Tips and Tools
Welcome to Mozo’s Tips & Tools zone, where we’ll crunch your financial numbers, give you insider tips and bust that banking jargon to get you money savvy. From home loan calculators to budgeting tools, we’ve got you covered.
Neat links
Helpful as we are, you might want to check out some other sites around the place that can help with money matters.
- Currency converter
- This online currency converter has the latest worldwide currency rates and lets you perform currency conversions in a flash.
XE Universal Currency Converter
- Credit report
- Get a free copy of your credit report at MyCreditFile and check your credit rating, which is used by lenders to assess your application for loans, credit cards, phone accounts and more.
Check out MyCreditFile
- First home owner grant
- The Government’s first home owner scheme provides a one off grant of up to $21,000 to eligible first home owners. You can find all the details and even apply online.
First home owner grant
- Lost super
- Looking for lost super? The ATO’s free online SuperSeeker service looks for your lost super in real time and finds possible matches. You can also do a more extensive lost super search over the phone.
SuperSeeker
- Consolidate super
- If you want to consolidate your super by transferring it from one fund to another, here’s a link to the ATO’s superannuation portability form which you can download online.
Super portability form
- Unclaimed money
- ASIC’s free online unclaimed money search tool will help you find money left in old bank accounts, company shares or life policies that you might have forgotten about or didn’t even know you had.
Unclaimed money search
- Financial Ombudsman
- If you need to make an official complaint against a banking, insurance or investment provider, the Financial Ombudsman is a free and independent dispute resolution service.
Check out the Financial Ombudsman
- Switching Bank Accounts
- The Government has introduced new measures to make it easier for you to switch banks if you are not
satisfied with your current one.
Get switching help
- First home saver account calculator
- If you're saving for your first home, FIDO's new home saver account calculator and checklist can help you decide if this type of account is for you.
Get first home saving help
Articles
Our articles have all the info you need to minimise fees, max out your benefits and get your finances sorted.
- Credit card articles
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Aussies wary of credit card debt, new figures show
Australians appeared to be increasingly wary of accumulating new credit card debt in the fourth quarter of 2011, new figures have suggested.
Read more...
- Debit card articles
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Times are hard but women won't skimp on hair cuts
Many Aussies have tried to reduce their spending in these austere times, but it seems that women are still willing to flash their debit cards when it comes to looking good.
Read more...
- Home loan articles
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Thousands of home loan customers could switch
Thousands of property owners across Australia could be looking to compare home loan rates, as the country's major banks are expected to hike interest rates. Chief executive at the Australian Bankers Association Steve Munchenberg told News Limited that speculation over rate increases could result in more than 30 per cent of mortgage holders looking to switch their provider in 2012. This comes after the Reserve Bank of Australia surprised everyone by keeping the standard rate at 4.25 per cent and some experts are anticipating ANZ to be the first to boost its rates. Mr Munchenberg urged worried Aussies to speak to their bank before weighing up their options. "Last year about one in three people switched, and that was the top end of the historical range. And this year could be even higher," he was quoted as saying. Earlier this week, Australian treasurer Wayne Swan warned the nation's major lenders that they risk alienating their customers if they start to frivolously bump up interest rates.
Read more...
- Savings account articles
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Tax breaks urged for savings account holders
Bankers are urging Australian treasurer Wayne Swan to offer new tax break incentives to hardworking Aussie savers.
Read more...
- Term deposit articles
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Aussies 'live longer than almost anyone else'
Aussies may have more need for savings in term deposit accounts during their retirement than people in other countries in light of recent figures suggesting that their life expectancy is very high.
Read more...
- Reserve bank articles
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Treasurer warns banks over interest rates
Australian treasurer Wayne Swan has warned the country's major banks that they risk alienating their customers if they hike interest rates. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) surprised many economists earlier this week when it opted not to lower the base rate to four per cent and now there are fears that some of the main lenders will see this as an opportunity to increase their own rates. Experts have predicted that ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB may all make a readjustment before the RBA board members meet again in March. Mr Swan has urged Aussies not to be bullied by the big four and has insisted that savings can be made by comparing bank accounts and other packages. "The reforms we've put in place make it easier for families to ditch their bank if it doesn't do the right thing by them," he commented. Last week, the Australian Associated Press conducted a survey, which found that 13 out of 14 economists believed the RBA would cut interest rates by 0.25 per cent in February.
Read more...
- Interest rate articles
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Bank of Queensland to keep interest rates the same
The Bank of Queensland has promised its customers that it will not be hiking its interest rates.
Read more...
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