Rising interest rates usually mean bad news for homeowners, as the cost of servicing existing mortgages goes up and consumers start to feel the pinch. You’d expect this to have a knock-on effect on house prices – higher rates should mean lower house prices as more people are pushed out of (or unable to enter) […]
Higher Minimum Pensions from 1 July 2023
The recent 50% reduction in the minimum Account Based Pension withdrawal requirement came to an end on 1 July 2023. This was a temporary measure during and after COVID and was designed to reduce the depletion of ABPs in times of lower investment returns. From 1 July 2023, the minimum withdrawal percentages are reverting to […]
2022 in Review
As the end of the year approaches yet again, you might be reflecting on how things have changed over the past 12 months. Many unexpected world events have happened lately, including a global pandemic, war in Ukraine, and inflation taking over. Well composed articles about the future can be entertaining, but little more. However educated […]
Reverse Mortgages
It’s a common scenario for older Australians – asset rich, cash poor. Owning a valuable home and having little income can be an issue, but there are ways around this other than selling your house. Below we look at the workings of a reverse mortgage. What are they? It is called a reverse mortgage as […]
Do news headlines impact share markets?
Do share markets care about news headlines? In April, the US share market posted its best month in over 30 years. How can this be? In the five weeks from 20 February through 19 March, 1.1 million US citizens filed jobless claims. During this time, the US share market fell 29%. In the following five […]