Borrowing

Planning for the future, particularly when you have a family, is key to financial stability.

Stress test can help point the way forward

George Cochrane   Young family with many homes seek a better way to manage their portfolio.

DELIGHTFUL

The five 'Ds' women need to know about money

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   Don't depend on destiny to deliver desirable results to distressed damsels. Dammit. Dames must decide to dig in.

BASIC TRAINING

Basic Training: Seven tips for buying your first home

Co-investing may get you into your first home sooner but you'll need a watertight contract.

Larissa Ham   Thinking of buying a place of your own? Worried about all that entails? Fear not.

THE MOTLEY FOOL

Why stamp duty is good for us

Buy a house and flip it was the American mantra.

Scott Phillips   No one likes it but it acts as a useful handbrake for out-of-control property speculation.

HARD TO CREDIT

Big bank sentence? 18 years card-labour

Racking up debt on your credit card is like subjecting yourself to a long-term sentence.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   The difference between the best and worst credit cards could add up to an extra 18 years of repayments.

Credit card fees waived for those who ask

Chandan Sharma pays $87 a year in fees on his ANZ Mastercard rewards card.

John Collett   Sick of paying exorbitant credit card fees, Chandan Sharma called his bank to complain. What happened next left him gobsmacked.

CARD SHARPS

Want zero card fees? All you need do is ask

You may be surprised with the result when you ask to have your fees waived. Get on the phone.

John Collett   Don't feel like paying your card providers' annual fee? Tell them you'll walk away and see what they do.

SOMETHING IN RESERVE

Last of the rate cuts for home owners

The Reserve Bank deserves credit for entertaining an official cash rate of 2 per cent when economists were predicting it would rise.

David Potts   The markets are tipping one final fling by the Reserve Bank with a rate cut in April next year.

YOUR MONEY

Is banking getting too complicated?

Biometric traits such as fingerprints are hard to fake and are increasingly being used in security measures.

David Wilson   Banks need to come up with an effective but user-friendly security system.

Debt repairers could be out to deceive

MON00-Collett

John Collett   Consumers should be wary of credit repair companies that promise, for a fee, to make debts go away.

LOAN

Watchdog bites into boom

First-home buyers are being hit again.

David Potts   New rules being imposed by the banking regulator will hit first-home buyers.

BORROWED TIME

Our $2664-a-month debt addiction

Getting rid of debt should go in descending interest rate order, starting with the credit card.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   Australians are crippled by debt, and the burden's getting heavier. What can we do about it?

Homes needn't cost us dear

A co-operative living house can make for a happy home.

Beatrice Kelly   Can't afford to buy your own home? There are other paths to tread. One Money reader decided not to own – and hasn't looked back.

Comments 9

Canberra's best and worst suburbs for good financial behaviour

Credit restrictions

Henry Belot and John Collett   Households in Fyshwick, Pialligo and Hume have the worst financial behaviour in the ACT while those in Woden are more prudent.

RATINGS

Credit scores poor in the heart of the city

People living in the inner cities have poor credit ratings.

John Collett   Inner Sydney and inner Melbourne are among the worst regions in Australia for poor credit records.

Furore over fees for free credit reports

What would you bend down for? $50?

John Collett   Credit reporting agency could be forced to refund consumers for reports they should have got for free.

Comments 9

THE 'HONEST' BROKER

Do we really need to live a life in debt?

Too many of us have already tightened the noose by accumulating a growing level of personal debt.

Marcus Padley   Is this the only way to live? Will the culture of debt ever stop?

TIP OF THE WEEK

Need a better deal? Tell your bank

Are you getting the best deal from your bank or is it time to shop around?

Thabojan Rasiah   Whatever your lending situation, now is a better time than ever to review your loans.

Rates are low – have you got the best deal you can?

There are good deals on fixed rate loans at the moment. Is it the right time to lock one in?

John Collett   A fixed-rate mortgage can lock in low rates for years. But is it right for you? Try our interactive quiz to find out.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Novice buyers should play to their strengths

With house prices in Sydney recording 3.1 per cent growth, first-home buyers can no longer rely on the formula of a house equating to five times their joint income.

Mark Bouris   You have to ensure that the price you pay and the size of the repayments stacks up.

MONEY MENTOR

Easy way to get mortgage-free faster

Any dollar you've shovelled away and every cent that passes through your hands reduces your mortgage interest and brings your debt-freedom date forward by years.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon   The humble Australian-invented mortgage offset account is the No. 1 debt-busting wonder. Let me prove it.

FAMILY VALUES

Creativity key to first-time success in red-hot market

Tim and Gaynor Richmond - with their son Harvey - have achieved the dream of owning their own home by combining forces with Gaynor's parents, Alan and Jan Silsbury.

Kate Jones   Instead of giving up on the great Australian property dream, many first-time buyers are thinking outside the square.

WELL-HEELED

A very dangerous message to peddle

Buyers can leave themselves exposed to rising interest rates.

Melissa Browne   Don't let auction day madness leave you exposed with a property you can't afford when interest rates rise.

TOP GEAR

Get in before the back pedalling

Geared for deductions: The tax equation is skewed.

Richard Livingston   Negative gearing is a ticket for many to jump aboard the property investing train.

ASSET CHECK

Find strategies to cut loan risks

Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon   Borrowers need to be aware of the risks they are taking on and develop strategies to reduce their possible impact.

BOURIS ON MONEY

Why wait to get a better home loan?

Too many Australians are paying too much for their mortgage.

Mark Bouris   It's outrageous that people are still paying high interest when the opportunity to pay less is right under their noses.

CARD SHARPS

Travel cards not all created equal

Travel cards are a good way to pay for an overseas holiday - especially when the Australian currency is weaker.

John Collett   A little bit of homework on which card to use when travelling overseas can really pay off.

WELL-HEELED

Forget a good job – if you want a home, get yourself a plan

There are many paths to the Australian dream of owning your own home.

Melissa Browne   If you can't get a foot on the property ladder there are some alternatives.

INSIGHT

Don't fall victim to credit card gouging

Take action to ensure you are not paying more credit card interest than necessary.

Clancy Yeates   There are quicker ways to cope with credit card debt than waiting for a government inquiry.

FINANCIAL LITERACY

Too many know too little about loans

Many people find home loans confusing.

John Collett   Low levels of financial literacy are leaving consumers without the knowledge to get the best deals on home loans.