News Archive for November 2022

Looking to send gifts to family and friends in Copenhagen? New York? Tokyo? Well, with the help of Wise, we gathered five tips on how to save money anywhere abroad.

A home loan that rewards you for your loyalty, does away with pesky fees, and has a low variable rate that’s below the market average. It may not sound like a home loan from a big 4 bank, but it is. Well, sort of.

If rising repayments have you itching to switch on your home loan, you’re not alone. Refinancers are in high demand, with lenders bringing out all the stops to win over eligible borrowers. You could walk away from your refinancing with a bonus of more than $3,000 in your pocket.

Deep inside the inland jungle of southwest Japan, along the winding udon noodle of the Nishiki River, is a train station. That mightn’t seem like a big deal. There are train stations all over Japan. So what?

Digital lender ubank, a subsidiary of NAB, is now offering new home loan customers and refinancers up to $5,000 when they sign up — among the most generous cashback offers from lenders we track.

Roy Morgan’s Wise.

The silly season has officially arrived and with Christmas Day just around the corner, the more you’re prepared, the smoother things will go, particularly when it comes to gift-giving.Christmas is the perfect time to remind your friends and family that you’re thinking of them, but we all lead busy lives and sometimes there’s nothing like the convenience of sending your gifts via post. Especially with the surge in online shopping, it’s wise to plan ahead, particularly if you want your gifts to arrive before Christmas Day.Fortunately, Australia Post has released the cut-off dates to help you plan ahead and make sure that your loved ones get their gifts on time. So if you plan to send your Christmas prezzies via mail, whether it be Regular (Parcel) or Express Post, be sure to check out the postal deadlines for your part of the country.

New research from Roy Morgan reveals that if the Reserve Bank of Australia hikes rates again in December, it could put a quarter (25.1%) of home loan borrowers at risk of mortgage stress.

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has apologised to the thousands of Australians who believed him when he said interest rates wouldn’t rise until 2024 and took out home loans they are currently struggling to repay.

Love it or hate it, we’ve well and truly entered Christmas music season. Michael Bublé has defrosted for the festive season and Mariah Carey is draped in tinsel, ready to take her position atop the tree. But when it comes to Christmas songs, is the financial advice we can glean from them any good?

2022 has been the year of inflation. From May to November, the Reserve Bank of Australia delivered 275 basis points worth of rate hikes, the consequences of which have been deeply felt by home loan borrowers, especially those with the Big Four banks.

This year has been tricky for many households, wondering when interest rates might steady, when inflation will cool off and when the supply of homes, cars and energy will normalise.

Going a full year through uni, only just having enough to get by, can be a stressful experience that negatively affects your mental and physical health as well as impacting your grades.

Christmas is fast approaching, but even Santa is not immune from the rising cost of living. Here are five ways to enter the Christmas shopping fray and not hurt your wallet in the process!

Buying a house is one of the largest financial commitments most Australians will make, yet new research reveals that we do more due diligence when choosing a mobile phone plan than a home loan.

The new year approaches fast, and with it comes annual leave, holidays, and wanderlust. So if you’re looking for inspiration for destinations to visit in 2023, here are some hot recommendations from Lonely Planet’s best-in-travel list .

More Aussies are looking for greener alternatives in home ownership in 2022, and now more lenders are offering competitive home loans with a focus on the environment.

Returning to the office has had a major impact on the wallets of Aussies in more than one way. The cost of commuting is one of those things we tend to absorb and deal with as a reality of everyday life, but how much exactly is the commute costing you?

Just in time for the Christmas holidays, HSBC have announced a new credit card designed to really get the most out of every dollar you spend.

Will you and your family be spending more time at home and getting into tech obsessions over the coming months?

Aside from gifts, Christmas dinner can be one of the holiday’s significant expenses. And like everything else this year, the price of groceries has skyrocketed.

Starting early next year, New South Wales first-time home buyers will have the option to pay an annual land tax instead of the one-off stamp duty.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - at least as far as retailers are concerned!

Many complaints about the rising cost of living concern grocery prices, which ballooned in the last year thanks primarily to supply chain issues.

Moving out for the first time could be exciting, but before you pack your first box there are several things to consider.

We’ve all got different ideas of what financial success looks like. There might be a dollar figure you want to reach, you might want a passive income for retirement, or maybe you’re trying to knock Warren Buffet off his gilded perch.

Higher borrowing costs have taken a large bite out of property prices in recent months, and with more rate hikes to come we likely haven’t seen the bottom of this current downturn.

It’s sale season, and the temptation to spend is growing! Black Friday is just around the corner, with all sorts of promotions ready to give your credit card a workout.

Commonweatlh Bank now offers a special 18-month term deposit with a 4.00% p.a. interest rate.

The availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is one of the primary barriers to EV uptake in Australia, according to chief executive of EVX, Andrew Forster.

Remember paying for things with cash? Nowadays, it can feel like a bit of a novelty. When the EFTPOS terminal is down at your favourite cafe, it feels a lot easier to find somewhere else than to scour your pockets for spare change.

A proposed merger between Newcastle Permanent and Greater Bank received the green light from members this week, laying the groundwork for the creation of Australia’s largest customer-owned bank.

People who rename their savings accounts with an emoji are shaving 40% off the average time to reach their goals, says new data from Australian digital bank ubank.

November’s here, folks! And with just seven weeks until Christmas, time is of the essence to get yourself organised for the silly season. Luckily, your fave monthly read is here to help get you through!

Term deposits are a no-brainer for some savers because you simply stash your money away and forget it. Then with a good interest rate, your initial deposit comes back a little bigger.

“What’s your number?” isn’t just a pick-up line for a handsome stranger. It can be an essential part of signing up for a mobile plan, making connections, or even helping EMTs make medical decisions.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s war on inflation enters its seventh month, with the Board lifting official interest rates by 0.25 basis points to 2.85 per cent at its November meeting today.

Australian property has been swept with a cascade of market falls, dragging prices down in 80% of the country. But a new housing report from QBE highlights a surprisingly simple way to add up to 10% to the value of your home: energy-efficient features.