Financial Planning

By Susanna Stuart

Forget the election rhetoric. The main underlying problem in our society isn’t in the hands of the politicians, it’s in the hands of the income-earning public. If as a nation we saved and invested more, we would have less national debt, we would have more resources for health and education. We would have more wealth. We would be ready for retirement.

By Joan Baker

Women should have wonderful lives but many do not because they end up having very few choices owing to financial constraints. The first step to changing this situation is to take charge and resolve that you will have the life of your dreams. After all, it’s your life and you should ensure that you have a good life for as long as you live.

Dispelling the fairy tales.

They say children learn what they live. Among the many lessons we can teach our children, there are few more valuable than providing them with a sound understanding of the concepts of money, budgeting and saving.

Wills have long been regarded as specialist legal documents and their preparation has been the domain of legal experts. More recently, with easy access to information, particularly through the internet, many people are choosing the option of preparing their own will. Draft and template wills can be downloaded off the internet and if you don’t have access to the ‘net’, you can purchase these documents from a variety of other suppliers – including the corner stationer.

How much do you think you could earn during your working life? Would a million dollars surprise you? Well, if you earned $25,000 a year for forty years, that's what it would add up to. But it's not the money you earn that's the important thing – it's what you do with it.

No matter what your income is, a savings and investment plan can help you make the most of it. Developing a savings and investment plan is simple if you get advice.

Gifts

• If you take cash out of an ATM, use the one owned by your bank (in most cases you’ll be charged an extra fee for using another bank’s ATM).
• Consolidate your bank accounts. Banks often charge a maintenance fee for each account, so if you have an account you rarely use you might want to look at closing it.
• Consider opening an on-line bank account. Often these bank accounts have lower fees and charges.

By Joan Baker – Author, financial commentator, wealth coach.

What you do with your income matters. Whether you earn a little or a lot the choices you make with your spending are critical to getting what you want. Clearly, you first need to know what you want in life. If you don’t, spend some time considering what you want, clarifying what’s most important to you and pinpointing the goals you want to achieve. Working out what you want to do, have, and be, and what your priorities are, is the essential first step to getting what you want.

By Susanna Stuart – Financial author, writer and planner.

Please fasten your seatbelt. The flight ahead over the next few years as your children grow towards full financial independence is bound to get a little bumpy. As your kids get older they’ll learn the buying power of money and they’ll learn the big lesson that it gives them a measure of power and independence. The real challenge is to be sure they learn that money also requires restraint and responsibility. Here’s a brief flight guide.

First step.

Tired of seeing the high cost of petrol eat away at your pay packet? While we can never escape fuel costs entirely, there are things we can do to save money on petrol. Cut your fuel costs with some of these suggestions:

1. Ensure that your vehicles are properly maintained. Under-inflated tires, dirty oil, clogged air filters and poorly tuned engines all increase your fuel costs.

2. Consolidate your trips and car pool. Do all your chores in the one trip. Share school runs (& after school activity runs) with other parents.