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Australia has some incredible achievements. One of them is superannuation, which puts the onus of funding our retirements onto the companies that employ us. It may surprise you to know the push for enforced retirement savings began with blue-collar u

EDITORIAL Founder & editorial adviser Paul Clitheroe Editor-in-chief Michelle Baltazar michelle.baltazar@moneymag.com Managing editor Vanessa Walker vanessa.walker@moneymag.com.au Art director Ann Loveday Designer David Matthews Senior sub-editors Bo

If you’re going through a divorce, tax is probably not front of mind. But if, as part of the settlement, assets (such as property or shares) are transferred between spouses, you really should consider the tax aspects. In most cases, a CGT rollover wi

Current legislation must be repealed to outlaw virtualonly annual general meetings (AGMs) for companies listed on the ASX. The gold standard is a fully hybrid AGM, providing the 7.7 million Australians who are retail shareholders with access to compa

IOOF TO INSIGNIA FINANCIAL by Engel Schmidl (Allen & Unwin, RRP $45) Founded as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the IOOF friendly society provided Australians with the social and financial services that governments did not offer. Funeral funds,

More and more Australians are calling apartments home as our housing mix changes, but buying an apartment is not without its issues. For some people, minor defects are an unfortunate reality after buying a new apartment, but as well-publicised cases,

After years in the works, ANZ’s acquisition of Suncorp Bank has reached its final chapter. At least, for now. At the beginning of August the acquisition officially ent through, meaning that roughly 1.2 million Suncorp customers and 3000 staff were ab

In what has been described as a major ruling against greenwashing in the financial services industry, Mercer Super has been ordered to pay a substantial penalty by the Federal Court for making misleading statements in relation to some of its superann

When Woodside announced one of the largest mergers in recent memory, folding BHP’s petroleum business into its own, we were enthusiastic. Not long afterwards, Woodside committed to spending $16 billion to develop the giant Scarborough gas project. We

2022 Earthworks Tempranillo $20 Another pleasing example of the Spanish variety, tempranillo, from the Barossa Valley. Distribution is handled by Yalumba, with the wines remaining sourced from this winery’s original family vineyards. It is soft, fine

Birthday cake on the rug? No problem. Simply take off the top layer and stick it in the washing machine. That’s the beauty of Double-Online rugs. Each rug comes apart in two layers, a non-slip base for grip and stability and a removable top layer. Ho

What is it? Samsung Galaxy Ring Smartphones may be getting larger by the year, but wearable technology is shrinking. The Galaxy Ring is Samsung’s first ‘smart’ ring offering and the latest to shake up the wearables market, which has traditionally bee

We don’t envy the UK for its weather, public health system or, ahem, cuisine, but the country is about to pull ahead of us on one important issue. From October, it will become the first jurisdiction in the world to force banks to compensate scam vict

Hi Paul, I am a single parent of two teen boys and have had to learn financial literacy since my divorce. I earn $123,000pa and have a property valued at $880,000 ($192,000 owing) and a newly built duplex investment valued at close to $900,000 ($690,

Sheree, you are certainly demonstrating plenty of very effective financial literacy. Good on you. I, along with many others, have spent much of the past four decades trying to help build people’s financial literacy skills. One thing we do notice is t

Playing it safe with savings Hi Paul, in our letter we asked about whether to continue with our offset account, invest the cash in shares or use our equity for an investment, given the low-interest-rate environment. We decided to go down the extra-co

Australia’s age pension is one of the more generous – and more complex – pension systems in the world. The age pension can be hard to understand, says Jeremy Duffield, co-founder and director of SuperEd, a retirement digital advice company. “The age

Craig Sankey, the advice, governance and technical specialist at Industry Funds Services, compares the new longevity products for retirees with the older-style account-based pension. First, some background. Under the retirement-income covenant, super

Financial adviser Marisa Broome, principal of Wealthadvice, says people don’t engage with super early enough. “If you’re engaged [in super] from the start and put in as little as $50 a month extra – the cost of two cups of coffee a week – the impact

