News archive for October 2016

The November Reserve Bank announcement is almost upon us, and although most experts are now predicting that rates will stay on hold at a historically low 1.5%, some still think there’s the chance of a cut.

Samsung Pay users can upgrade their digital wallets and start loading loyalty cards of participating retailers to shop with the app, the electronics giant has announced.

Have you heard of World Savings Day? It started in Italy way back in 1924, to promote thriftiness and depositing your savings at the bank, instead of sticking them under your mattress.

Dropping prices on renewable energies mean wind power is set to account for up to 20% of the world’s electricity supply by 2030, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.

Life insurers will work with the government body, ASIC, to improve insurance claim success rates and provide a greater level of transparency for Australian consumers.

Frequent flyers will be able to take to the air quicker than ever, after flybuys and Velocity announced a new partnership between their rewards programs.

...different for everyone. Mozo’s 2016 Experts Choice Credit Card Awards celebrated a wide range of winners across eight different categories, showing that there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to a credit card.

Joint bank accounts are becoming less popular among couples, which could be due to a generational shift of more independent women, a new survey by ME Bank has revealed.

We all know at least one person who seems to walk into a shop to make a big purchase, and walk out with the thing they wanted, plus every accessory you could need and some you don’t, all for a bargain price.

Home loan lender, ME Bank, has launched a property tool to help first home buyers get on the ladder, without sacrificing their lifestyle or smashed avocado breakfasts.

With debate raging on about whether millennials are trading a home loan deposit for avocado on toast, an analysis by Mozo has shown that home buying hopefuls might as well have their fancy breakfast - because saving for a 10% deposit in the Sydney or Melbourne markets is practically impossible.

Property owners would receive cheaper energy bills if they just insulated their homes more than the country’s minimum requirements in building regulations.

Each year, financial comparison site Mozo goes undercover to see how much a first home buyer, a refinancer and an investor can haggle down the home loan rates on offer from Australia’s Big 4 banks - and what a difference a year can make.

An Auswide Bank home loan promising to reflect future RBA cash rate changes has entered the market for owner-occupiers today. There is one catch - if the cash rate falls to 0% or below, customers will be charged interest at a fixed margin instead.

The RBA has cut interest rates twice this year, but now the question on everyone’s lips is whether the record low 1.5% cash rate is here to stay in November, or if it will be pushed even lower.

Following the statewide blackout that left 1.7 million South Australians weathering gale-force winds and flooding rains without electricity on September 28, renewable energy experts have defended the use of solar and wind power.

With schoolies just around the corner and more and more young travellers hitting the road solo, Online travel insurance provider InsureandGo has urged teens and their parents to take out travel insurance policies before heading off.

Fashion model Megan Gale has teamed up with AMEX in a campaign encouraging Aussies to get savvier when it comes to how they use and choose their choice of credit.

Investors are snubbing houses in Sydney for Brisbane’s higher rental returns, according to a recent survey quizzing those already on the property ladder.

Each year consumer advocacy group CHOICE runs its Shonky Awards, highlighting the brands that are misleading customers through their advertising and products.

They say rain is good luck on your wedding day, but a Chinese typhoon that stole the show for several newlyweds last week has reminded Aussies to adequately insure their destination nuptials.

Interest rates have been kept on hold at 1.50% again this month in new Governor Philip Lowe’s first cash rate announcement.

This week marks more than just the start of daylights savings and the October long weekend, as it’s also the time when the official countdown to Christmas begins.

<> ING DIRECT has officially launched its home insurance policy. For a full run through of what's included in the policy, visit our ING DIRECT home insurance landing page.

The smart money is on an uneventful outcome at Philip Lowe’s first RBA announcement as the new Governor later today, with rates widely expected to hold steady for the month.