Money features
Tipsters struggle to make headway in lacklustre sharemarket
Another lacklustre week for the sharemarket has left our tipsters largely treading water in week three of the four-week Shares Race.
Downsizing provisions are a mixed bag
While far from ideal, the budget initiative to allow older Australians to deposit up to $300,000 each in superannuation when they downsize their home is welcome.
Why the banks should absorb the cost of the levy
I know of no other industry where the taxpayer underwrites borrowings – it's a unique arrangement and one that the banks can't characterise as "just another cost", writes Mark Bouris.
What the Moneyball story teaches us about investment
Does share market investment require a technology-driven approach, or is it not that simple?
RateSetter matches investors with borrowers for clean energy
Investors will be able to lend to borrowers to install clean energy in their homes, such as solar panels, after a tie-up between peer-to-peer lender RateSetter and the government's Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
Why German speakers are prone to be penny pinchers
Once again, it's the German speakers who pinch their pennies.
Super funds for bank employees among the best performers
The banks have some of the best-performing super funds of all, at least for their employees.
Meet the real high taxpayers. They're not high earners
The budget pushed low-income earners' marginal tax rate up towards 100 per cent.
'What having my laptop stolen in Paris taught me about the housing crisis'
Ultimately all my swearing and carrying on isn't going to change anything.
A good financial year for super fund members is almost a certainty
Double-digit returns for super funds remain on the cards this financial year despite global sharemarkets likely to be negative over May.
Why can't switching banks be like changing mobile providers?
You could be forgiven for getting a sense of deja vu when watching the stoush between the government and the banks.
What Aussies get wrong about money (and schools don't help)
More than 27,000 readers jumped online and completed the basic money smarts test shared last week.
Crowdfunding is a force for good, but it's not like going shopping
Crowdfunding platforms democratise the funding of good ideas, but supporters need to go in with their eyes open.
Fairfax Media best pick of the week as bidding war hots up
Our tipsters are left in the red in week two of the four-week Shares Race, following the midweek sell-off on Australian and global sharemarkets.
Public servants gain from Future Fund decision
The federal government's recent decision to postpone drawing from the Future Fund is welcome news for members of its defined benefit funds.
Document loans to family and friends to protect cash and relationships
Your money kindness towards loved ones might be well meaning, but it is fraught with risk.
Troy Carter overcame 'financial PTSD' to launch Lady Gaga
What could you achieve if your negative financial experiences from the past were not holding you back?
The one thing most investors get wrong
There is anecdotal evidence that regulatory measures and budget proposals are having an effect on the housing market, which is a sad reflection on the mentality of the average property investor.
'My ex-boyfriend left me broke'
By the time I left him, my boyfriend had taken nearly all my money.
'Trading shares is now a poor man's game'
The popularity of exchange-traded funds is overstated in Australia, but they play an important role.
The nation's unpaid super bill is now $5.6b a year and rising
Unpaid superannuation is a huge and growing problem. Industry Super Australia estimates employers are failing to pay billions in compulsory super contributions to 2.6 million employees.