It might have taken several months but interest rate rises are impacting many Australians' holiday season plans. Many are feeling the pinch of higher repayments, combined with an increasing cost of living. With discretionary spending squeezed, holidays and Christmas gifts are often first to go.

The days leading to Christmas, holidays, and celebrations are exciting, frenetic times. They’re a whirl of parties and social engagements, gifts, food to be purchased and travel arranged. The rush to get things organised builds into a perfect festive crescendo then…well, it’s over, and may not have lived up to your expectations.

The short answer is ‘yes’, but only up to a point. People in richer countries are, collectively, happier than people in poor countries. Within countries, people with higher incomes are generally happier than people on low incomes. Surprisingly, once basic living needs are met, the amount of happiness gained from each additional dollar of income rapidly declines.

Before you get life insurance, talk through these 6 questions with your financial adviser. That way you'll have a clear picture of what you're buying, and what discussions need to have had.

A study by Deloitte between November 2021 and January 2022, surveyed over 14,000 Millennials (born 1983 – 1994) and Gen Zs (born 1995 – 2009) worldwide. The results were alarming: over 30% of respondents indicated that they did not feel financially secure, while 47% of Millennials and 46% of Gen Zs lived paycheque-to-paycheque. All said cost of living was their number one concern – ahead of climate change and unemployment.

Private health insurance helps people avoid long wait times for non-urgent procedures and lets them access services that Medicare does not cover. But out of pocket costs may be a deterrent for many people to use it to pay for their medical costs.

Private health cover premiums have significantly increased recently and many customers have had “bill shock”.

What can you consider to ensure your policy is right for you?

Climbing the career ladder, perhaps buying a home, and starting a family – the 30s are an exciting stage of life. However, the decisions made now can make a big difference to future financial wellbeing, and with so much going on it is understandable, even inevitable, that the best decisions won’t always be made. So what are the common financial mistakes that 30-somethings should be alert to?

When you receive money or a gift from a family member’s or friend’s estate, the last thing you probably think about is tax and insurance. However, you can circumvent future difficulties or financial loss if you attend to a few practical financial issues as soon as possible.

Many Australians caught in the nine-to-five grind of working for a living, dream of the possibility of retiring early, spending their days travelling or playing golf or doing nothing much at all.

There’s even a name for it these days.

Australians are good at talking ourselves out of life insurance. She’ll be right, right? It turns out there are some scientific reasons why we struggle to engage with life insurance. And this highlights exactly why we need it.

Property is hard to get right, and when you are buying there are a flurry of decisions to be made.

I have seen many purchase errors arise due to a lack of a plan.

A well-constructed plan can ensure you make an informed decision and manage your risk, ensuring that you get the property you want, and this purchase decision doesn’t compromise your financial future.

Exchange Traded Fund investments are gaining popularity but do we really understand them? While they can be low-cost and relatively simple, there are a few other things you should know before hopping on board.

According to research undertaken by Morningstar, Australian investment in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) grew by 30.4% in the twelve months ending December 2020 to reach a capitalisation of $79.3 billion (US $60.8 billion) .

What do these investors know that you don’t?

There’s a quote that says, “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it”.

True if you’ve got that sort of money. For the rest of us, our spending is usually on clothing, gadgets, and cars – the kinds of things that make us happy.

There’s no doubt life insurance can be complex. But when you’re talking about something as important as your family’s financial security, it’s worth taking a bit of time to make sure you understand what you’re buying. The first step is understanding the main types of life insurance.

With the current low interest rates, investors are reconsidering repaying their mortgages quicker and are now seeking investment alternatives. With the help of a case study, this article explores moving surplus cash flow into other wealth creation opportunities.

Prior to COVID-19, we were steadily moving towards a cashless world. Post 2020, even the most resilient of us has made the leap to tap-and-go payments sooner than we expected.

From the morning coffee to filling up the petrol tank, we wave that plastic with little thought to the impact on our account balances. In fairness, many retailers are now adopting the ‘no-cash, please’ trading regime, but we Australians have a reputation for embracing technology, and touchless shopping is no exception.

It’s the middle of the night and you’re jolted awake by extreme pain in your chest. You feel like the life is being crushed out of you and immediately realise you’re having a heart attack. Your partner frantically calls 000 and as you lay clutching your chest waiting for the ambulance to arrive all you can think about is how your family will be supported if you die.

The pain intensifies.

If you’re like most people, you probably have some form of life cover already. But how much do you really know about this important type of life insurance?

There are many reasons to invest in shares. Whatever the motive, with thousands of shares listed on the stock exchange, how can an investor choose which ones to buy?

Let’s look at a few key considerations.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 2019 there were 113,815 marriages. Sadly in the same year there were 2,162 divorces, with financial issues cited as one of the major reasons for marriage breakdown.

For couples deciding to move in together, the idea of buying a home and building a future can be very exciting, and prompt a lot of discussion. Conversations around shared finances and where one another stands on money – in particular, financial goals and obligations – don’t seem to generate the same enthusiasm. Nevertheless, these are the discussions that need to take place as they can impact everything from where you live, to children, schools and lifestyle.

For example, what if you tended to use credit to buy the things you wanted, while your partner was debt-averse and preferred to save up? How would conversations around buying household items go? Additionally, existing debt has the potential to cause considerable problems in relationships; nobody likes financial surprises.