m just getting into all of the finance and stock stuff. Is there any particular etfs or anything people recommend? Cheers

Hi, Just wondering, is there any point is seeing a financial advisor considering my current situation?

39M, 2 kids, house paid for-no debt.

For context, the reason I want to see one is I’m unsure what to do with my income now that I have no debt. Iv been adding into my super and purchasing shares but will they guide me in a better direction to what I’m doing now?

I’m actually totally unsure what they do.

Appreciate any info. Thanks.

Per title. I’m working in a strategic/corporate function and it’s clear to me that my manager & manager once removed want me in Sydney, and this would absolutely enable me to perform my role better and also give me more career progression options (I am already flagged as a high performer at my current level). I’m not necessarily stuck on the benefits, and from a personal perspective, I’d be happy to go - but it’s obviously a much more expensive city and I’m struggling to quantify what my expectations should be to enable the move.

My intention is to discuss this with my manager + Manager once removed and ask for an increase to salary if I were to move. I’ve never really had to broach this subject before, and haven’t had many salary discussions before either. I’m a bit stuck on how to quantify what I’m worth, and how the move makes me worth more. Has anyone had any similar discussions, how did you land on a number?

I can obviously look at cost of living as a guide for me personally but that does the company care from a business value add perspective? Feels a bit like pulling a number out of the air and maybe I’m over thinking it.

Obviously I’m a bit green with this stuff so any advice from anyone that has been through something similar is appreciated!

Hi guys I seen a very similar post regarding this topic from like 2 years ago but I don't know how much these things change. I'm 19 and currently with combank which I've heard isn't the best for saving with high interest. Just want to get some guidance before I commit to anything from people that are more knowledgeable. Just looking to make a good amount t of interest for the money I've saved, thanks.