Jessica Mudditt
Contributor
Advisor
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Travel Insurance And Covid: Are You Covered?
After two long years, Australians may leave the country without requiring an exemption from the government. However, while ‘Fortress Australia’ may have finally come to an end and the World Health Organisation says that the end of the pandemic is... -
Guide To Using Shopify In 2024
In Australia, 20% of all retail sales are online and that figure is expected to grow further. Shopping habits changed during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns when bricks-and-mortar stores were closed, and many people were forced to purchase essentials online. Although... -
Best Side Hustle Ideas For 2024
High inflation and stagnant wage growth are contributing to cost-of-living pressures, with more Australians than ever launching a side hustle to make extra money. Here’s a few ideas to get you started. Some 44% of Australians were experiencing some form... -
How Do Credit Cards Work?
There are currently 13.44 million credit card accounts in Australia, providing many of us with quick access to funds, frequent-flyer points, and even travel insurance. Traditionally, a credit card is a financial tool that allows you to borrow money up... -
How To Save Money In 2024
Saving money in 2024 is harder for most people than it was in the past, requiring a bit of extra planning and determination. Australia is emerging from the fastest and largest interest rate increase cycle on record, with the Reserve... -
What Is A Novated Lease?
A novated lease is a tax effective way of financing a new or second-hand car. It involves an employee setting up a ‘salary sacrifice’ arrangement with their employer to lease the car. The employee is free of any obligation to... -
Do You Pay Tax On Inheritance In Australia?
In many parts of the world, when a person dies and passes on their assets to someone else, the person to whom it was bequeathed is required to pay tax on the value of those assets. Australia’s federal estate tax... -
Highest Return On Investments Explained
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced investor, choosing the right investment strategy is vital. This is easier said than done. While plotting your investment path can and ought to be an exciting process, it’s often fraught with landmines and mis-steps,... -
What Is Web Hosting?
Website hosting is an important yet underrated aspect of having a website. When starting out, most people are focused exclusively on choosing and purchasing a domain name, and fail to realise that they need a web host. Without it, your... -
Paying A Premium: Why The Cost Of Insurance Is Rising
The cost-of-living crisis is driving up prices for everyday goods and services across the board, and insurance premiums are no exception. Despite insurer profits rising to a five-year high in 2022, KPMG predicts that premiums will rise by another 10%... -
What Are Rewards Credit Cards?
Rewards credit cards provide financial ‘rewards’ for using them to make everyday purchases. Points are accumulated each month and can be exchanged for flights, gift vouchers and cash-back offers. They usually come with high interest rates and an annual fee,... -
Travel Insurance For Fiji: A Guide
Australians flock to Fiji for tropical holidays. Last year, in fact, Australia was the number one source market to the Pacific Island nation, recording 345,149 visitors. This was double the number of arrivals from the second-highest source country of New... -
Guide To Tax Deductions In Australia
If you keep accurate records of work-related expenses you may be eligible for tax deductions— leaving you with a smaller tax bill and more money in your bank account Australia’s taxation system allows taxpayers to reduce their taxable income by... -
AUD To IDR Forecast: Aussie Dollar ‘To Increase Gains’
Australian tourists are heading to Bali in record numbers this year, following a hiatus on international travel between 2020 and 2022 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with attractive beaches and solid tourism infrastructure, Bali is a popular destination for Australians... -
How Much Tax Do I Pay In Australia?
With the new financial year around the corner, many of us will be paying a trip to the accountant over the coming months to finalise our tax returns. Understanding how much tax we pay—and what tax bracket we fall into—is... -
What Is Project Management?
The goal of project management is to help a team achieve a goal or solve a problem with a set deadline. The project manager owns responsibility for the team hitting its deadline and meeting the goal. But what is project... -
How To Lodge Your Tax Return In Australia
Lodging your tax return every year is essential—and it is easy to do yourself if you are a salaried employee with a single income source. Income tax is the most significant source of revenue in Australia and the federal government... -
How to Get the Right Home Loan for You
Choosing the right home loan is one of the most important decisions a home buyer will make. With interest rates rising again in June as part of the Reserve Bank’s efforts to curb inflation, it is more important than ever... -
Top 12 Highest Paying Jobs in Australia
With wages failing to keep up with inflation and cost of living pressures intensifying, many Australians are on the hunt for higher paid work. While record numbers are turning to side hustles, others are jumping ship to new organisations or... -
What Are Franking Credits?
Franking credits are essentially a tax rebate paid to investors with shares in Australian companies. As the company you have invested in has already paid tax on its profits, the idea is that the shareholder should not have to pay... -
Do I Need Private Health Insurance?
