![Kirti Mahraj, 23 and Adil Mohiuddin, 25 bought a house in Sydney without family money.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/d/9/v/d/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.gt9lej.12uqus.png/1482381020706.jpg)
Money features
![ETFs give you exposure to a market, without high fees.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/l/i/u/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdp3h.png/1482095166013.jpg)
Five biggest mistakes people make saving for retirement
Saving for retirement is a multi-decade investing venture, even for those approaching retirement.
![Australia is in the top five countries for life expectancy worldwide and Australians aged 64 now can expect to spend ...](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/q/h/x/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdqya.png/1482094478333.jpg)
Is the trend of running out of money in retirement increasing?
As a nation, we're pretty optimistic. We like to think things will turn out for the best, and if they don't, we usually have a back-up plan to see us through. While it's one of the traits I like most about Australian culture, optimism alone doesn't always cut it.
![Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/2/k/z/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtis3f.png/1483001166467.jpg)
Labor ought to stop pandering to millionaires
Once Labor and the unions stood up for battlers. Now they’re robocalling seeking sympathy for millionaires who want to stay on the pension.
![Investors turned on former market darlings such as Bellamy's Organic.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/b/4/k/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtb4c6.png/1482364473597.jpg)
2016: A year of surprises
Things that are always clear in hindsight are never clear at the time. But 2016 has really outdone itself.
![Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/x/v/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9lmu.png/1482221703895.jpg)
What happens to my health care card when I lose my pension?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
![Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge (played here by Jim Carrey) is the fictional archetype of the miserable rich person.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/x/k/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtaxcz.png/1481859309836.jpg)
Rich is a state of mind, not a bank balance
Look no further than the hordes of rich but miserable celebrities and Lotto winners.
![The HotCopper site is a sharemarket forum perhaps better known for spruiking and rampant speculation, rather than ...](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/y/f/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtay97.png/1481703760215.jpg)
HotCopper is too hot
There is as much hot air in HotCopper's share price as there is in its forums.
![Close to a million retired and contributing defined benefit (DB) members are struggling to understand how the 1 July ...](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/s/1/p/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcwtp.png/1481864842189.jpg)
How defined benefit members will be affected by super changes
The government's super changes are complex and not easily understood.
![Studies suggest some people are happier giving gifts or treats than they are receiving them.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/x/c/5/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtceeo.png/1481976960066.jpg)
Giving is like sex, it makes us human
Want to make someone extraordinarily happy? Give them $5, or $20. But you can't stop there.
![Aged care is destined to have increasing demand, but there may be oversupply.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/2/9/y/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9e28.png/1482186413304.jpg)
The hidden danger of investing in aged care
Favourable demand forecasts aren't enough to make money in aged care. Focus on supply.
![The lies we tell ourselves are the most dangerous of all.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/d/s/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9do6.png/1481575795183.jpg)
The investment lies we tell ourselves
The hardest part of investing is not the balance sheet analysis or ratio calculations. It's the way we use that information.
![Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/b/2/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt99qm.png/1481627900782.jpg)
Can I spread risk by having two super funds?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
![Resilience is a tool on the path to wellbeing not an end in itself.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/s/j/x/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9blb.png/1481576761340.jpg)
Why financial resilience is not an end goal
When it comes to our finances and our businesses we're often told to be resilient. But is simply weathering storms truly living?
![Labor's Andrew Leigh said the complaint figures did not take into account this month's IT system failures.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/o/l/7/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt91dx.png/1483073243459.jpg)
Entire ATO website down
The Tax Office ruled out a census-style "denial of service" attack as the reason for the loss of its entire website, saying the massive failure was due to hardware problems "not being caused by any external factors".
![Superannuation is a marital asset that can be split in divorce, but it's still best to make sure your relationship is ...](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/y/m/x/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt4y6w.png/1481083328431.jpg)
Can I switch to making super contributions for my wife?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![Most pre-retirees don't have enough super.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/8/1/j/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt7wje.png/1481543973256.jpg)
What it would take to replace the age pension
The age pension is more valuable than many people realise.
![The government offers a reverse mortgage alternative through the Pension Loans Scheme.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/q/h/t/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt71m1.png/1481375066152.jpg)
Nicole Helps… choose a reverse mortgage
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon explains how reverse mortgages and the government's Pension Loans Scheme work.
![A Panasonic lithium-ion flexible battery that's just 0.55 millimetres thick.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/1/k/8/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt7gr2.png/1481359916546.jpg)
Galaxy Resources up 46pc, while Cre8tek nearly doubles
Galaxy Resources, a mining company focused on lithium, has emerged as one of the strongest performers in the final Shares Race for 2016.
![Wasting money to upsize your pension payments doesn't make good financial sense.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/1/m/m/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt74qs.png/1481684592664.jpg)
Straight talk on the age pension
The age pension assets test is being tightened, and some pensioners will lose all or part of their pension come January 1, but it is still one of the most generous age pension systems in the world.
![The Australian economy will face global challenges, especially if the US changes trade policies.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/j/i/d/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt739k.png/1481627943101.jpg)
The outlook for investors in 2017
Despite historic low interest rates, super funds and investors generally have fared well in 2016.
![The kids were assigned assets, such as shares in Blackmores or Facebook, or a commercial property and asked to research them.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/v/9/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt73wk.png/1481233998401.jpg)
Bad Santa and Banqer – teaching school kids about money
There is little doubt that fostering financial literacy in young people leads to more confident decision making in adulthood which in turn leads to lower stress and better outcomes.
![Heather Watson helped find her aunt Marjorie MacLeod a place in the same nursing home as Heather's parents.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/e/h/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt6gl4.png/1481238674745.jpg)
Welcome to aged-care season
The festive season can be as overwhelming as it is merry, especially when you're confronted by the frailty of elderly relatives.
![<P>](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/z/d/p/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt3yp0.png/1481087492915.jpg)
Is it worth it for young workers to pay extra super?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
![For personal trainer Vicki Lanini, beating credit card debt made her financially fit.](/web/20161231132859im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/3/y/w/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt0npv.png/1481072632978.jpg)
The best way to borrow money and pay off debt
Here is how one woman smashed her debt and became a home owner.