![Financial squeeze tightens as prices of essential services skyrocket and wages hardly grow](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/s/q/i/z/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.h0sqgy.12uqus.png/1517899771623.jpg)
Money features
![Leola Rose was fortunate that she had employee protection insurance so she could still afford to pay the mortgage after ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/r/l/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vrlh.png/1518245221479.jpg)
Insurance a house-saver after crippling health event
Two out of three of working Australians have taken at least one career break at some stage in their working lives, with an average of 3.5 career breaks overall.
![Credit card interest can be up to 22 per cent.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/b/f/v/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vv6w.png/1518209783962.jpg)
Why you should always clear credit card debt before you save
Weight loss and personal budgets have a lot in common - everyone has an opinion.
![The fees charged by trustee companies are higher than comparable services.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/v/b/o/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vu0f.png/1518141793926.jpg)
Estate planning overlooks hefty fees charged by trustee companies
Personal finance expert George Cochrane answers your questions.
![The sharemarket has been like a rollercoaster ride this week.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/2/3/t/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vtpd.png/1518145104468.jpg)
Money editor hits the lead as markets tumble
It's been the week from hell on sharemarkets, with lower share prices around the globe following the sell-off on Wall Street, but it's not all bad news for our tipsters.
![Peter and Danielle Forster will soon go down to one income when their third child is born.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/s/a/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0upjs.png/1518130548317.jpg)
How to beat the health insurance hikes
With private health premiums rising by almost 4 per cent, on average, from April 1, about double the rise in wages and inflation, more people are looking at how they can beat the hikes.
![Albert Einstein is said to have called compound interest "the eighth wonder of the world".](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/t/x/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vtxk.png/1518163358268.jpg)
Apply the secret of compounding to debt and savings
Albert Einstein called compound interest "the eighth miracle of the world" because its effects really do appear miraculous.
![The Financial Planning Association is a good place to start to find a good adviser.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/s/x/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vsxl.png/1518245047885.jpg)
How to find a good financial adviser
It's great commissions are gone but where do you find the good advisers?
![The report argues the current 9.5 per cent rate is adequate to fund a decent retirement income for the typical worker.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/z/8/0/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vs81.png/1518163332327.jpg)
Scrap super guarantee increase to boost wages, save $2b: report
Workers should not be forced to lock away a rising portion of their wage in superannuation, according to a new report.
![Members of a couple timing their entry to aged care can make a difference to their means assessment.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/c/g/h/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0vrva.png/1518152551925.jpg)
Timing is important when couples enter aged care
The natural instinct for many couples who both need aged care is to move together, on the same day.
![The average credit limit has jumped to $9143.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/9/0/7/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0v8uo.png/1518075465522.jpg)
Your unused, emergency card limit now risks your credit rating
Your credit score will be recalculated from July 1, and a high card limit will cost you.
![Recalcitrant employers who ignore court orders to pay compulsory super entitlements could face imprisonment.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/8/9/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0v81g.png/1517972869620.jpg)
Unpaid super: let the punishment fit the crime
Jailing employers who don't meet their compulsory super obligations will do little to improve overall superannuation coverage in the general population.
![Selling your unneeded items can help you drum up extra cash.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/z/5/j/p/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0tsgg.png/1517991939036.jpg)
Seven ways to boost your income
If strict budgeting isn't working for you, look for ways to earn extra income.
![Banks have toned down the incentive for tellers to pursue sales targets.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/8/5/1/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0tpgp.png/1517905163047.jpg)
Why 'cross-selling' is on the nose in financial services
Banks are hinting they will stop trying to flog us as many financial products as possible. That is good for customers and shareholders alike.
![Dividing money into different buckets is called "mental accounting".](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/s/z/u/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0szso.png/1517901916876.jpg)
Irrational behaviour can cost you money
Riddle me this: is it sensible to have debt and savings at the same time?
!["Buy now, pay later" apps, zipPay and zipMoney, are proving popular with shoppers](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/h/g/h/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0scl3.png/1517651360639.jpg)
Zip Co shuffles the Shares Race's pecking order
With Zip Co picked by four of our eight racers, the fortunes of the company, which operates the zipPay and zipMoney "buy now, pay later" apps, was always likely to be one of the swing factors of the race.
![Economist Daniel Kahneman was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former US President Barack Obama. His story ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/8/c/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0rv3e.png/1517816204887.jpg)
Books to read to move from loathing to loving finance
Here are some fantastic books to turn learning about money matters from a burdensome chore into a pleasure.
![Quitting his job in finance and making a living as an MC and radio host is a dream come true for Neil Lithgow.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/r/s/a/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0rs64.png/1517905188291.jpg)
Perfect super storm brewing on back of gig economy boom
The reluctance of gig economy workers to contribute to superannuation has created the perfect storm in Australia.
![The bull market should continue for a while.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/i/0/j/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0sdn2.png/1517558470608.jpg)
Weed your share portfolio while the good times roll
The outlook for share investors is positive with a strong possibility that the Australian market could reach the record highs of 10 years ago.
![A story about a magical train is a good allegory for compound interest.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/r/w/o/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0rvwq.png/1517558509474.jpg)
What if someone invested $2.83 a day for you since birth?
My eldest son was born in October 1981. I could easily have afforded to invest $2.83 a day for him, but like most parents I didn't get around to it.
![About one in three tenants say they do not get all of their bond back.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/w/i/3/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0oc64.png/1517197818016.jpg)
Don't get caught short on rental bonds
One in three renters are losing bond money at the end of a tenancy.
![Travel writer Tim Richards in Alaska on his quest to travel the world without cash.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/q/1/r/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0punx.png/1517204544811.jpg)
'I travelled around the world without (much) cash'
Freelance travel writer Tim Richards tries to get by with contactless payments on three continents.
![For the first time, employers who defy orders to pay super to their employees will face jail.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/z/v/w/y/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0oupi.png/1517300850763.jpg)
Employers who don't pay super face up to a year in jail
The government intends to introduce court-ordered penalties, including up to 12 months' imprisonment, where employers defy directions to pay their superannuation guarantee liabilities.
![Market sentiment in the United States is at historic highs.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180210205319im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/e/e/j/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.h0pumd.png/1517300860176.jpg)
'Be prepared to pull the trigger': why the risk of a market crash is high
I wouldn't want to scare you but have you seen a chart of the Dow Jones or the S&P; 500 index recently?