Posts Tagged :

personal finances

What is a personal loan?

A personal loan is a monetary loan you can get from a credit provider such as a bank, credit union or online lender – usually for a specific life purpose like renovating your home, paying for a holiday or consolidating several smaller loans. Lenders approve personal loans by evaluating your creditworthiness. When you enter into a contract for a personal loan, you typically receive money in a lump sum and agree to repay the lender back the money in regular…

read more
Avoid financial heartache this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day is just around the corner. And you know what that means: candle-light dinners, romantic water-side strolls, mouth-watering chocolates, exquisitely arranged bouquets and… your beloved’s outstanding debt?  At first you’ll be enamoured by that special someone’s talents and strengths but there will come a day when you have to face their flaws. And no, we’re not talking about letting one rip in the middle of a Netflix special, because we all do that. What we’re talking about here is…

read more
Managing your finances when life throws you a curveball

Occasionally life will throw you a curveball that directly or indirectly impacts your finances: you’re made redundant, your furnace dies or you’re expecting a child and you realise you’ll need to upgrade homes in the not-too-distant future. The last thing you want is to dig yourself into a deeper hole because you weren’t able to manage the financial side of things. Here are some ways to avoid that, so that you can bounce back sooner rather than later. 1.  Put…

read more
7 ways to save money this holiday season

Here are a few tips to help you ring in the new decade with as little debt as possible. 1. Reconsider whom you need to shop for At different points in our lives, it makes sense to shop for certain people and not for others. For example, when our nieces and nephews are young, gifts are appropriate but when they’re adults, maybe a heartfelt card is enough. Go through your list and decide whom you really need to shop for…

read more
This could be the secret to better budgeting

If you’ve never had a budget, or if you’ve tried and given up on one before, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Visions of complicated spreadsheets and living on nothing but 2 minute noodles make the idea seem at best, snore-inducing and at worst, overly restrictive. But the truth is it takes very little effort to get a basic system – ‘money buckets’ – in place. This is great news, as it can mean the difference between major savings…

read more
listen to these 6 money podcasts
6 personal finance podcasts to change your money mindset

Ready to change your money mindset? These fantastic money podcasts may be just the inspiration you need… My millenial money This Aussie podcast is perfect if you want to sort out your financial future but aren’t sure where to start. Join Glen James and John Pidgeon for a laidback discussion on heaps of financial themes particularly relevant to those in their 20s, from HECS debts to ‘rentvesting’. So Money In this daily podcast, financial expert Farnoosh Torabi interviews people from…

read more
7 tips to save money in 10 minutes
7 money saving tips you can complete in 10 minutes each

It can be all to easy to chuck anything money or finance related in the too-hard basket. But the truth is, spending a few minutes sorting out just one aspect of your finances can make a big difference. If you’ve got 10 minutes to spare, complete one of these money saving tips and you could see instant financial results. Empty your spare change into a jar Then pop on the lid. Now every time you’ve got a few bits of…

read more
How to enjoy a low-spend long weekend

As the long weekend kicks off, it can be all too easy to fill your time with fun and frivolous spending. But before you know it, Monday night rolls around and your bank balance is looking more than a little depleted. Luckily, it doesn’t take much to reset your default setting from ‘spend’ to ‘save’ for a few days, and the savings can be pretty significant. Read on for our tips to boost your savings in just a few days.…

read more
Does it pay to be a loyal customer?

You don’t get much in this life unless you ask. That’s definitely the case with your bank, your insurance company and utility companies. There’s a lot of money to be made there. And if we’re lazy, companies can maximise their profits. Don’t let that be you. By playing hard to get (that’s shopping around for a better rate), you can have your loyalty rewarded. Understand your spending Before you storm into your bank or phone your insurance company, take time to…

read more
How to build an emergency fund (and why you need one)

Last week I paid for an upcoming ski holiday in Canada. The trip isn’t until January but it has to be paid in advance. Skiing in Canada is my idea of nirvana, so it wasn’t too painful to see the thousands of dollars flowing out of my account; after all, it’s going to a good cause. But this week, my car decided it needed a wheelbearing replaced plus a wheel alignment and new spark plugs. Then my dentist informed me…

read more