INSIGHT

Rates are low and fixing's fine but a mix is even better

CLANCY YEATES With interest rates staying at low, low levels for at least another two months, is now a good time to lock in a fixed-rate mortgage?

CUSTOMER CARE

Learn the seven signs of a bad bank

David Wilson If there is one thing that riles Australians more than the taxman, it's banks. Here are seven tell-tale signs it is time for you to stop being a doormat.

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MONEY MANIA

Jingling pockets could bring on a headache

David Wilson Doctors and lawyers are especially prone to it but everyone is at risk from money addiction.

FINANCIAL STRESS

Be cautious, first-timers urged

JOHN COLLETT With a threat of mortgage interest rate rises in the near future, home buyers are asked to tread carefully.

MORTGAGES

Might as well scratch rates-cut horse

David Potts Here's one winner you can back on Tuesday: the Reserve Bank won't be cutting rates.

BORROWING

Stability helps secure a loan

Mark Bouris Here are my top tips to ensure first-time mortgage borrowers can secure a loan.

PROPERTY

Analysts pop bubble speak

JOHN COLLETT With house prices on the move again, so too is talk of a house price bubble. Concern is mostly centred on Sydney, where prices are roaring back to life.

PROPERTY

Find an affordable home and save for it

Mark Bouris Housing affordability for first home buyers is in the news, with properties in Sydney and Melbourne selling for more than many first-timers can afford.

GETTING SETTLED

Markets are hot, but don't be pressured

Residential real estate markets are running hot, with clearance rates at 90 per cent in Sydney and 80 per cent in Melbourne.

ECONOMICS

Won't be first time if US defaults

David Potts For once it's politicians and economists, not the markets, who've been having conniptions about the US defaulting on its debt.

PROPERTY SPECIAL

Bank on getting a foot in the door

David Potts The system is slanted towards buying a home, so if you can't beat it, why not join it?

GETTING STARTED

Solid foundation to super investments

David Potts Every government outfit in town is against you setting up your own super fund to buy an investment property.

Bright ideas for loan savings

PENNY PRYOR Low interest rates are making it a lot easier for you to pay off your home loan.

MORTGAGE RULES

Pay down that debt to get ahead

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon Paying down debt is pretty much the top strategy to building wealth; it's often even better than buying shares or investing in property.

PROPERTY

Ups and downs on the way home

Penny Pryor If you are looking to buy a property, try not to get caught up in the hype at auctions.

INSIGHT

Rise in property prices threatens to grow bubbles

Clancy Yeates Low rates and a buoyant auction market are breathing new life into an age-old debate: are Australian house prices at risk of entering bubble territory?

BORROWING

Information key to securing savings

Mark Bouris It concerns me that many mortgage holders are not responding to the low interest rate.

BORROWING

Making most of low rates

Mark Bouris The reduction of official interest rates to 2.5 per cent is a historic event that raises several questions.

INSIGHT

Big banks think small

Clancy Yeates Although we love complaining about the big banks, satisfaction with them has climbed to almost 80 per cent