FebuSave is the perfect time to make us all more accountable for our money. It’s a great motivator to get your budget for the year in order as well as help determine your financial goals for 2010.  

Personally, my initial goal for Febusave is work out where my money is going, prioritise what I spend and where I can cut back. (more…)

The beginning of the New Year is a great time to reflect on the last one, and 2009 was certainly an interesting year. The huge uncertainty about the global financial crisis (GFC) ensured that conversations about money were taking place. The GFC has dominated headlines and instilled fear and caution in many of us.  Subsequently, our goals have changed from growing wealth to preserving capital. (more…)

Can you believe it’s Christmas again?  This year has flown by!  Christmas in my house is full of ritual and tradition. Some old and some new, but it’s the familiarity and comfort these customs generate that make the season unique.  (more…)

There are many questions to be answered before taking the plunge.  Antonia talks about how investing can be made easy with the ANZ Online Investment Account.

There is a curse, reputedly based on an ancient Chinese proverb, which proposes to the recipient, ‘may you live in interesting times’. At times, the credit crisis has certainly seemed to be the curse in action, particularly for those thinking about investing in the share market. Some investors have jumped at the opportunity to pick up a perceived bargain, while others have been paralysed with fears of doing the wrong thing! But for most of us, the current uncertainty has left us wondering what the right course of action is. (more…)

Antonia speaks about proactive money management and achieving your financial goals.

Riding the wave of economic buoyancy during the Noughties saw many investors being seduced by financial products offering the potential for big returns. Leveraging, gearing and ‘capital guaranteed’ were all terms bandied about the BBQ, without it seems any real understanding or concern for the potential consequences. It has taken a market downturn of the size and scale we are currently experiencing to make us aware that all investments carry with them a level of risk. (more…)

I was at a dinner party the other night for a friend’s birthday. It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to the economy and the global financial crisis. I noticed all the men in the room had plenty to contribute, whether it was discussing the latest corporate collapse, the dire state of the share market or prophesising more doom and gloom. What they were saying was relevant and affects us all, yet compared to the men the women were conspicuously quiet. (more…)

We know that the economic environment around us has changed, but that’s why it’s more important than ever to take control of your financial situation and start planning for the future. (more…)

I recently attended the funeral of a man I knew who died suddenly in a fatal accident. As he was the father of five young children, the occasion was devastating. What hit me hardest about the whole event was the fact that his children have been left fatherless at so young an age. (more…)