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My partner and I want to take a career break to travel, how can we plan financially to make it possible? Taking time off work to travel or pursue personal goals can be incredibly rewarding, but it also requires thoughtful financial planning to avoid putting long-term goals at risk. The first step is understanding how…

I’ve recently received a redundancy, what should I do with my pay out, and how can I make the most of it? Receiving a redundancy payout can be both overwhelming and an opportunity to reset financially. It’s important to understand how your payment is structured, what portion is tax-free, what is taxed concessionally, and whether…

A friend mentioned they’re setting up a family trust to protect their estate, how does that actually work? Family trusts are often used as part of estate planning to help protect assets and control how wealth is passed on. Unlike a will, which becomes a public document after death, a trust can provide greater confidentiality…

I’m getting close to retirement and have a defined benefit superannuation fund. How do I know if I’m making the most of it? Defined benefit (DB) superannuation funds can be valuable, but they also work very differently from standard accumulation-style funds. Your final benefit is generally based on a formula that could involve your years…

This year’s Federal Budget covers a range of measures aiming to reduce the pressure from increased costs of living and help people into homes. Note: These changes are proposals only and may or may not be made law. Summary Personal taxation Cost of living tax offset: The Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO) will…

The recovery rally marches on Global shares rose 4.7% and 3.4% in hedged and unhedged terms, respectively. Emerging markets continued to struggle (down -0.6%) with political tension within Hong Kong and heightened US tensions driving Chinese equities lower for the month (China accounts for ~40% of the benchmark index making a major driver). Australian shares…

Risk assets rose Global shares were up 1.8% and 0.4% in hedged and unhedged terms, respectively. Domestically, Australian shares underperformed international markets falling -0.4% during October. This was driven by a combination of falling iron ore prices hurting mining giants such as Rio Tinto and disappointing quarterly updates impacting the major banks. The Australian dollar…

Geopolitical events dominate                                                                                                   November 2018 Global shares…