The end of the financial year is fast approaching, so is now the time to check in on your super and consider an extra contribution? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Renae Anderson, manager of select advice at UniSuper, to chat about the super moves worth considering before and after July 1. They discuss: When and how to make a personal contribution Whether it’s possible to top up a spouse or partner’s super The new super guarantee rate in 2024-25 Advice for women looking to boost their super balances The range of advice available from super funds ..read more

Have you thought about how your super is invested? Taking the time to consider, and even adjust, your investment settings could impact your balance down the track. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Jeremy Lack from TelstraSuper Financial Planning to discuss picking an investment option in your superannuation. How do super funds invest? What investment options can members choose from? How can super holders get their investment mix right? What kind of impact can investment options have come retirement? Where can super members go for guidance?  #f ..read more

Interest rates have reached a peak. At least, that’s the consensus among many experts who expect rates to start to fall in the near future. So how can borrowers and savers prepare? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Rachel Wastell, personal finance expert at financial comparison website Mozo, to discuss the possible timing and impact of any future rate cuts. What is the Reserve Bank saying? When are economists expecting rates to fall? Are banks already adjusting their rates in anticipation? Is there anything mortgage holders can do to prepare? What sh ..read more

Ever wondered if it’s possible to take out a loan to build your share portfolio? After all, investment loans are common place in property investing. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Lily Elliott, head of margin lending specialists Leveraged, to discuss the ins and outs of margin loans. How are margin loans different from other loans? What kind of equities can be purchased with a margin loan? How much can investors borrow, and what determines that? When and how do investors pay the loan back? What are the potential risks and benefits involved? #frie ..read more

Home internet and mobile plans may have become part and parcel of everyday life, but that doesn’t mean you need to be paying over the odds to stay connected. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by the managing editor of WhistleOut Australia, Alex Choros, to discuss getting a better deal on your broadband and mobile phone plans. Who are the different providers? How do mobile networks and the NBN work? What are the most important features when comparing plans? What are some of the cheapest mobile and internet deals around? Which providers are offering the b ..read more

When it comes to online shopping, we've quickly become experts at undermining our long-term financial goals. Making better decisions that prevent us from going further into debt and increase our overall cashflow is the key to getting what we want. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with financial educator, The Broke Generation podcast host, and author Emma Edwards about the 3 ways you can start to improve your spending habits. The importance of financial psychology Slow down your purchase decisions The good, bad, and ugly of buy-now-pay-later Stick to ..read more

Australians are set to pay less income tax from July this year, so what’s changed and who will benefit the most? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by the director of tax communications at H&R Block, Mark Chapman, to discuss the revamped stage three tax cuts. Why were the stage three tax cuts proposed in the first place? What did the original stage three cuts look like? What changes has the government made, and why? How much money can taxpayers expect to save? How quickly will people notice a difference in their pay? #friendswithmoney #tomwatson #ma ..read more

With prices soaring above a million dollars, breaking into the property market is a daunting quest. If you're just starting out, Is there a way to own your own home, or is it mission impossible? This week on the Friends With Money Podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with John Pidgeon, author of Sort Your Property Out & Build Your Future, about overcoming the challenges of the current market. Is there a perfect time to enter the market? How do you save for a deposit? What you can buy now vs your forever home Five tips to achieve your goals #friendswithmoney #michellebaltazar #jo ..read more

Australian investors poured billions of dollars into exchange-traded funds during 2023, but which ETFs returned favour with the best performance? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Cameron Gleeson, senior investment strategist at Betashares, to chat about the performance of the ETF market in 2023 and look forward to the trends emerging in 2024. What’s driven the appetite for ETFs in the last decade? What made fixed-income ETFs so appealing last year? What are the most popular ETFs on the market? Which ETFs were the best performers in 2023? Are there a ..read more

Retirees will naturally want to make the most of their super come retirement, so what kind of income strategies can they employ to ensure their nest egg lasts the distance? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Caroline Rees of TelstraSuper Financial Planning to chat retirement income strategies. How should retirees think about longevity? Is expenditure likely to change throughout retirement? What kind of retirement income strategies can people employ? How can retirees deal with volatility? #friendswithmoney #tomwatson #carolinereese #superannuation T ..read more