News Archive for February 2023

In any home and contents insurance policy, the terms and conditions will be littered with strange, delightful, and surprising little easter eggs. Like, what do you mean satellite crashes are covered? Why?!

One way Aussie investors try to diversify is by investing both locally and internationally. While you may only have access to Australian and US markets in a lot of cases, these both offer a wide selection of stocks and ETFs to choose from. For instance, the US stock market accounts for nearly 60% of the international stock market by size* .

Plenty of online share trading platforms offer mobile apps these days, meaning it’s now possible to trade, check your positions, and research your next move from virtually anywhere.

Rising living costs and inflationary pressures are squeezing household budgets, maximizing your savings has never been more crucial. While the big four banks dominate the savings market, their size often allows them to offer less competitive interest rates.

If there’s one home loan lender more and more Aussies are hearing about, it’s the new digital lender Unloan, built by CommBank. And for good reason. Between seriously competitive rates, zero fees , handy features like its loyalty discount, and speedy 10 min online application process, Unloan has become a force to be reckoned with. The Mozo expert judges think so too, as they’ve awarded Unloan two Mozo Experts Choice Awards in 2023^ for Best New Home Loan and Low Cost Home Loan. “Now more than ever, borrowers are looking for ways to reduce their mortgage repayments,” said Mozo expert judge, Peter Marshall. “With the winning combination of low rates, unique features, the scrapping of fees, and big bank backing, Unloan has set the bar for what a leading home loan looks like.”

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) revealed new rules for claiming work from home (WFH) deductions in 2023.

Since May of 2022, the Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted the cash rate twelve times. While there hasn’t been a rate hike since June 2023, an increase is predicted at November’s meeting.

As inflation and rising interest rates put a strain on finances, it's not surprising that more Australians are turning to credit to help buffer their budgets.  According to credit reporting agency Equifax, applications for new credit cards surged by 21%^ in the December quarter. Yikes!But a credit card can be an extremely useful financial tool to have at your disposal if you are savvy about when you use it, where you use it, and when to stop using it. And while it can be tempting to be drawn towards cards with flashy rewards points offers and extras like airport lounge access, these cards generally have interest rates over 20% p.a.  Fortunately, there are some cards on the market with low interest rates on purchases, and some even come with low fees and perks. With this in mind, here’s our Editors’ round up of low interest credit card deals this month.

Whether you're saving for a deposit on a house, a much needed holiday or simply want to stash some cash for a rainy day, making the most of your coin doesn’t have to be a boring task. There are a myriad of savings challenges to help you reach your goal that can get you there in an exciting way.

Insurance can seem like a pretty mundane topic, covering the basics of cars, homes, travelling, and health. But, did you know there are specialised types of insurance called niche insurance?

If you’re refinancing your home loan, one of the most popular recommendations to check out these days is Unloan.

The Easter holidays are coming up and it's time to start thinking about what you’ll be getting up to. Maybe you’ve had enough of all the Easter shows and egg hunts and are looking to try something new.

With the cost of living crisis causing prices of everyday items to soar, it’s worth shopping around to find the best deals.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the biggest night in show biz: The Grammys.

With interest rates sitting high, more Aussies are looking to park their savings in a safe place to help their money grow. One way people are achieving this is by taking out a short 6 month term deposit, but is it worth doing?

So you’ve found out about personal loans and you’re wondering what you can and cannot do with them. While you can take out a loan for different purposes, personal loans can’t be used for everything and we’ll get into that below.

Wondering if Australians are taking eco-friendly finance seriously? Wonder no more - reporting from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank shows that demand for green loans has increased by more than 600% from one year ago.

As interest rate hikes continue to pressure household budgets, more borrowers are beginning to feel the pinch with most doubtful that the pressure is going to let up anytime soon.

The threat of ‘mortgage prison’ has been bearing down on Aussies in the wake of continued interest rate hikes and tightening economic conditions. However, many borrowers still have a chance to avoid this trap.

The European Union has announced a ban on petrol cars by 2035, but what does that mean for Aussie drivers?

Planning an overseas trip, especially one with legs in multiple countries, can be a trying task. Besides the questions of where to go and what to do, you need to work out whether to get travel insurance, if you need to apply for visas, and so much more.

Australian property sale settlements have almost doubled over the last 4 years according to new information from data research firm, PEXA.

There are now so many different streaming platforms available that it can be hard to choose which one’s right for you.

Pressure is building on more Australians after yet another hike in the cash rate was announced by the RBA. To make matters worse, according to a report by fintech Otivo , more than 100,000 Australians are set to fall victim to mortgage stress with the wealthiest suburbs set to be hit with the brunt of it.

As inflation seeps into almost everything we buy these days, you may have noticed that your car insurance or home and contents insurance premiums are getting more expensive.

The length of your mortgage is perhaps something you’ve put on the backburner, along with how much your energy bill will come to after this humid summer and whether you might be overdoing it with too many streaming services.

Ah, Easter: a lovely holiday for us, but a chocolate-riddled temptation for our pooches. Because accidental poison ingestion is a common claim on pet insurance, here are some tips on avoiding disaster and celebrating the Easter weekend safely with your dog.

As buy now pay later continues to be reviewed by Australian regulators, Westpac has launched a new credit card feature that similarly allows its customers to make credit card purchases in instalments.

Last Updated: 13 February at 11:30am

Gen Z, the pragmatic, financially frugal, and climate-concerned generation, are finally reaching the age where they can purchase cars.

In a world of taps and cards, several countries still prefer to operate in cash. So when booking travel and preparing budgets, it’s good to know how much withdrawing cash will cost you.

After the RBA’s cash rate hike this week to 3.35%, pressure is mounting on banks to up their savings accounts interest rates too.

If you’ve got a trusty credit card in your pocket, you’re probably already familiar with most of the features and rewards that come along with it. Depending on which card you have though, you could be sitting on some seriously interesting perks that you don’t even know about.

New research from ING has uncovered that more than half (55%) of Australians surveyed said that they were planning on doing a spring clean of their finances in 2023.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has wasted no time resuming its rate hike cycle, lifting the cash rate by another 0.25% at its February meeting this afternoon. The decision brings official interest rates to 3.35%.

You may be living in an apartment or townhouse and wondering if your insurance is any different to what you get from your free-standing house peers.

We find ourselves in this ongoing state of high inflation in the world, which means everything is more expensive than it previously was.

Netflix has been threatening to crackdown on account sharing since last year, especially as it believes 100 million people are password sharing.

A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month! February’s here, and so is your favourite monthly financial checklist.

Over the past 12 months, share trading platform Stake compiled a Triple J ‘Hottest 100’ style list of the 100 most-traded Australian stocks of 2022.