Australia has one of the world’s best public health care systems, yet more than half of all Australians choose to take out private health insurance. The number of people with private health insurance has risen to a record high since... -
Should I Fix My Home Loan Rate?
The interest rate on a home loan is important because it affects how much your monthly mortgage repayments will be, as well as the total amount you will pay before you own your home outright. Many Australians took out fixed... -
Cost Of Life Insurance In Australia
Life insurance is a type of insurance policy that provides a payout to family members upon the policy holder’s death. It can provide peace of mind to the insured person that their loved ones will not face financial difficulties following... -
What Is A Mortgage? The Ultimate Guide
The desire for the safety and security that home ownership provides can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire, when the first documented mortgages appeared. A mortgage is a means for the borrower to live in their... -
The First Home Guarantee Scheme Explained
The First Home Guarantee Scheme is designed to help eligible first home buyers own their first property sooner. It does this by making it possible for a buyer to purchase a home with a deposit as low as 5% without... -
What Is Dropshipping? The Complete Guide
Dropshipping is a relatively new type of fulfilment model that involves outsourcing the handling and shipping of ecommerce products to a third party. Read on to find out if it’s right for you. More than 75% of Australians now do... -
What Is The Minimum Wage In Australia?
For more than 100 years, Australia has had a minimum wage enshrined in law. It aims to ensure a basic standard of living for the working population by prohibiting employers from paying their staff less than the minimum. Victoria was... -
How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost?
Despite the high costs of vet treatment, Australia has low rates of pet insurance. This may change as the industry becomes increasingly competitive With two out of three households owning at least one pet, Australia has one of the highest... -
‘Triple The Number Of Calls’: The Rush To Refinance Home Loans
A scramble is on among mortgage holders to refinance their home loans after interest rates rose for a ninth consecutive time on February 7. The cash rate of 3.35% is expected to rise further still: the RBA has indicated that... -
What Is An IPO? Everything You Need To Know
An initial public offering (IPO) is when a private company becomes public by selling its shares on a stock exchange. It does this by working with an investment bank and it is subsequently required to undertake a substantial amount of... -
What Causes Inflation? A Guide To Australia’s Price Crisis
While the worst of the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be over, the economic consequences are playing havoc with global economies. Inflation rates have shot up to record highs since the historic lows prior to the... -
Fixed Rate Ending? How To Avoid Falling Off A ‘Mortgage Cliff’
An estimated 800,000 home loans totalling $350 billion will fall off a ‘mortgage cliff’ this year when the loan switches from a fixed interest rate to a higher variable rate, according to estimates from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).... -
Why Is Australia’s Inflation Rate So High?
Australia is experiencing record levels of inflation as a result of knock-on effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and strong consumer demand. In January, the ABS revealed that Australia’s inflation rate had risen 7.8% for the year... -
Guide To Transferring Credit Card Balances
Today’s high interest rates and record levels of inflation make it a particularly challenging time to pay off credit card debt. If you have credit card debt and are struggling to make full repayments, you are not alone. There are... -
Guide To Property Management In Australia
An estimated 80% of investment property owners in Australia employ the services of a dedicated property manager to carry out tasks on their behalf, such as collecting rent and organising maintenance work. The kinds of services provided should be specified... -
What Is A Comparison Rate?
While most consumers focus on the interest rate when taking out a loan, there is another rate that is equally important: the comparison rate. The comparison rate provides the actual cost of a loan by combining the interest rate with... -
Guide To The NBN
The National Broadband Network (NBN) was designed to meet the surge in demand for internet connectivity in Australia. It replaced ageing technology as a means of providing faster and more reliable internet access, and is the largest infrastructure project undertaken... -
What Does a Mortgage Broker Do?
Buying a house is likely to be the biggest purchase a person makes in their life, and the terms of the long-term financial commitment can have a significant impact on day-to-day finances. Choosing the wrong type of loan for your... -
Best Investment Property To Buy
Property has long been a national obsession in Australia – the average Aussie spends more time each week reading and talking about real estate listings than they do at the gym, according to a 2019 study. The popularity of buying... -
Guide To Interest Free Credit Cards
With inflation reaching its highest point in a decade and consumer prices increasing by around 6% this year, many people are looking for ways to avoid extra charges on their credit cards and better manage cost-of-living pressures. As interest rates... -
Cost of Installing Solar Panels
Even before soaring energy prices began to place cost-of-living stressors on Australian households, the economic and environmental benefits of installing solar panels were well known. Australia has the highest rate of installed solar PV per capita in the world, according... -
Investing In ETFs: The Complete Guide
You have most likely heard of the financial product called ETFs, but what exactly are they and how do they work? An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a pooled collection of assets, a type of open-ended investment fund, that tracks a... -
What Is Negative Gearing?
