Interest rates news and advice

All in this week’s best banking new recap: editor’s pick. 

All in this week’s best banking news: editor’s pick. 

We love it when things are made easier, don't we? It's perhaps why the mantra for buy now, pay later is that it’s for anyone who values convenience. The idea of convenience is always attractive, especially when it means the initial cost of an item in your online cart is one-quarter of the price tag.Proponents of BNPL say that spreading your purchases in this way can be done without incurring any additional fees, too. It sounds too good to be true and for the Monopoly champs among us - those who can simultaneously budget and swallow up the row of green squares - buying now and paying later is surely very satisfying.But for the less skilled with a dependence on, shall we say, Chance, what do you need to know?Well, firstly BNPL has become the preferred payment option in many shops. You’ve probably seen various provider logos at the checkout of your favourites. This placement of brand names like Zip, Afterpay and Latitude seems to represent an evolutionary step in the retail experience. I think this, at least in part, is why the early adopters and Gen Z shoppers have jumped onboard - there is undoubtedly a coolness factor and currency to it all (pun intended). However, the Australian Securities and Investments Commissions (ASIC) probably isn’t all that concerned with what’s cool. To this end, ASIC’s recent review of the sector highlights that while buy now pay later has been embraced as easier, some consumers are also too easily missing payments.As a result, they’re paying late fees and are struggling to meet other financial commitments. The real point of contention around this, says ASIC, is that BNPL people have designed the offering as cost-free or low-cost, but perhaps haven't considered all outcomes. In short, some consumers aren’t up to the task of paying by instalment and don't fully weigh up their future financial position. So given the propensity for some to miss payments, this is becoming trickier to navigate. Still, BNPL continues to grow in popularity and so we need to think about its place in the landscape of financial products. Is it practical? What’s its future?

All in this week’s best banking news recap: editor’s pick. 

All in this week’s best banking news: editor’s pick. 

With less than a month to go before we bid farewell to 2020, many lenders are taking the opportunity to sharpen their offers across home loans and credit cards. Fixed home loan rates in particular have officially hit record lows with many sitting before the 2% mark. And while only a handful of lenders chose to pass on the most recent RBA rate cut, Mozo’s database recorded 44 cuts to ongoing savings rates. For a more comprehensive look at all the banking movements recorded during November, read on for this month’s installment of the Mozo Banking Roundup.

All in this week’s best banking news: editor’s pick. 

All in this week's best banking news: editor’s pick. 

All in this week’s best banking recap: editor’s pick. 

If you read finance news around the web, you’ll know that a lower official cash rate - like our newly struck upon benchmark of 0.10% - aims to stimulate household spending and housing investment. In other words, the lower cost of borrowing money means household wealth and cash flow should increase.But not all rate cuts are equal. For example, if you backtrack to the GFC in 2008, the Reserve Bank cut the official rate from 7.25% down to just 3% in less than a year. This rather dramatic series of cuts is said to have helped Australia stay out of a recession back then, notably making home loans much cheaper. It’s not really certain however, how an already very low rate dropping to near-zero will shift our mindsets ... or our money. Ultimately if you need to borrow money right now, you should still do your homework.