![Sarah Hopkins from Galston has helped her son, Michael, buy a unit by going guarantor for his mortgage.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/m/q/w/h/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.grlrgz.12uqus.png/1474761833668.jpg)
Money features
![St George is now owned by Westpac, making it part of the big four banking groups.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/l/u/s/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.grlut5.png/1474510224456.jpg)
Nicole helps ... with a mortgage masterclass
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon has a new column tackling consumer finance issues.
![A friend paying board will reduce your pension, but it would be worth it if the company is good.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/m/0/3/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.grm07c.png/1474515490051.jpg)
Are my self-managed super fund investments safe?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![BHP Billiton shares boosted chartist Richard Pritchard and columnist Phil Baker's portfolio this week.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/d/y/k/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.grmlm2.png/1474592403171.jpg)
Mendy's Midas touch
One Money reader has taken a seemingly unassailable lead in week two.
![Lachlan Macquarie modified Spanish coins to create Holey Dollars, Australia's first coins.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/n/2/e/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.grn1fe.png/1474607277703.jpg)
'A fascinating coin': Macquarie's Holey Dollars showcased online
When Lachlan Macquarie faced a cash crisis, he created the Holey Dollars.
![<P>](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/f/8/h/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.grmtpu.png/1474675911349.jpg)
Super compromise fair and logical
Top marks to the government for dumping the deeply flawed proposal to introduce a backdated lifetime $500,000 non-concessional contributions cap.
![There are enough incentives that super makes sense.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/x/v/0/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.grlt63.png/1474504865815.jpg)
Super makes sense
The superannuation system is a tax system, and as annoyed as we are about changes, governments do change tax policy.
![In 10 years the average low-rate card charge has gone from 10.8 per cent to 12.7 per cent.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/4/i/v/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.grmpix.png/1474711849371.jpg)
Why credit card interest rates are so high
If the Reserve Bank's official cash rate is 1.5 per cent and you can borrow for a home at 4.4 per cent, why are credit rates as high as 21 per cent?
![There may be different income levels, but the piggy banks are often equally empty.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/x/f/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.grkwd7.png/1474420324926.jpg)
Making six figures? Chances are you've saved nothing
It's hard to feel sorry for someone making six figures, but a new survey attempts to drum up some sympathy for the deflated bank accounts of these high rollers. See, the more you earn, the more you spend.
![Trying to time the market is foolish.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/7/y/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.grj80z.png/1474383403168.jpg)
The perils of timing the market for investors
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' emails.
![Howard and Gillian Tuxworth, with their children Harry and Molly, at the Collingwood home the Victorian government ...](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/7/l/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.grj7al.png/1474245010947.jpg)
What you can do if you're facing compulsory acquisition
Advice for people who lose their homes at the hands of their own government.
![Treasurer Scott Morrison expects an explanation.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/d/o/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.grkej9.png/1474458683622.jpg)
Government mulls national default super scheme to save $1.5b
The Turnbull government is considering a radical shakeup of Australia's superannuation system that would pit banks and industry funds against each other for the right to manage the deposits of every new entrant for at least two years.
![Women's career breaks make it harder to accumulate a healthy superannuation balance. Illustration: Karl Hilzinger](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/3/1/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.grk32g.png/1474364116319.jpg)
The $25,000 hit to women in the super backdown
The compromise over superannuation includes a delay in the plans to let people roll over their concessional contributions, which will hurt carers, particularly women.
![Having half your money spread across each of the big four banks doesn't count as a well-diversified portfolio.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/8/n/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.grj8d1.png/1474344115797.jpg)
Five ways to know you're a good investor
We all get lucky investing from time to time. Here's how to know whether your results are from skill or luck.
![If it's true love, like Wesley and Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride, you might want to consider putting assets ...](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/f/7/b/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.grg6io.png/1473895672274.jpg)
The Money guide to shacking up with your partner
There can be unexpected tax and financial consequences of a couple moving in together.
![Two of everything is not a wise investment strategy. Illustration: Andrew Dyson](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/8/8/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.grj866.png/1474364056090.jpg)
Two of everything is for zookeepers, not investors
One of the biggest challenges for investors is engaging our rational brains and banishing our emotions.
![Hannah Richardson is preparing to sell unwanted children's toys ahead of the influx of Christmas gifts.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/y/z/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.grivrh.png/1474227932633.jpg)
Households hoarding $40b of unwanted items as secondhand economy booms
Hannah Richardson is one of the more than one in two Australians who regularly sell secondhand items.
![Dentists in demand: Medibank to provide free annual dental checkup to "extras" policyholders.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/d/d/8/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.griytz.png/1474202169334.jpg)
Rivals sink teeth into new Medibank carrot
Australia's biggest private health insurer Medibank Private has joined many of its peers in offering free annual dental checkups for its 2.7 million 'extras' policyholders.
![A junior miner has set up Money reader Mendy Amazlak's stellar lead after week one.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/4/9/u/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.grhkup.png/1473987036142.jpg)
Shares Race Week 1: Money reader off the blocks
The surprise winner of the last Shares Race has set a formidable lead in the first week of a fresh contest.
![Decluttering and consuming less can make you happier and wealthier.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/7/v/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.grh6bx.png/1473936955151.jpg)
How to find more comfort, by having less stuff
When we feel out of control or uncertain about the future we feel anxious.
![You can cut the costs of a wedding without cutting corners.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/d/t/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.grhroc.png/1474260753171.jpg)
What do Australians really spend on their weddings?
Whenever you read a story on the cost of weddings, it comes with an alarmingly large number. You should take that with a grain of salt.
![Cathy Filardo is seen helping her children, 13-year-old Siena and 5-year-old Massimo with their homework at home in ...](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/s/0/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.grgnca.png/1474257177893.jpg)
Is private school worth it? Paying for kids' education
Cathy Filardo knows the value of a good education; she is, after all, a teacher.
![You can usually negotiate a discount from the Big 4 banks, but there are still better deals from smaller lenders.](/web/20160925151035im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/g/j/h/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.grgjgs.png/1474508170604.jpg)
Beware the $61,282 remortgage mistake everyone makes
Money educator Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon tackles readers' consumer finance problems in a new column.