![Sometimes focusing on the details means we miss the bigger picture.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/7/l/2/i/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.gtqsz8.12uqus.png/1484271405240.jpg)
Money features
![Michelle McGagh with the round of drinks she bought at the end of her no-spend year.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/o/l/5/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtok6u.png/1484032588042.jpg)
This woman bought nothing for a year and saved $37,100
A British woman has detailed how she spent an entire year buying nothing but the bare necessities and saved £22,493 ($37,100) in the process.
![Alex Henderson, age 11, launched an online paddle boarding retail business after graduating from Lemonade Stand - The ...](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/r/p/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9rjb.png/1484007346680.jpg)
Meet the pint-size entrepreneurs moving beyond money basics
The financial future looks pretty bright for one pint-sized entrepreneur, who is already in business.
![The lifestyle of many retirees is underpinned by home ownership](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/4/0/3/4/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtopui.png/1484037658523.jpg)
A roof of your own is secret to retirement
Our super system is not in need of restructuring as some commentators suggest.
![You don't have to retire to go on holidays to distant places like Montenegro.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/h/n/5/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtd5cq.png/1482098222391.jpg)
Your Questions: when can I afford to retire?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![Jarrod Partridge and his wife relocated to Bali, where he works as a freelance writer.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/s/s/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9uzw.png/1483915533237.jpg)
Got the back to work blues? Freelancers share their experience
If the summer holidays have left you burning to throw in your job, setting up as a freelancer may be just the escape route you need.
![Speak up, and put your hand up.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/r/v/9/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdqyx.png/1482092697795.jpg)
Invest in yourself in 2017
Your ability to earn a salary is a valuable asset and one that should be nurtured over time.
![<P>](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/t/v/y/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcux8.png/1482095806238.jpg)
The lucky country for investors
Why 2017, like every other year, is shaping up to be a good one.
![The Richie Benaud 50 cent coin.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/l/s/2/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtlrod.png/1483505864219.jpg)
Marvellous: how to get your Richie Benaud 50 cent coin
Next time you have to decide who bats first, use a Richie Benaud 50 cent coin for the toss.
![President-elect Donald Trump's 100-day plan has injected confidence into the sharemarkets.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/b/k/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdodl.png/1483495616731.jpg)
Here's how to best trade the Trump presidency
"Investors are visionaries in some respects – they look beyond the present."
![GENERIC. PLEASE CREDIT IMAGE: iStockphoto Three presents wrapped in gold and red. Isolated on white Gold and Red ...](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/e/w/g/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtamy4.png/1483528118496.jpg)
Tis the season for regifting
Tez from Liverpool has been selling unwanted gifts online since 2011, but only after they've received a dose of gratitude.
![The state government will still expect stamp duty at full market value.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/3/6/w/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtd55x.png/1483410657608.jpg)
Selling property below market value is a tax trap
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![After the party is over, many of us wake up with a financial hangover.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/f/2/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcf7v.png/1481844771491.jpg)
One resolution to rule them all (and another to renounce)
How to set yourself up for a sweeter 2017.
![ETFs give you exposure to a market, without high fees.](/web/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/b/4/k/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtb4c6.png/1483699113799.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/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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.
![Don't take the jolly out of your holiday season by overcommitting on your Christmas spending.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/b/j/z/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtclph.png/1482245865985.jpg)
Warning about new 'buy now, pay later' system in festive frenzy
There are four frantic days until Christmas and it's possible you're panicking.
![Kirti Mahraj, 23 and Adil Mohiuddin, 25 bought a house in Sydney without family money.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/d/9/v/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9lej.png/1482381020706.jpg)
How some millennials are buying property without family help
The reality of buying a house without family money seems increasingly far-fetched, but these three young men beat the odds.
![Almost one in 10 Australian workers is underemployed.](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/4/g/2/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcfi8.png/1482221633320.jpg)
The truth behind the official jobless figures
There is more to the jobless statistics than meets the eye.
![The HotCopper site is a sharemarket forum perhaps better known for spruiking and rampant speculation, rather than ...](/web/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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.
![Amy Miller and Kyle Frost planned exactly how much they would spend on their three-week trip to the US and Mexico - and ...](/web/20170115013930im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/8/x/a/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt8x3g.png/1481591614085.jpg)
How to budget daily spend for your holiday
Not budgeting for, and during, your trip can result in overspending.
![The lies we tell ourselves are the most dangerous of all.](/web/20170115013930im_/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/20170115013930im_/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.