Your Hip Pocket
Questions the answer on ethics
I GUESS it’s official: Australians think our big business bosses and politicians are unethical, writes Karina Barrymore.
Doing your dash with dashboards
LET’S talk about dashboards. Not just the ones inside our cars but also the ones we find on the top of superannuation statements and websites, writes Karina Barrymore.
Strike a balance on investments
MOST ads for financial advice or investments worry me — they are always so “blue sky”, playing on people’s need and, um, greed to make money, writes Karina Barrymore.
Try before you buy a smaller place
DOWNSIZING and selling a large family home is no longer the only option for Australia’s empty nest homeowners, writes Karina Barrymore.
How debt dictates these days
THE big question about debt is no longer about “should I borrow”, but about “how much?”, writes Karina Barrymore.
Population growth aids prosperity
INSTEAD of thinking of immigrants as aliens we should be thinking of them as people who actively choose to live in Australia, writes Karina Barrymore.
When new cars drive you mad
THERE’S nothing quite like driving a new car. God forbid something goes wrong. And something does go wrong, most of the time, writes Karina Barrymore.
Commonwealth Bank’s new fee grab
HUNDREDS of thousands of Commonwealth Bank customers will be slugged with higher fees for withdrawing money and cashing cheques over the counter.
Quality of life is economic key
OF all the key financial factors that affect our hip pockets, government policies play the biggest role, writes Karina Barrymore.
Staring hard facts in the face
FOR the next three or four months we’ll be skulking around feeling guilty, maybe a bit anxious, because now we have to lodge our tax returns, writes Karina Barrymore.
The not-so independent advice
THE word “independent” is deceiving investors and consumers into believing something that is usually not true, writes Karina Barrymore.
Applying the broker-hold
Just when you thought it was safe to dip your toe into the property market, along comes another big fat piranha ready to bite your foot off
Dodgy advice taints banks
DO the billions of dollars of profit from bad financial advice and dodgy product sales make up for the destroyed lives and industry-wide reputational damage caused by and to the banks, asks Karina Barrymore.
Gear shift towards level playing field
OK, relax. I’m not going to discuss anything in the Federal Budget. I want to talk about something NOT in the Budget, writes Karina Barrymore.
Good news not so good in real world
IN the real world it costs households more and more each month to live, not less, writes Karina Barrymore.
Forget the moral high ground, it’s always about money
MONEY. Everything is about money. Every decision, every ambition, every hope. Every judgment is based on money, writes Karina Barrymore.
Budget to do no favours for the next generation
The closer we get to the federal Budget next month, the fewer options and levers there are going to be left for the government to use, writes Karina Barrymore.
No action on financial scandals
AFTER decades of financial scandals, the laws haven’t been strengthened and the regulators haven’t acted, writes Karina Barrymore.
Skimping on financial literacy
EDUCATION and family finances are two of the most important external factors in shaping children’s futures, writes Karina Barrymore.
Little progress on work equality
AS the statistics during the past week have shown, there is definitely no assumption of equality when it comes to males and females.
Sensible debt has its place
DEBT is not a dirty word. In fact, debt makes the world go round much more efficiently than money, writes Karina Barrymore.
People police is a taxing move
TO dob or not to dob — that is the question? Would you report a suspected tax cheat to the Australian Taxation Office?
Government threat to your super
THE cash grab from our super funds is getting worse. If it’s not scammers looking for easy prey, it’s fund managers or insurance companies. And now it’s the Government, writes Karina Barrymore.
Ulterior motive for bubble talk
Bubble trouble. I can’t help but think all this loose talk about a housing bubble is not actually “loose talk” but carefully orchestrated manipulation.
Sadly, cynicism will save you
Distrust everyone and everything. If you want to reduce your risk and exposure to financial harm, become a sceptic.
Super debate’s divisive red herring
EVERY time we read a newspaper, snap open a laptop or browse our phones we’re being told the superannuation system must change - again, says KARINA BARRYMORE.
Selling silver lining to an error
IT makes me laugh — actually, it makes me cry — when I read the waffle from big corporations trying to turn a bad thing into a positive. The spin, as it’s known.
Retirement crisis for self-employed
THE lack of superannuation among the self-employed is a ticking time bomb, writes KARINA BARRYMORE.
Fair access to education is vital
Education gets such a beating. Federal Budget cuts. State Budget cuts. Family budget cuts. Yep, education is often the first point of call when it comes to cutting costs.
Loyalty programs only go one way
MOST corporate loyalty programs are all take and no give. And, no surprises which way the transaction goes, writes KARINA BARRYMORE.
