The great superannuation rip-off

Recently the Murray Report found that Australian’s are paying double the fees of other Western countries for their retirement. That’s costing us $20 billion dollars each year! Why are Aussies being so badly ripped-off? Well we could blame the funds for slugging consumers with hidden high fees and

The Joy of Index Investing

I'm a big fan of index investing, It's the secret weapon that gives the average Joe the ability to play with and soundly beat the big bully’s of the investment world. What is an Index? Companies comprising an Index have to be ordered by a

Credit cards as interest free loans?

Over the last few years I've been making use of the 0% spending rate on new credit cards and then transferring the balance to a 0% balance transfer cards. As you might expect I've racked up a considerable amount of debt, albeit at 0% interest + annual

You get what you pay for, don't you?

Just because something is expensive does not mean it is better. Cost is actually now part of the marketing of some products, for example Stella Artois does not hide this fact with the tag line ‘reassuringly expensive’ Some other examples where a higher price does not guarantee a better product

Playing Footises - FTSE 250 knocks the FTSE 100 out the park!

IS the FTSE 250 allways a better bet than the FTSE 100? Historically, it seems to have always outperformed the FTSE 100 index. Look at this comparison below over the last 17 years. The FTSE 250 has returned about 250% whereas the FTSE 100 has gained not very much at

Where should I stick my hard earned dough?

Here are some ideas ordered by likely return Investment Type Expected Return Paying off credit card debt -15.0% - 0% Installing solar panels on your house 5.0% - 15.0% Real estate investment property 5.0% - 15.0% Electric vehicle 2% - 3% Collecting wine -20% -

Mortgage freedom four years early

How you might say? I don’t have extra money just lying around to stash into my home loan. Well, this one surprised me, and it takes just a few minutes to set up. Switch to fortnightly repayments instead of monthly that’s it! This simple trick could save you

Are you being screwed by your super?

Sit down, we have some really bad news for you. We hate to say it, but you probably ARE being screwed by your superannuation provider. How do you know? Well ask yourself this one question: What fees am I paying? If you can't answer this question then you&

Recomended Books

Here are some of my favourite books about personal finance, investing, and money management. Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin, 1992 This book changed my life. It introduced me to the concept of being able to live of your investments once they reach a certain amount to generate

Best NASDAQ 100 ETF (Australia, UK and US)

By 'best' I mean the lowest cost ETF that tracks the US NASDAQ 100 index. Why the NASDAQ 100? Investing in the Nasdaq 100 can offer several potential benefits: * Exposure to Growth: The Nasdaq 100 is heavily weighted towards technology and growth-oriented companies, which have historically shown strong

Best High Interest Savings Accounts (Australia)

Rank Bank Account Interest Rate Conditions 1 Ubank Save Account 5.50% Deposit $500 per month Balances up to $100k 2 AMP Saver Account 5.40% Deposit $1000 previous month Balances up to $250k 3 BOQ Simple Saver Account 4.85% Balances up to $5 million I've not

Best International Money Transfer Services (International)

The table below shows how much it costs to transfer £10,000 GBP to Australia Dollars. Services are listed in order of cost to you the user, with the lowest cost services first. The winner is Wise which refreshingly does not have an exchange rate markup, unlike other providers where