ACCC issues warning about fake bank messages
Australia’s consumer watchdog has sounded the alarm about sophisticated bank impersonation scams that have claimed a number of peoples’ life savings. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said scammers were using new technology to trick their victims. This included: Another way scammers were inducing people to respond to their fake calls and texts was […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 21 April 2023
Toyota leading the pack, but Tesla accelerating fast
Consumers are confidently snapping up new vehicles, and while they continue to gravitate towards the biggest brands, they’re also showing increasing interest in greener vehicles. A total of 269,002 new vehicles were sold in the first three months of 2023, which was 2.5% more than the first quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Chamber […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 21 April 2023
Established home prices tipped to return to 2022 levels soon
One of the country’s leading property economists has delivered an argument for why prices for established homes are poised to enjoy significant growth. Ray White Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee said problems in the construction and rental markets would push people to buy established homes (i.e. those that aren’t brand new), which would drive up prices. […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 21 April 2023
Australians set $19.9bn refinancing record
If you’ve been hearing lots of stories about people refinancing their home loans in search of lower interest rates, there’s a very good reason. Refinancing is at record levels, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Borrowers refinanced $19.9 billion of mortgages in February – 22.6% higher than the year before, when refinancing […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 21 April 2023
Govt makes super less generous for those with large nest eggs
The federal government has announced plans to reduce tax breaks for Australians with superannuation balances above $3 million. Currently, earnings from super in the accumulation phase are taxed at a concessional rate of 15%. This will continue for all super accounts with balances below $3 million. However, from 1 July 2025, the concessional tax rate […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 4 April 2023
ATO changes rules around working-from-home deductions
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has changed how taxpayers claim deductions for costs incurred while working from home. You can choose one of two methods to claim working-from-home deductions – the fixed-rate method (which has been updated) and the actual-cost method (which has not). The revised fixed rate method applies from 1 July 2022 and […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 4 April 2023
CBRE gives bullish outlook on industrial property
Global property group CBRE has forecast a “rent-a-demic” for Australia’s industrial & logistics (I&L) sector. The main reason is that the I&L national vacancy rate is just 0.6% – the lowest in the world – which should lead to strong rental growth in most capital cities in 2023. “This is being propelled by the fact […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 4 April 2023
What is a cash rate and what does it mean for me?
In today’s meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to hold the cash rate for the first time since they started rising in May 2022. The cash rate remains at 3.6%. This could provide some reprieve to households that have experienced regular hikes to their interest rates over the last 12 months. It has […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 4 April 2023
New car wait times fall 28 days in six months
After rising steadily for more than two years, the average time that Australians have to wait to receive a new car has been trending down for six months. The average waiting time rose from 34 days in June 2020 to 159 days in August 2022 and then fell to 131 days in February 2023, according […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 27 March 2023
How to refinance in a declining market
With interest rates rising, it’s important to make sure your mortgage rate is still competitive – which is why so many Australians are refinancing right now. However, refinancing can be more challenging when property prices are falling, as they are in many parts of the country. That’s because your equity (or the debt-free share of […]
- Author: admin
- Date: 27 March 2023
