Matt Hern
Better budgeting
For many people the word “budget” conjures feelings of restriction. (Just like the word “diet”.) However a good budget should be the exact opposite. It should facilitate you having enough money for the things that really matter so you need not feel restricted. In this article I reveal a better budgeting technique using the model “Pay Yourself First (in practice)”
Is now the time to fix interest rates?
Eighteen months ago when I first wrote about fixing interest rates there had been just two RBA rate rises and fixed rates were much higher than the variable interest rates. It was also still early in the recovery and for many it may have been too early to call. So a decision not to fix [...]
Misleading marketing finally acknowledged
I shudder whenever I see the big newspaper and magazines advertisements of companies that purport to teach people how to easily & profitably trade shares and derivatives (like options, warrants & CFDs). They promise so much confidence and certainty of gains. According to their website (accessed 20 April 2011) the business Safety In the Market (operated by The Hubb Organisation [...]
B.S. from GE Money
I just heard on the radio the latest advert for the GE Money Personal Loan. It claims to give you more money to enjoy the things that matter. A lovely marketing tug on your emotions but total B.S.!
Margin call calculation
When you have a margin loan it is important to understand how much your portfolio value can fall before you receive a margin call. This article reveals the formula for calculating the percentage fall to trigger a margin call.
SMSF Guide
If you are contemplating a self managed superannuation fund or already have one then you may be interested in this useful SMSF Guide produced by Macquarie’s technical team
Crazy ways it could happen to you
Most of the time most of us have our wits about us and therefore don’t get injured. But it only takes a momentary lapse in concentration or a ‘brain freeze’ moment and injuries or even death can occur to smart, cautious people. Following are some statistics I come across of crazy ways that people got [...]
Be prepared to lose your job
Whilst there’s not as much doom and gloom around now as there was during the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2009 the world hasn’t returned to over-brimming confidence. Recent natural catastrophes plus instability in the Middle East have dented the return to confidence. Don’t worry – I’m not dragging out my dusty crystal ball and [...]
Pet insurance
Do you love your pets so much they are considered family members? How far would you go if your pet got sick? Fellow financial educator Scott Pape, The Barefoot Investor, loves his dog Buffett. Recently Buffett was bitten by a tiger snake and required urgent medical treatment costing $5,000. Read Scott’s story here. In the article [...]
50 entrepreneurial ideas
Thought leader Seth Godin has written some terrific stuff recently about having ideas, bringing them to fruition and making money from them. One of Seth Godin’s colleagues on The Domino Project has just published a nifty free e-book collating 50 anecdotes of people who’ve had an idea and are now turning it in a business. [...]
Where to find managed funds
One of the common questions in my DIY Wealth Creation course is “how do you find what managed funds are available?” (For context: this question comes up when I recommend people start by investing indirectly rather than directly. It is an easy place to start with less to learn. Plus you can start with low dollar [...]
The dilemma of realistic financial goals
“Should our goals be realistic?” asked one participant on the opening night of my DIY Wealth Creation course last Wednesday. They had just completed an exercise defining all the important life experiences, achievements and objects they’d like to have enough money for. This exercise is about defining the purpose of their wealth creation. Many of [...]
Beware of fake financial advice websites
Yesterday the Australian regulator ASIC advised they have taken action to close down some fake financial advice websites as well as closing the companies behind them. Fakers tend to try to make themselves look as legitimate as possible so as to trick the unsuspecting user. For example one of the websites ASIC closed down quoted [...]
What price for financial advice?
Two days before Christmas the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released an interesting report into the financial advice industry titled “Access to financial advice in Australia“. There are many interesting insights in the report – the one I will highlight today is the cost of delivering financial advice. In conducting the research ASIC “surveyed [...]
In Investing, It’s When You Start And When You Finish
Is investing about timing the market or time in the market or…? Ed Easterling of Crestmont Research has produced a very interesting illustration of your average annual return depending on when you bought and when you sold your investment. The chart is based on the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index for the United States of [...]
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