![Starting Christmas shopping early pays-off for Santina Gambrill, shown with her husband Aaron and children Jaden and ...](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/g/2/b/j/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.gsgc33.12uqus.png/1478403847767.jpg)
Money features
![The Reserve Bank says new apartment construction is changing the balance of rental supply and demand.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/r/1/g/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsjq6i.png/1478553642525.jpg)
Why it's time to ask for a rent reduction
Rents are still at historic highs, but the heat is out of the market.
![The only reason to have a self-managed super fund is if you want to pull the strings.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/j/e/r/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsgbve.png/1478563457078.jpg)
Pros and cons of DIY super
There are two types of people: those who have opened an SMSF and the rest.
![Interest rates are already very low, providing a great opportunity to pay off the mortgage.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/9/r/c/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsh5x0.png/1478234334848.jpg)
Low rates are a chance for mortgagors to get ahead
Many economists think we're in for another interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank in 2017.
![Don't hide your money from your spouse.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/g/e/2/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsge3k.png/1478494175473.jpg)
Nicole helps ... get a couple on the same financial page
A reader asks: How can I stop my wife spending all our money?
![Ridding the garden of weeds was the desired outcome, not policing the hours worked.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/5/p/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsh5gv.png/1478143725927.jpg)
How to increase your income – focus on outcomes not hours
If we want something, we can either reduce expenditure, or increase our income.
![Another poor week for shares mainly as a result of US presidential election worries.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/o/e/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gshslw.png/1478221874586.jpg)
Looming threat of US President Donald Trump leaves our tipsters in the red
As the US presidential election draws closer, the worry that Donald Trump could win has been the main factor in sending our sharemarket from about 5300 points to 5200 points during the week.Â
![Queensland Police assistant commissioner Brian Codd speaks to media at Dreamworld, where four people died after a ...](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/p/a/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsib72.png/1478236593396.jpg)
Making sense of the Dreamworld tragedy for investors
The human cost was high, what does it mean for investors?
![Low growth is squeezing investment returns.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/b/2/m/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsgcmj.png/1478080670228.jpg)
Low investment returns bite
​Funding a comfortable retirement has always been a challenge for many Australians but now it's even more difficult.
![Don't be afraid to find a new accountant.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/g/f/n/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsgfcm.png/1478300934678.jpg)
Help! My accountant is useless
A reader notices constant errors in their accountant's work, but is scared a change might trigger an audit.
![Make sure your home finance arrangements are not built on sand.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/9/n/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsh9il.png/1478148887478.jpg)
Mortgage pre-approval is a smart move but avoid these traps
Pre-approval can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.
![Young women are closing the gap in pay negotiations.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/l/0/n/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsh53a.png/1478142877114.jpg)
Five rules for negotiating your pay
It can be a nerve-racking process when you begin negotiating a salary.
![SCHOOLIES 2015 on the Gold Coast. Jeremy Tanudtanud 18, Monica Caminiti 18, Elena Dmitrovic 17 and Marcus Hill 18. ...](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/e/d/s/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsecx1.png/1478055328822.jpg)
Seven money survival secrets for school leavers
Most school leavers are – sorry – spectacularly unprepared for the real world. Here are the vital survival secrets you need to hear now – before it’s too late.
![School leavers starting jobs need to be aware of their super entitlements.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/4/3/x/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gscxmz.png/1477877886381.jpg)
Four things you need to know about super before your first job
With the excitement of your first job, don't forget your super entitlements.
![Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/4/4/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsef7e.png/1478008741734.jpg)
My adult son is living at home. How can he maximise his savings?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
!["I talk with people my age, and the Bank of Mum and Dad is becoming more and more prevalent": Treasury secretary John Fraser](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/q/g/f/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsa3p2.png/1477808540417.jpg)
The 'bank of mum and dad' has risks too
Buying a home has become so tough for many young people in the past few years that more and more are relying on the "bank of mum and dad".
![Ally Lancaster with her son Connor McLeod, who was born blind and convinced the Reserve Bank to introduce tactile banknotes.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/5/a/q/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsdcbc.png/1477789705023.jpg)
New cards to extend banking options for the blind
For NSW teenager Connor McLeod, who is blind, using an automated teller machine on his own has not been possible until now.
![Halloween is also the deadline to submit your tax return, if you're doing it yourself rather than through an accountant.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/e/y/0/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gseh4p.png/1477963279392.jpg)
It's Halloween ... and the taxman is calling
If you're lodging with MyTax this weekend, here are a few tips to help you get more bucks back this year.
![Share prices were down this week due to poorer-than-expected earnings updates.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/e/q/2/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gscsdh.png/1477636392623.jpg)
Sharemarket heavy weather a challenge for tipsters
It has been a tough week for our tipsters given that the sharemarket went backwards.
![Many home insurance policies exclude leaky plumbing because it's a maintenance issue.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/1/h/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsc1iz.png/1477985752522.jpg)
Nicole helps… expose leaky house insurance policies
Financial expert Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon has a new column tackling consumer finance problems.
![Good financial planning should address your goals.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/s/5/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gscryx.png/1477783566494.jpg)
How to find a good financial adviser
My stock answer is: "That is no different from your asking me how to find a good doctor, accountant or motor mechanic. I really don't know."
![Lucky for some: Trainer Bart Cummings and foreman Reg Fleming after Viewed won the 2008 Melbourne Cup.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/d/r/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gscrco.png/1477878079189.jpg)
Shares are a better bet than the Melbourne Cup
Australians love a punt but there are better ways to make money.
![The Tabcorp-Tatts deal is smart, but the outcome is far from guaranteed.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/5/5/e/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsdbbr.png/1477642426596.jpg)
Last roll of the dice for Tatts and Tabcorp
There are no shortage of gamblers. But growth is hard to come by.
![Uninsured victims of the Brisbane flood, Sharon and Jonathan Cauldwell, lost almost $420,000 but are determined their ...](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/s/n/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsbrwp.png/1477636617386.jpg)
Are you ready for disaster season?
Brisbane hospitality executives Jonathan and Sharon Cauldwell were hit hard after their home was inundated in the 2011 floods.
![Self-funded retirees will struggle under the new age pension rules.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/b/k/t/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsckdh.png/1477603879558.jpg)
Life is set to get tough for self-funded retirees
Self-funded retirees with assets will be struggling to obtain after-tax investment returns higher than the new age pension asset test taper rate of 7.8 per cent.
![A reader is fed up with working and keen to retire in her 50s.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/k/9/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsck7l.png/1477605330818.jpg)
Should we dissipate assets to maximise our age pension?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![More people are accessing their super to pay for stomach surgery to control their weight.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/g/2/q/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsbtz3.png/1477781728742.jpg)
Rising obesity drives raid on super to pay for surgery
More people are accessing their super to pay for stomach surgery to control their weight as awareness grows that retirement savings can be used to pay for medical treatments.
![Life insurance bought through an adviser has a greater chance of success at claims time.](/web/20161108001300im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/m/c/9/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gs4m8s.png/1477270929532.jpg)
Life insurance advice reforms will help better protect consumers
Commissions are still with us when it comes to life insurance.