So you are looking to buy a home or maybe have just purchased one? They often come with a garden… but sometimes that’s up to you. Have a chat If you are the proud owner of a garden but haven’t a clue what is there or how to look after it, then I suggest you invest in an hour’s time chatting with a local horticulturalist. They will list what is in your garden and give you some idea of how …

“No interest? Never, ever…?” Really? Businesses like AfterPay, Zip Pay, Humm etc. are profitable, very profitable in fact. You only need do a quick Google search to see stories about astronomical growth and extraordinary profits. Money like they are making must come from somewhere and if you’re using their services… you can be pretty sure some of it is coming from you. Statistics from Findex1 suggest that less than twenty percent of 16 – 25-year-old Australians have a credit card. …

PayID is a simple system enabling you to use an email address or phone number as a ‘shortcut’ to your existing bank accounts. Once you set-up a PayID, instead of giving your banking details to someone to transfer money you can just give them your chosen contact details as a shortcut to that account. A PayID can be an email address, a registered ABN, a mobile or landline phone number which is a lot easier to remember rather than giving …

Shared from ‘It’s my home‘ magazine Carlene Duffy from The Block Glasshouse shares her top tips for first home buyers looking to renovate. Educate yourself in order to avoid being swept up in passing trends. Learn what is current in finishes and furnishings, and how to differentiate fads. An experienced designer can usually sift through the trends to determine which styles will have longevity, and which will die a quick death. It is this knowledge that will save you money …

In Sydney the average advance was over $85,000, around 10 per cent of the average price of a home there, making the ‘bank of mum and dad’ the 11th largest lender in Australia!! Story by Martin North, Digital Finance AnalyticsPhoto by Ellery Sterling on Unsplash While the ‘bank of mum and dad’ may offer an attractive ramp on to the property market, there are important issues to consider for all parties, before committing. Younger households seeking to buy into the Australian home market, …

Jessica Yun, Yahoo Finance Australian businesses lost $128 million by falling victim to fake payment emails last year as the financial damage of scams continues to escalate. False billing scams were the most common scam reported by small businesses, with this scam making up three quarters of all losses to businesses. But it was a specific type of fake billing scam, called payment redirection scams or business email compromise scams, that hit small businesses hardest. In these scams, the cyber-criminal will …

Cash in a super account is probably earning you at least 5 per cent each year, after costs. By comparison, money sitting in a savings account with current interest rates at historic low levels is probably earning less than 1% interest! Keeping funds in an offset account makes sense if it’s reducing your mortgage repayments, however unless your home loan interest rates are higher than 5%…. in the long term, you may be substantially better off financially if you move …