News archive for January 2022

Maximising your time off from work using annual leave is something of an art-form in Australia. But making the most of it requires a bit of thinking ahead.

For most Australians, taking out a home loan will be the biggest financial decision they can expect to make. As property prices rise over time, homebuyers must borrow more and more to enter the housing market and save up more and more for that critical first home loan deposit.

As we wave goodbye to the tumultuous year that was 2023 and welcome 2024 with open arms, it's the perfect time for a fresh start, especially in our financial lives.

Are you thinking about buying a dog this year? If you are, it might be best to get your new furry friend sooner than later. Your wallet will thank you for it.

Personal loans are a popular choice among Australians who want to pay for home upgrades and other large-ticket items. With personal loan rates at record lows, they are also handy tools for consolidating and paying down debt.

Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It’s that time when stores suddenly become excruciatingly pink and are more inclined to display their chocolate selection. And for those who prefer to be sweet and not salty on Valentine’s Day, it can often feel like our savings are left feeling heartbroken.

It might seem like the simplest option is to just defer to your current bank’s credit card offering. But it could cost you.

If you want to save money towards something specific then maybe you should give sinking funds a try.

The Australian property market’s current run has fuelled a fresh round of FOMO. So much so that for many Australians, buying a home has become a more pressing goal than tying the knot.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve felt pretty chuffed to be in a position to work from home on and off during the last two years of pandemic-induced uncertainty. From a health perspective, being able to reduce potential exposure to Covid has been very reassuring.

House prices have continued their meteoric rise in Australia, in particular around capital cities where the median house price has hit a record $1.066 million.

Australians have taken their love of streaming services to new levels, with subscription video-on-demand platforms overtaking free-to-air television for the first time on record, data from the Social Research Centre has shown.

Did 2021 change the way you use your credit card? From lockdown budgeting to Christmas spending, after such a big year, it could be time to reassess what’s in your wallet.

Whether it's for an emergency fund, a home deposit or an upcoming vacation, saving money doesn’t have to be a boring task. There are many saving challenges you can try to reach your goal in an exciting manner.

As new year mantras either fade into the background or begin to flourish in late January, ME Bank has released research about young Australians’ financial goals.

There have been plenty of reports on the rising cost of used cars over the last year, and it’s looking like the trend may persist a little longer.

With a new year and a new financially conscious you, it might be time to finally set up that budget you’ve been thinking about but never put into action so you can save up for something big in 2022.

There are plenty of reasons why international travel might not be your top priority right now. Travelling with the Omicron variant in the mix may put you off, and then there are the standard financial, lifestyle and work barriers that might impede you organising a trip.

The lead up to Christmas 2021 saw a record-breaking $69 billion card spend, but with the recent Omicron outbreak, can Australians afford to pay it back?

There’s nothing quite like the fresh start of a new year. A lot can happen in 365 days. Will you fall in love? Join the circus? Make it on the Forbes billionaires list? You’ll just have to wait and see.

After reaching some of the lowest points recorded in years during 2021, interest rates on fixed home loans have started rising across the board.

It’s the start of the new year and what better time to put into practice some new money habits that could see you ditching debt for good or sending your savings skyrocketing.