Have yourself a Merry debt-free Christmas. Christmas is cause for celebration – but you shouldn’t take it as a cue that it’s time to lose all control of your credit card. While we’re quickly approaching what is known as ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, for many, the festive season can also be the [...]
Are you looking to enter the property market? You’re not alone. Thanks to more stable conditions and government incentives, over the last few years there has been an increase of first homebuyers purchasing a home. But if you’re thinking about taking your home loan application straight to the bank because it’s a convenient choice, consider [...]
Looking to get money motivated in your spare time? Whether you’re saving for a big ticket item, a new home or just wanting to boost your bank balance, treating your earbuds to the top Aussie finance podcasts is a smart investment. Financial advice comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes navigating the financial landscape can [...]
Like it or not, open data is becoming a new reality for Australian bankers and investors. The fintechs are pushing for it, the Australian Government is reviewing it, and investment giant Macquarie Bank is trialling it. All the while, the Royal Commission continues to ripple through the financial services sector, with conduct and compliance also [...]
First home buyers are leveraging the many pros of rentvesting, proving it to be much more than just a buzzword. Historically, discourse surrounding entry to the market has focused on first-home owner incentives. But in recent times, amid a rising market value and a shifting culture which increasingly values lifestyle over the traditional ‘Australian dream’, [...]
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) have tightened lending processes over the past 12 months. In addition to changes to interest-only lending, APRA have cracked down on ensuring lenders dig deeper with their client’s household and living expenses. Essentially, this means that two different borrowers could present with the same income, but their varying level [...]
Amid the abysmal Australian banking inquiry following AMP’s misconduct, the financial advisory sector remains a sea of uncertainty, with the big banks scrambling to locate their lifejackets; namely, executives and investors awaiting the repercussions, and the potential impact on both the market and future consumer proposition languishing. And it’s been quite a storm all-round, with [...]
The discourse surrounding gaining access to the property market often focuses on negativity, particularly amid a media era that successfully drives readership through encoded scepticism (smashed avocado anyone?). Consequently, avid savers are commonly unaware of the financial benefits of obtaining a security guarantor home loan, often overlooking this as a viable pathway into property ownership. [...]
The last 12 months have seen the mortgage industry face significant changes to compliance surrounding interest-only lending. In March 2017, The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) introduced lending restrictions; namely, that lenders cap interest-only pathways to “no more than 30 percent of their total new housing loans in a given quarter” going forward. Drivers of [...]
