Borrowing

Many Australians hide credit-card spending from their partners.

CARD TRICKS

Partners kept in dark over cards

John Collett   Many of us are unaware of our other halves’ secret credit cards.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Parents want to help – here's how they can

Mark Bouris

Mark Bouris   Research shows they're keen to help their children get a foot on the property ladder, but they don't want to put the family home on the line.

FLEXIBLE FRIENDS

Pick a card - but not just any card

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   Here are the top picks from the new breed of circumstance-specific credit cards – and how to use them so that you, not your provider, win.

INSIGHT

Locking in a fixed rate loan might be a smart move

Clancy Yeates dinkus Dinkus

Clancy Yeates   Even though the Reserve Bank hasn't cut official interest rates since February, the cost of borrowing with fixed-rate home loans continues to fall.

ASSET CHECKJ

Helping younger Australians

Home ownership is a key part of retirement planning for Australians.

Daryl Dixon   Allowing families to save for retirement while enabling their children to buy a home would be a double victory for many.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Flexibility can keep first home buyer's dream alive

First home buyers needn't bend over backwards knots to get a foot on the property ladder.

Mark Bouris   You're better to do what you can, rather than worrying about what you can't.

INSIGHT

Pump up a mortgage cushion by overpaying

Noted: Many borrowers appear to be responding to low rates by paying their bank back faster.

Clancy Yeates   Low interest rates are giving borrowers the chance to get on top of their debts.

Keep it in the family for a win-win

Both givers and recipients benefit from tax advantages when families help members buy a home.

Daryl Dixon   With interest rates low and likely to fall further, assisting the family to achieve home ownership is an increasingly attractive option.

CARD SHARPS

Credit card rate rort nets $14m a month

Stacked: Collectively we owe $50.1 billion on credit and charge cards – and pay 0.52 per cent too much for it.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   Rather than pass on the last rate cut, credit card lenders have made the lucrative move to lift interest charges, making $28m in the process.

BORROWING

Refinancing to renovate has fallen from favour

More people are choosing not to borrow more when they want to upgrade their home.

Michelle Hutchison   Fewer home owners are refinancing a home loan to raise the money for home loans - maybe because they don't know how to.

MOTLEY FOOL

Buying houses with super is not a smart idea

Dipping into your super to buy a first home is having your cake and eating it.

Scott Phillips   Super shouldn’t be a magic pudding.

BANK OF MUM AND DAD

Think out lending a leg up the ladder

The best of intentions can sometimes go astray when parents help finance their children into home ownership.

John Collett   Parents need to be aware of the consequences of gifting money for their children's property purchases. Especially if relationships breakdown.

ASSET CHECK

Gearing system showing its age

Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon   The system is pushing up existing property prices, encouraging even further levels of geared property investment.

INSIGHT

Fears around growth of payday loans

Clancy Yeates dinkus Dinkus

Clancy Yeates   High-interest payday lending has surged despite reforms in 2013, consumer advocates say.

GETTING STARTED

Best way to save is by borrowing

Borrowing can help you make those first steps on the property ladder.

David Potts   Home ownership and a decent retirement shouldn't rule each other out.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Make sure your cover meets your needs

It's not just a rainy day that you need to think about.

Mark Bouris   Bigger and more expensive homes come with the need for insurance that covers not just the bricks and mortar, but the owners, too

MARGIN CALL

Temptation of margin lending may prove too much

It's alluring, but you don't get much wriggle room with margin lending.

Richard Livingston   If you want to borrow to buy shares, other avenues might provide a better way to do it.

INSIGHT

Sweet credit-card deals can leave a sour taste

Despite interest-rate cuts, using a credit card remains an expensive way to shop.

Clancy Yeates   Banks' credit-card offers might look tempting, but there are plenty of reasons to be sceptical.

Extra $310-a-month loan shock looms

Borrowing big while mortgage rates are low could secure your dream home. But when interest payments move off the bottom you might find you're struggling to stay afloat.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   Interest rates will go up and when they do, home owners who have borrowed big will face budget-busting repayment rises.

BUILDING WEALTH

Scrooge landlords not helping themselves

If property owners are not maintenance minded, tenants might not tell them when something major happens.

Nina Hendy   Tight-fisted investors are public enemy number one in the renting world. Here’s how to avoid being one.

BUILDING WEALTH

Big wheels keep on turning

Caption

John Collett   There’s been no sign of the capital city markets slowing, but investors must be on their guard

BOURIS ON MONEY

Hedge bet on home mortgage rates

Bet: Splitting your loan provides a smoother mortgage rate movement ride.

Mark Bouris   Wondering whether you should stick with a variable loan or go for a fixed-rate mortgage? Well, there is another option - the split loan.

INSIGHT

Dangers in forgetting your principals

Added risk: Interest-only loans for owner-occupied homes run the risk of becoming negatively geared.

Clancy Yeates   Borrowers should be aware of what they're getting themselves into with interest-only loans.

YOUR QUESTIONS

Where's the best place to put a redundancy payout?

What's the best way to use a redundancy payout?

George Cochrane   It’s a nice problem to have - looking for somewhere to park a $70,000 redundancy payout.

BUILDING WEALTH

Surviving rental property disasters

Gutted: Alex Haddad stands outside his investment property in Sydney's Ryde that was destroyed by fire.

Sylvia Pennington   What can landlords do when major disaster strikes?

BOURIS ON MONEY

The principle of interest-only loans

Manage your investment property: Cut into your mortgage with an interest-only loan.

Mark Bouris   Interest-only loans can be a tax-effective way to invest in property – but you'll need to pay attention.

INSIGHT

End of the line for credit card surcharges

Clancy Yeates dinkus Dinkus

Clancy Yeates   For several years now, regulators have tacitly acknowledged that some businesses are gouging customers who pay on credit.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Make your home work for you

Broker a deal: Compare your home loan with current market deals and decide if you could be doing better.

Mark Bouris   It might have been competitive five years ago but your mortgage could now be looking a bit ordinary.

CARD SHARPS

Rates elastic for your plastic

Money-spinner: Interest rates on credit cards won't be falling anytime soon.

John Collett   The official cash rate is low and going lower, while credit card rates have soared.

Time to look at ways investors are taxed

Protecting existing geared investments from changes that focus on boosting the housing stock could protect the interests of current investors.

Daryl Dixon   Low-rate environment is a good time to look at changes to negative-gearing rules.