Follow our Smartline blog for up to date latest Australian finance and property news.
With Father’s Day around the corner, we thought we’d prepare a list of tips to help Dad find the happy balance between good finances and family. Before having kids, financial decisions tend to be relatively straightforward. When children arrive, though, parents need to start thinking in a new way. Having children ups the cost, for […]
Read More
Happy New Financial Year! Rather than cringing at tax time, let’s celebrate by setting some meaningful financial goals that can help you get ahead, and live the life you want. Assess your debt How are your credit card bills? Are you drowning in interest repayments? If the debt is weighing you down, now’s a good […]
Read More
School holidays have already begun for some and for others, they’re just around the corner. With the kids at home and a break from work, it’s time to kick back and have some fun. But holiday fun can be expensive. If you are saving for a home loan deposit or are up to the hilt in home […]
Read More
The end of financial year (EOFY) is nigh. This time of year makes many of us quake in fear. Paperwork. Receipts. Tax. But what if EOFY could be an annual highlight? Just as New Year is a cause for celebration and renewal, EOFY can be a chance for you to get the most out of […]
Read More
There’s condensation on the window. The grass is crispy with frost. Winter is setting in. For beach-loving Aussies, staying warm through the cooler months is a top priority. Are you looking for efficient ways to heat your home during winter? Since heating and cooling your house consumes 40 per cent of your home’s energy, it […]
Read More
The Grattan Institute report, released earlier in March, found that Australian house prices have more than doubled in the last 20 years. The rise has been particularly sharp in the last six years, with house prices increasing 50 per cent in Melbourne and around 70 per cent in Sydney since 2012. So, what caused this […]
Read More
How do the words ‘financial planning’ make you feel? What about ‘mortgage’? Or ‘superannuation’? Believe it or not, a staggering 52 per cent of Australian women find dealing with finances stressful, and around 2 per cent of women have no savings for retirement. Australian women face unique financial challenges. By retirement, women have less superannuation […]
Read More
High energy prices are often in the news, which is no surprise given Australians pay the highest energy prices in the world. That, combined with increased energy consumption, means a bulk of your household expenses go towards energy bills. Much of the cost of energy is to do with maintenance of network connections, like poles […]
Read More
It is the Aussie dream to own your own home. But in the last 15 years, housing affordability has made it tricky for some. The average cost of owning a property is now 7.2 per cent of the average income. Fifteen years ago, it was only 4.2 per cent. While incomes have also increased in […]
Read More
Things are changing in the banking world thanks to advances in technology, the need for increased security and demand for customer convenience. Last year, the big banks removed ATM fees. The Reserve Bank, the ACCC and the Banking Royal Commission are also keeping an eye on bank fees, rates, and healthy competition between banks and […]
Read More
Borrowing money can get awfully complicated and that’s where having the right mortgage broker made all the difference for...
Read More
Vanessa and her partner Brett wanted to buy a new home and approached several big banks for a loan. Not only did they have no...
Read More
Steve Moran and Andrea Bernard have always been focused on managing their money and maximising opportunities to grow their...
Read More
