Margin Loans - January 7th Margin loan profit: What primes the growth level you need? The recent GFC spooked many share investors, with the number of margin lending client accounts falling from a peak of 248,000 in December 2007 to current levels of approximately 170,000. The RBA also reports that the...
Managed Funds - December 20th Explainer: What US Fed tapering means for markets By Harry Scheule, University of Technology, Sydney The US Federal Reserve has announced that after more than five years of support, the “tapering” of its quantitative easing program is to begin. So what will the consequences...
Rewards Credit Cards - November 20th Australian Supermarket Loyalty Cards - Are we loyal? According to a recent study by Roy Morgan Research, almost 10 million Australians have either a Coles FlyBuys or Woolworths Everyday Rewards card. Specifically, around 36% of Australians over 14 have a Woolworths Everyday Rewards card...
Transaction Accounts - November 8th What is near field communication (and how secure is it)? By Rob Livingstone, University of Technology, Sydney. Originally published at The Conversation. Coles and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia declared last month their intention to make use of near field communication (NFC) technology, allowing users to transfer...
Agribusiness - November 6th Productivity Rise For Farmers If Regulations Improve A recently published report identifies areas of unnecessarily regulation which, if improved, could raise productivity in Australia′s rural industries.
Home Insurance - November 6th Home & Contents Insurance 2013 Winners for Best Value Home & contents insurance is a cost that something that Australian households really need to have – but will hopefully never have to use! Just in case though, finding a policy that represents both great value...
Home Insurance - October 17th Insurance Premium Price Rises Not as Severe This Year Home and contents insurance is an essential – if expensive – part of owning property or belongings and the good news is that the spate of weather catastrophes that last year caused insurance renewal stress to...
Online Banking - October 10th World Wealth Levels Skyrocket: Australians Among The Top Our average wealth per adult indicates the economic grumbles of most Australians fit into the #firstworldproblems category, despite some areas of disadvantage.
Home Loans: Case Studies - September 27th Fixed or Variable: Tim Massey Based in Western Australia, Tim Massey is a 28 year-old active property investor and a government employee. In a q&a with CANSTAR Tim explains how he chose his combination of fixed and variable mortgages. Q: It...
Home Loans: Case Studies - September 27th Aditya Asawa - General Manager at Australand Property Group Aditya Asawa is a General Manager at Australand Property Group, a diversified property company specialising in residential, commercial and industrial real estate. In a q&a with CANSTAR Aditya explains why he chose a combination of fixed...
Online Share Trading - September 3rd Top 5 things investors must know about shares A good-quality share portfolio is a must for any investor wanting diversification in growth assets. Canstar asked Felicity Cooper, Equities And Derivatives Adviser and Authorised Representative of RBS Morgans Limited to nominate five great things that...
Self Managed Super Funds - August 27th Geared property in super: is it for you? In late 2007, gearing into property via a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) became a possibility and with Australia's collective love of property ownership, it's an investment strategy that has steadily increased in popularity. According to the...
Self Managed Super Funds - August 27th Pros and Cons Of SMSF Property Investment Australians have a love affair with property and the changes to borrowing rules within superannuation over the past few years have significantly widened the availability of property investment through a SMSF. However the investment strategy is...
Self Managed Super Funds - August 23rd SMSFs: How to choose an adviser In order to fulfil their role SMSF Trustees need passion, dedication, time, money and – above all else – at least one professional adviser.
Self Managed Super Funds - August 23rd Can I get Life Insurance for Self Managed Super Funds? Effective 1 July 2012 it became a statutory requirement for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) to consider, within the investment strategy of the Fund, whether contracts of insurance are appropriate for the members of that Fund. That...
Self Managed Super Funds - August 23rd Superannuation - Anti detriment payments: what are they? Anti-detriment payments are one of the least understood aspects of superannuation, but can have a significant impact on your loved ones if you die.
Agribusiness - August 12th Farm Finance package to build financial resilience Federal government has announced a “Farm Finance” initiative to support and assist farmers with high levels of debt and help improve their financial resilience
Business Transaction Accounts - August 12th How to change bank accounts: What's Involved July 2012 a new government scheme was introduced to make it easier for consumers to switch bank accounts. Unfortunately though the scheme was not extended to small business owners and with potentially hundreds of transactions each...
Agribusiness - August 12th A Guide To Farm Management Deposits Scheme Designed as a risk management tool, the Farm Management Deposit scheme (FMD), encourages farmers to set aside pre-tax income in good years for use in low-income years. With farm productivity susceptible to even the slightest variances...
Managed Funds - August 12th What is a multi-manager fund? “Don't put all your eggs in one basket” is the well-known cliche and it certainly holds true with regards to investment. Diversification - ensuring that you hold a selection of different investments within different asset classes...