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If property is set to boom, shouldn't you take full advantage of it?
There are many signs pointing in the same direction: an unprecedented opportunity through our commodity exports, and the next property boom.

 

Do you feel as lucky as we really are?
The Australian economy and employment leads the developed world as the OECD praises the effectiveness of our stimulus package. Naturally, most Australians feel very satisfied too!

 

$95 billion lost in a week as bears come out to play. I’ll stick to property, thanks!
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, along come the mining tax and the impact of Greece and other Club Med countries who are facing up to the fact that they can’t balance their national books.

 

Consolidation and planning needed for continued wealth creation
I read in a newspaper last week that many Australians have decided that the Global Financial Crisis “is so last decade”!

Interest rates up, but still low
The February increase in interest rates by the Reserve Bank of Australia has moved the cash rate to 4 per cent.

 

2009 – The good, the bad and the ugly
2009 was a memorable year. We were shocked by the death of Michael Jackson, skinny leg jeans came back into fashion and it was one of the hottest years on record. And let’s not forget the Global Financial Crisis.

 

What happens if I lose my job?
This is a very real worry for first-time investors.

 

Big four bosses bank a hefty bonus
The executives of the big four banks have sailed through the financial crisis and their annual reports on the year just passed show they have managed to trouser a combined annual pay packet of $35 million! Through the GFC!

 

What a difference a year makes
As a nation we should feel blessed to have come through these past 12 months relatively unscathed.

 

Investors, Welcome Home!
The first home owners' grant is winding down and investors are pouring back into the market.

 

RBA Rate Rise
Yes, the tide has turned. The RBA has raised rates by 25 basis points, taking the cash rate to 3.25 per cent. However , it doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Bad News’.

 

Here’s the exact opposite of an investor mindset
“Slower pokies plan to help cut $18 billion in gambling losses”*

 

The GFC – One year later
THE COLLAPSE OF LEHMAN BROTHERS IN MID-SEPTEMBER 2008 SENT SHOCK WAVES AROUND THE WORLD AND WAS THE START OF THE WORST ECONOMIC CRISIS OF OUR TIME. ONE YEAR LATER, WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

 

The big four take control
IN AFRICA, THE BIG FIVE ROAM THE PLAINS AND HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. IN AUSTRALIA, WE HAVE THE BIG FOUR (BANKS).

 

Interest rates on hold. Which means good news
The RBA looks set to hold interest rates where they are. This is a sign that the economy has stabilized and is strengthening, which really is good news indeed.

 

The real problem with the Commonwealth Bank surprise
rate rise

We have become almost immune to banks behaving badly, particularly in recent years where they have enjoyed unprecedented protection and advantages that have almost driven out the smaller banks and non-bank lenders from the market.

 

Interest rates an issue you need to considerbr>There are confusing signals in the market, but you need to face up to what to do about interest rates. The options need to be carefully considered.

 

Economic recovery by year-end?
"The improvement in economic indicators is consistent with an economic recovery by year end," says AMP Capital Investors' chief economist, Shane Oliver.

 

Tall timber falls as Managed Investment Schemes
come unstuck

We feel for the thousands of investors who looked to reduce their tax and gain future in come from agribusiness investment schemes.

 

Interest rates – how low can you go?
If you are still on this side of the big Five O, these are the lowest interest rates of your life. The bank rate is now at 3%, and those in the know expect that it will keep heading south in 0.25% reductions until it bottoms at 2%.

 

FHOG fuels mini boom; buyers beware
With market intervention comes market distortion. The First Home Owner's Grant (FHOG) hit the sweet spot as it offered big financial grants to those desperate to get a foothold on the property ladder at a time when interest rates made housing purchases more affordable.

 

Residential investors on solid foundations
Australia has about 1.6 million individual property investors, according to the Australian Taxation Office –and most of them would be pretty happy.

 

Sydney is heading for a rental boom
By Pino Tedesco Director Metropole Buyers Agency Sydney

 

RBA presses ‘Pause’ button
The Reserve Bank of Australia has held the bank rate at 3.25% and pressed 'Pause' after cutting the cash rate by 4% over the past 5 months.

 

$42 billion support package on the way
It's great news for all of us! $42 billion of support is being loaded up to be fired into the economy, with the government giving us all back a fistful of our hard-earned tax dollars in the process.

 

Australia’s AAA rating affirms sound finances and
resilient economy

Amidst worsening global economic conditions and a tough outlook for 2009, Standard & Poor's has recently confirmed Australia's AAA credit rating, reflecting its view that our government finances are "sound" and our economy "resilient".

 

RBA cuts interest rates by a further 1%... with
more to follow

 

$700 boost to the aver age family budget*
The average Australian now has close to $700 more in the kitty each month than they did just six months ago, according to economists surveyed by The Daily Telegraph.