![Leverage magnifies both losses and gains.](/web/20170426024034im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/k/u/e/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gvppku.png/1492751651408.jpg)
Margin loans are bad for your financial health
Borrowing to invest. The idea is almost as old as investing itself.
Borrowing to invest. The idea is almost as old as investing itself.
The regulator wants fewer interest-only loans to take the heat out of the housing market. So banks are trying to meet their target by pressuring existing customers.
Money in an offset account may not be protected by the deposit guarantee.
Australians are shunning high-interest credit cards and turning to personal loans for large purchases.
My answers to the 'Hey Nicole' questions.
Despite the Reserve Bank cutting the cash rate twice during 2016, lenders have been edging-up their mortgage rates over that time.
The longer the property boom in Sydney and Melbourne goes on, the more avenues we explore to put a cap on buyer exuberance.
Real estate continues to dominate the headlines in tandem with speculation on the future of the housing market as APRA's crack down on interest-only loans begins to bite.
The rate differential between the best and worst home loan has widened since September 2013, while the average mortgage is bigger.
Banks are maintaining high rates on personal loans with little scrutiny.
Every generation has a sob story. These are the facts about housing affordability.
It's possible you clear your credit card balance every month – and think you're pretty clever.
The debate about housing affordability, and speculation about the direction of interest rates, have brought housing loans back into the spotlight.
The Centrelink debt demands are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how data is used in your financial life.
There are loan sharks cashing in on 5 million savings-poor Australians, but there are more affordable borrowing options out there.
Personal loan applications rose strongly during the December 2016 quarter, with much of the growth coming from online marketplace lenders.
Lenders promote their zero-interest balance transfer credit cards at this time of year. They know that many people return from Christmas and holidays struggling to pay-off their credit card debt.
As widely expected, financial institutions have gradually been increasing their mortgage interest rates especially the longer term fixed rate offerings. This has been triggered by expectations of higher US interest rates following the Trump election victory.
There are four frantic days until Christmas and it's possible you're panicking.
In the past month or so, the window to lock in ultra-cheap mortgage interest rates for the next few years may well have closed, as more banks have jacked up fixed rates.
Knocking a few basis points off your mortgage rate can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.
Here is how one woman smashed her debt and became a home owner.
Changes in an obscure corner of the financial markets that could ultimately have implications for millions of households.
Think ahead for Christmas and limit how much you spend.
How consumer finance companies cash in with parallel deals.
A leading credit agency says almost 3 million Australians are at risk of credit default or other adverse credit event in the next 12 months.
Money Columnist Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon confides the way she worked the system, leveraged lucky breaks and, yes, economised to get debt-free in seven years.
Pre-approval can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.
Many economists think we're in for another interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank in 2017.
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".
Save articles for later.
Subscribe for unlimited access to news. Login to save articles.
Return to the homepage by clicking on the site logo.