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Personal Finance

This Month

Kerrie Claffey, pictured inside her glider at Temora Airport, is ready for take-off.

I have no spouse or kids. This is what my will looks like

Kerrie Claffey has mapped out plans to leave money to charities close to her heart.

  • Lucy Dean
The application process is lengthy but you’ll be able to relax knowing prescriptions will be cheaper.

Why the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is so sought-after

The card extends lower-cost health and medical services enjoyed by government age pensioners to self-funded retirees.

  • John Wasiliev
Eric Siegloff with Christine Collins, whose face we have deliberately blurred at her request.

What it’s like to fall for a crypto scam

Christine Collins, 79, was unknowingly in the thrall of cryptocurrency scammers who had hacked her computer.

  • Nina Hendy
Aidan Saarman, Tony Saarman, Pauline Saarman and Taryn Saarman outside their home.

They own 8 properties but this couple still had FOMO for their kids

In a panic over property prices some parents are rushing to gift or lend their kids money for a home deposit. But certain strategies are better than others.

  • Lucy Dean
Scambaiters do a very important job, investigator Ken Gamble says.

‘Scambaiters’ turn the tables – and police – on internet fraudsters

Vigilantes are devising elaborate ways to waste fraudsters time or trick them into revealing information about their operations that can be shared with authorities.

  • Alice Kantor and Robin Fall
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Vivian Tu has mastered a candy-coated version of financial advice,

This ‘Wall Street Girly’ wants to make wealth more accessible

Vivian Tu is the latest in a long tradition of women talking to women about economics, business and personal finance – and with TikTok she can reach millions.

  • Jeanna Smialek
Trying to build a deposit in the sharemarket? This is what you need to know.

How to invest your way to a bigger home deposit

The housing market is not friendly to would-be buyers without help from mum and dad. So many are turning to the sharemarket for help.

  • Lucy Dean
The generational transfer of wealth in Australia is underway, but younger generations are struggling under the burden of high debts.

7 revealing charts about wealth in Australia

The generational transfer of wealth in Australia is underway, but younger generations are struggling under the burden of high debts.

  • Michelle Bowes
It might be wise to stick with the Trump trade for a while.

Three assets to sell right now and three to buy for 2025

Leading market strategists say it’s time to take a hard look at your portfolio and sell stocks that have been good to you.

  • Andrew Hobbs
Knowing when to sell, and having the discipline to act, is one of the most underappreciated skills in investing.

Answer these three questions to know which shares to offload

Investors with real mettle are as good at selling assets as buying them.

  • Joshua Derrington
Yao-Chung Chang and Jason Coates with their pug Valentino who cost $20,000 to bring to Australia when they moved here from Japan.

It cost $20k to bring a dog to Australia, but that was just the start

If there was a pet under your tree this Christmas, buckle up for a lifetime of expense (along with the love, of course).

  • Michelle Bowes

December 2024

Want to retire early, head to Europe every year or work less? This formula could help you work out what you need.

How to calculate your financial freedom number (and why you should)

Do you know the rule of 25? It’s one of the core tenets of the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement – or FIRE – and a useful starting point for mapping out long-term money goals.

  • Lucy Dean
More than half (52 per cent) of Australian grandparents are providing or planning to provide financial support to grandchildren.

What to consider before giving your grandchildren money

Providing financial assistance can be rewarding, but give some thought to how it will affect your retirement.

  • Jenneke Mills
Get ahead financially.

Six ways to get ahead financially in 2025

Start with the end in mind by deciding where you want to be financially in a year’s time.

  • Lindzi Caputo
You could soon be getting financial advice from a made-to-order avatar.

Your financial adviser could soon be an avatar

In the face of rising costs and dwindling personnel numbers, is this the future of the industry? Some certainly think so.

  • Michelle Bowes
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People-pleasing can come at a significant financial cost.

People pleasing cost me $32,000. Here are four ways to stop it

Since people pleasing is a personality trait, dialling back your spending requires more than learning the nuts and bolts of money management.

  • Juli Fraga and Connie Chang
Corey and Brooke Selfe bought a holiday house together and haven’t looked back.

How to buy real estate with siblings (so it doesn’t end in tears)

As high property prices make it harder to save a deposit and service a mortgage, it may be tempting to buy with a sibling. Answer these 10 questions first.

  • Lucy Dean
Sibling rivalry can turn nasty when it comes to inheriting the family home.

Sibling rivalry: what to do when inheritance goes horribly wrong

Millions of Australians will jointly inherit the family home with siblings. We explore four common scenarios, what can go wrong and how to resolve disputes.

  • Joanna Mather
While many in their 30s may not realise at the time, this decade presents significant wealth-building opportunities.

What to do in each decade of life to build wealth

It can be difficult to know what to do to get ahead financially as you age and your circumstances change. Here’s a quick guide.

  • Rob Pizzichetta
These conversations can be some of the most difficult we ever have.

Give the gift of difficult conversations this Christmas

The festive season is an opportunity to initiate important family conversations about will-making, aged care and funeral costs.

  • Jenneke Mills
There’s not a lot of new supply coming on in Sydney, so occupancy rates and room rates will keep rising.

5 opportunities for commercial property investing in 2025

Sydney hotels, data centres and regional shopping centres are among the segments tipped to grow next year.

  • Sam Tamblyn
Joanna and Justin Ryan are giving to charity using a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Fund.

Giving booms as donors maximise tax benefits

Joanna Ryan and her husband have established a sub-fund with an initial donation of $1 million.

  • Joanna Mather
Andrew Tate illustration

The Australians inside Andrew Tate’s online ‘university’

Leaked member data from the controversial influencer’s “financial education platform” reveals its popularity.

  • Joshua Peach and Lucy King
Goldman Sachs recommended that investors “seek opportunities in mid-cap equities”.

Mid-caps could be the magnificent refuge tech investors need

With more modest valuations and less concentration risk, it might not be a terrible idea to sprinkle a mid-cap fund into broader equity portfolios.

  • Jonathan Levin
Kath and John in their home in Templestowe, Melbourne.

Seven ways to future-proof your savings in case of early retirement

The secret ingredients to a good retirement are preparation and control, but life can be unpredictable. Here’s how to build flexibility into your plan.

  • Michelle Bowes

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance