As your life changes and your responsibilities expand, your life insurance should expand with it. And if you’re thinking that sounds like a lot of effort, think again. Most policies allow you to increase your cover without any medical checks or complicated forms when major life events occur, like having a child or increasing your mortgage. In fact, that’s exactly how your cover is designed to work.

One of the most common questions I’m asked as a financial adviser is “will I have enough to retire?” It truly is the million-dollar question!  

With so many variables involved, there is no set answer, but these days with so many of us expecting to live longer, at least one million dollars is the minimum required to fund a comfortable retirement.

This might come as a shock to many, and a lot of people might think that figure is only achievable by winning the lottery, but I can assure you that it is achievable. It requires planning and commitment… and a little bit of magic called compounding.

Each new generation will treat money differently to the last, but children of the 21st Century certainly have many more uses for money than those of the last century. Not all that long ago a bike or a doll was a 5-year-old’s dream gift; now it’s an iPad!

As we start the new year and ponder how fast the last 12 months have disappeared, many of us find ourselves thinking about our aspirations for the future.

Let’s face it, we’ve worked hard throughout the past year, and now is the time to reflect on what we have achieved; where we want to go; and what we need to get there. These times of reflection are critical to our lives whether we run our own business, are employed, or retired.

Few client meetings have been as challenging. After years of being happily married, Sarah and her husband decided to separate, and the story of her acrimonious divorce was certainly distressing.

In recent years, ethical investing or socially responsible investing (SRI) has become increasingly popular. Driven by the growth in demand for businesses that are profitable and ethical, along with regulatory frameworks to address challenges such as climate change and modern slavery, there has never been a better time to gain exposure to ethical investments. 

It’s not realistic to put a dollar sign on the cost of your child’s or grandchild’s future. But calculating the cost of education can help you draw a close enough estimate particularly in relation to the type of schooling you want to be able to afford them.

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.