Part one 1 What constitutes a legal will in Australia? For a will to be legal, it must be in writing, be signed by the testator (the person making the will) and be witnessed by two people who are not beneficiaries under the will. A legal will is a do

Dupes can be a fantastic money saver, though they can also be cheap, poorly made products. If you’re buying from an Australian-based business, chances are the item will meet Australia’s high product standards and you shouldn’t have too many issues ge

The legal terms explained: Will: A legal document with instructions about who you want to inherit your estate, care for your children, and be the executor of your estate when you pass away. Testator: A person who has made a will. Estate: Assets belon

There are no inheritance or estate taxes in Australia. But you may have tax obligations, such as capital gains tax on assets that you inherit and sell. • Check with the tax office to calculate capital gains tax, as there are different rates depending

Australians love loyalty programs. Nine in 10 of us are enrolled in at least one scheme, and a survey by the consumer advocate Choice found that the big schemes such as Everyday Rewards (Woolworths) and Flybuys (Coles) mean that shoppers are less lik

Karen Stiles says she would strongly urge owners to join their strata committee: not only to ensure that the building is well run, but to safeguard what, for many people, will be their greatest financial asset in their home. Joining a strata committe

Given the size and complexity of many strata communities, it’s not surprising that many choose to employ a professional strata manager to help with everything from building maintenance to financials. So what should committees think about when hiring

Spring is the season of new beginnings, reinvigoration and growth – and the property market is following suit, starting the annual home-selling season in strong shape. Interestingly, it’s not interest rates that are the biggest factor when it comes t

Many locations had big price growth from 2020 to 2022, then flatlined or declined for 18 months and are now showing signs of resurgence. These are called second-wind markets. Until two or three years ago, Hobart and regional Tasmania were at the fore

1 Consider engaging a buyers agent who has knowledge of the areas you are considering. The Owners Corporation Network says a buyers agent will take the time to understand your requirements and can help you avoid buying a lemon and paying too much. Th

Some investors may also have been attracted to investment bonds, yet strictly speaking these aren’t bonds. They are a tax-effective savings and investment structure. Investment bonds can hold equities, bonds, cash and property among other assets, and

Everyone should know that investing early for longer in a tax-advantaged, low-fee environment is hard to beat. Yet it’s not uncommon to hear friends or family expressing regret for not doing more to boost their super as they exit the workforce along

The interest-rate-cutting cycle may finally be here. At its July monetary policy meeting, the US Federal Reserve left the Fed fund rates unchanged but indicated the first interest rate cut in the US could come at the next meeting on September 17-18.

This fund aims to deliver absolute returns in an environment of both rising and declining bond yields by making tactical asset allocation calls between cash, duration and higher-yielding investments. The strategy also has ESG considerations and risks

These articles are an edited extract of a ‘Stocks We Sold Too Late’ case study from John Addis’ new book, How Not to Lose $1 million (Major Street, $32.99). You can win one of five copies by telling us in 25 words or less about an investment that you

In my experience, most investors underestimate the odds of a poor outcome. So, please consider yourself warned. And if you’re going to invest in this area, please make sure your company is of sufficiently high quality to minimise that risk. With the

The tables on these pages contain data and information to help you compare managed funds, which are pooled funds managed professionally by investment experts. Managed funds displayed in these tables are multi-sector or asset class specific. Multi-sec

1800 812 798 (outside Sydney) 9264 9300 (Sydney) superannuation.asn.au 1300 850 115 acma.gov.au 1300 302 502 accc.gov.au aer.gov.au/consumers/making-a-complaint 1800 931 678 afca.org.au 1300 300 630 asic.gov.au 131 279 asx.com.au 1300 737 373 (within

Contributor My dad is a painter – not the artist kind, the walls-andwindows kind. I wasn’t allowed to follow in his footsteps; he insisted I use my brain, not a brush. I was a terrible painter, anyway! He regretted worrying about money when I was a k