When the expenses associated with an investment are higher than the income that it generated in a year, negative gearing entitles the asset owner to a tax deduction on their other forms of income. Most people associate negative gearing with... -
What Is Capital Gains Tax?
Capital gains tax is a tax paid on profits from assets when they are sold or exchanged. Although it is called capital gains tax, it is in fact a form of income tax and not a separate tax. The rate... -
Guide to Personal Loans in Australia
A personal loan can provide some extra funds to purchase something special, such as a car or a holiday. With cost-of-living pressures rising, many Australians are running low on savings and are turning to personal loans as a way of... -
Ultimate Guide To Buying Solar Panels
Australia’s abundance of natural sunshine makes it well-placed to harness solar energy, and many homeowners are eager to reduce soaring energy bills and switch to cleaner sources of energy. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned in his recent October Budget that... -
What Is Stamp Duty?
Stamp duty is a tax charged by state and territory governments on property purchases, as well as for significant items such as a car, or when transferring car registrations. Stamp duty is also known as a ‘transfer duty.’ The tax... -
Reverse Mortgages Explained
A reverse mortgage allows a homeowner to borrow money using the equity as security. It is a type of home loan available to those in Australia aged 60 and over, and it assists people who have run low on savings... -
How Much Can I Borrow For A Mortgage?
For many people, owning a home is tantamount to achieving the ‘Australian Dream.’ The good news is that house prices in Australia have fallen by an average rate of 2%, in part due to higher interest rates, according to the... -
The Medicare Levy Explained
Australia has a universal, publicly funded health insurance scheme known as Medicare, which means that every Australian, alongside a small number of eligible international visitors, can access free or low-cost treatment. Of course, health care is not ‘free’—Australians do pay... -
What Is A Credit Card And How Do They Work In Australia?
When used responsibly, credit cards can provide a convenient way to purchase big-ticket items and earn rewards, such as business class flights. Some offer complimentary travel insurance. Credit cards can also generate positive credit scores when debt is avoided, which... -
How Much Super Do You Need To Retire?
It’s a question that many Australians have asked themselves since obligatory superannuation was introduced: just how much super should I have before I retire? A recent survey by consumer advocacy organisation, Super Consumers Australia, has revealed, unsurprisingly, that most Australians... -
What Is Travel Insurance And How Does It Work?
No one ever expects their dream holiday to go wrong, but if it does, travel insurance can make the experience much less stressful and expensive than it would have been. It can also help ensure that life-saving medical treatment can... -
What Is Health Insurance And How Does It Work In Australia?
Even though Australia has one of the world’s best public health care systems, more than half of all Australians have private health insurance. There are a number of reasons why a person may opt for private health insurance. Some of...
What Is Web Hosting?
Paying A Premium: Why The Cost Of Insurance Is Rising
What Are Rewards Credit Cards?
Travel Insurance For Fiji: A Guide
Guide To Tax Deductions In Australia
AUD To IDR Forecast: Aussie Dollar ‘To Increase Gains’
How Much Tax Do I Pay In Australia?
What Is Project Management?
How To Lodge Your Tax Return In Australia
How to Get the Right Home Loan for You
Top 12 Highest Paying Jobs in Australia
What Are Franking Credits?
Do I Need Private Health Insurance?
Should I Fix My Home Loan Rate?
Cost Of Life Insurance In Australia
What Is A Mortgage? The Ultimate Guide
The First Home Guarantee Scheme Explained
‘Triple The Number Of Calls’: The Rush To Refinance Home Loans
What Is An IPO? Everything You Need To Know
What Causes Inflation? A Guide To Australia’s Price Crisis
Fixed Rate Ending? How To Avoid Falling Off A ‘Mortgage Cliff’
Why Is Australia’s Inflation Rate So High?
Guide To Transferring Credit Card Balances
Guide To Property Management In Australia
What Is A Comparison Rate?
Guide To The NBN
Guide To Interest Free Credit Cards
Cost of Installing Solar Panels
Investing In ETFs: The Complete Guide
What Is Negative Gearing?
What Is Capital Gains Tax?
Guide to Personal Loans in Australia
Ultimate Guide To Buying Solar Panels
What Is Stamp Duty?
Reverse Mortgages Explained
How Much Can I Borrow For A Mortgage?