Beware: easier eligibility for a home loan doesn’t necessarily translate to a better deal. Higher interest rates not only bring higher mortgage repayments but, for new borrowers, the amount that can be borrowed falls. That’s because when the banks assess a borrower’s eligibility to repay the loan they stress test the applicant by assessing their… Read more »
Yesterday the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) announced it will allow energy retailers to lift prices for existing customers by 19.5-23.7 per cent. This is the cap that energy retailers can charge existing customers who haven’t looked elsewhere. And it follows an 18 per cent increase last year. These are huge increases which feed directly into… Read more »
Sharemarket analysts are nervous, so finding a way to protect your portfolio should be a matter of priority. I have to say there is a real sense of nervousness about the performance of sharemarkets over the next couple of months. A couple of factors are playing on the minds of the share gurus: The fear… Read more »
Yes, rising interest rates stealthily reduce your borrowing capacity. Fortunately there are a few simple things you can do to increase it. I’ve talked about this a few times over the last couple of months. Not only do rising interest rates increase loan repayments, they also reduce your borrowing capacity because the so-called “serviceability test”… Read more »
Compared to the rest of the market, the big four bank shares don’t perform well. A common theme among the experts I talk to on my share investment program The Call is their frustration in talking with clients who seem to marry their big four bank shares… they just won’t even talk about selling them.… Read more »
I read about an interesting sharemarket strategy during the week which got me wondering whether it could apply to the Australian market – it’s called The Dogs of the Dow. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, known as the Dow, is a US stockmarket index made of 30 large US blue chip companies which are well-established… Read more »
Going guarantor on your child’s loan is a family minefield for so many reasons. I generally don’t recommend it, but if you have to do it, be cautious. Australian parents are incredibly generous when it comes to supporting their adult children. I agree, we should be supporting them EXCEPT if it puts our finances, our… Read more »
Yes, loan interest rates are going up, but so is interest paid on savings accounts. Granted many banks haven’t lifted savings rates at the same pace as loan rates, but many have. I was stunned by a survey from research group Finder which found more than 1 in 2 Aussies (53 per cent) are still… Read more »
Most superannuation funds lost money in 2022. That’s just not good enough. In my mind superannuation fund returns were frankly terrible in 2022. Every working Australian pays big fees to have their retirement savings compulsorily managed by superannuation funds, which pay big salaries to their chief executives and investment managers for doing the work. These… Read more »
I thought to kick off the year, it would be a good idea to start with a big picture look at the key economic drivers and investment markets. The fight against inflation is the focus of governments and central banks around the world. Over the Christmas break there have been a whole string of indicators… Read more »
