Finance News - December 1st Refinancers chasing lower home loan rates with record-low cash rate Though the cash rate is on hold this month, previous cuts in November and earlier this year have seen home loan rates track down to record lows. Canstar spoke to some refinancers who have jumped on the opportunity to get a better home loan rate and make their finances more manageable in the year of the pandemic.
Finance News - November 27th Retirement Income Review: How should Australians fund their retirement? A review into Australia's retirement income system has further ignited debate about what retirees should rely on to fund their retirement, with some saying home ownership is more important in creating wealth than an increase in the super guarantee.
Finance News - November 23rd Google to offer bank accounts but Aussies may have to wait Google has announced it will start offering its own bank account, ‘Plex’, from 2021 in the US. Here's what we know so far.
Finance News - November 20th What is NAB's new savings rate after cash rate cut? National Australia Bank is the third of the big four banks to slash savings rates following the November cash rate cut. A neobank also followed suit, reducing its rate for savers today. One expert says it's "imperative" that savvy savers look to get the best deals they can.
Credit Cards - November 18th NAB branches closed due to security threat, later deemed a hoax National Australia Bank temporarily closed its branches on Wednesday, 18 November due to a "physical security threat" that was later deemed a hoax by state and federal police. Watch this story for the latest updates.
Buy Now Pay Later Services - November 17th How can struggling spenders get on top of their buy now pay later debt? Australians almost doubled the amount of credit taken out via buy now pay later providers in the 12 months to June 2019, and are struggling to scrape together the funds to pay back the debts on time. It could be time to pull the plug and aim to build your own version of a buy now pay later facility to help quit this habit, an expert warns.
Finance News - November 5th First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (New Homes): Applications open for extra places Applications are now open for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (New Homes) grant program. We take a look at how it works, who can apply and what properties can be purchased.
Finance News - November 5th Quantitative easing: What is it? The RBA has announced it will use quantitative easing in a bid to stimulate the Australian economy. We break down what this means.
Finance News - November 4th Big four banks follow RBA's call to cut home loan interest rates Commonwealth Bank was the first to fire out of the major banks, announcing it would drop fixed rate loans for owner occupiers and introduce it's lowest ever advertised home loan rate.
Finance News - November 3rd RBA cash rate cut: Which lenders have lowered home loan interest rates? The official cash rate has been cut to an all time low of 0.10% in a bid to quicken the economy’s recovery out of recession. While this is likely to see savers bear the brunt of...
Finance News - November 3rd New lowest home loan rate down to 1.79% (1.84% comparison rate) Homestar Finance has jumped the gun ahead of today's cash rate decision and delivered an interest rate cut for new home loan customers looking to refinance. The offer is available for a limited time.
Deals - October 23rd Where can borrowers find a discount on lenders mortgage insurance? Missed out on the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme but don't want to pay expensive lender's mortgage insurance? Some lenders are offering discounts on LMI, with one even charging $0.
Credit Cards - October 19th NAB customers start the week with banking outage NAB's customers reported problems accessing their accounts via mobile and internet banking services on Monday. The nabtrade platform was also down, along with the bank's EFTPOS terminals.
Finance News - October 14th Majors, neobanks cut savings rates – can you still snag a good deal? Savers continue to absorb the blow of falling interest rates, with a few popular neobanks and one of Australia's largest banks announcing more cuts this week. But there are still higher rates out there for the conscientious saver.
Finance News - October 7th Budget 2020: What could the new super reforms mean for you? Australian workers will soon be given more freedom when it comes to choosing their super fund. In the Federal Budget, released this month, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Your Future, Your Super package would allow employees...
Finance News - October 7th Here's how much you may need to save to apply for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme has been extended from 6 October, 2020, allowing some first home buyers to buy a new house with just a 5% deposit and not pay mortgage insurance fees. But how...
Finance News - October 6th With the cash rate on hold, where can consumers find the top interest rates? The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has announced it will leave the official cash rate at a record low of 0.25% for October. So, how could this decision impact your home loan, savings and term deposit...
Finance News - October 1st The 17 avoidable bank fees costing Australians $876 each year Millions of Australians may be forking out money for avoidable banking fees, according to new data that shows we pay an average of $876 in unchallenged fees each year. A Canstar survey of 1,024 Australian adults...
Finance News - September 25th CommBank cuts rates on 'no frills' home loans Commonwealth Bank has taken the knife to some of its ‘no-frills’ variable home loans, making rate reductions of 0.10 percentage points for owner-occupiers and up to 0.15 percentage points for investors. Today’s rate cuts from CommBank...
Coronavirus - September 25th Could you save before private health insurance premiums rise on 1 October? For many Australians, the holiday from paying higher health insurance premiums is about to end. It’s not too late to save money on health insurance though, one expert explains. Many health insurers postponed increasing premiums in...