Working out your budget does not have to be complicated and will help you take charge of your money. Knowing where your money comes from and where it goes is a good starting point towards reaching your goals. Everybody who does a budget and keeps it up to date sees how it pays off. If you are spending more than you earn, a budget can show you where you might be able to save money.

Centrelink advice on Age Pension, Superannuation - Not Assessed by Centrelink, Austudy, Newstart Allowance, Carer Allowance, Carer Payment, and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

Debt, or borrowed money, plays an important role in helping you to achieve your lifestyle goals and objectives. However, it is important that it be managed and structured effectively to minimise borrowing costs. Otherwise, unnecessarily high costs could hamper your ability to achieve your lifestyle goals and objectives.

An effective Estate Plan includes tax effective Wills to protect your estate and the interests of your beneficiaries in the event of your death.

Gearing simply means borrowing money to invest. Gearing may be used to accelerate the process of wealth creation by allowing an investor to make a larger investment than would otherwise be possible. The borrowed money can be invested in a number of ways, including into direct shares, property and managed investments.

You take out insurance, to financially protect yourself and your family in case anything unforeseen happens. Unfortunately, many Australians dont have enough protection from the financial instability caused by death, injury or serious illness.

Investments advice on Cash Management Trust, Term Deposit, Managed Fund, and Shares.

When approaching retirement, an important consideration is how to invest your savings, including superannuation, in the most appropriate manner so that you are able to replace your wage or salary with a regular income. This will help you meet ongoing living expenses throughout your retirement years and help you to achieve your lifestyle goals and objectives.

In constructing your portfolio, it is important that you understand the risks associated with the investments that are chosen.

For investors seeking to own investments within superannuation or gain greater control of their superannuation portfolio, Self Managed Superannuation Funds can be an attractive alternative.

Superannuation is a specially designed investment for your retirement savings. A major benefit of superannuation is the concessional tax rates that apply to both the accumulation phase and retirement phase.

With 30 June 2012 rapidly approaching, now is the time to review your financial position and consider any Super and tax-effective strategies that might be appropriate for you.

Using a number of strategies effectively can help ensure that more of your money ends up where you would like it to go – working towards your investment goals.

Here are a comprehensive range of flyers which describes these strategies in greater detail and includes case studies to demonstrate how they can work. It’s important to note that these strategies must be implemented before 30 June 2012 to take effect in this financial year.

With 30 June 2012 rapidly approaching, now is the time to review your financial position and consider any Super and tax-effective strategies that might be appropriate for you.

Using a number of strategies effectively can help ensure that more of your money ends up where you would like it to go – working towards your investment goals.

Here are a comprehensive range of flyers which describes these strategies in greater detail and includes case studies to demonstrate how they can work. It’s important to note that these strategies must be implemented before 30 June 2012 to take effect in this financial year.

With 30 June 2012 rapidly approaching, now is the time to review your financial position and consider any Super and tax-effective strategies that might be appropriate for you.

Using a number of strategies effectively can help ensure that more of your money ends up where you would like it to go – working towards your investment goals.

Here are a comprehensive range of flyers which describes these strategies in greater detail and includes case studies to demonstrate how they can work. It’s important to note that these strategies must be implemented before 30 June 2012 to take effect in this financial year.

With 30 June 2012 rapidly approaching, now is the time to review your financial position and consider any Super and tax-effective strategies that might be appropriate for you.

Using a number of strategies effectively can help ensure that more of your money ends up where you would like it to go – working towards your investment goals.

Here are a comprehensive range of flyers which describes these strategies in greater detail and includes case studies to demonstrate how they can work. It’s important to note that these strategies must be implemented before 30 June 2012 to take effect in this financial year.

Pensioners under Deeming Rate Pressure - Article in Brisbane Courier Mail 'Your Money' section quoting Jason Kirk from Sherrin Partners regarding Superannuation contributions for Pensioners. 

With 30 June 2012 rapidly approaching, now is the time to review your financial position and consider any Super and tax-effective strategies that might be appropriate for you.

Using a number of strategies effectively can help ensure that more of your money ends up where you would like it to go – working towards your investment goals.

Here are a comprehensive range of flyers which describes these strategies in greater detail and includes case studies to demonstrate how they can work. It’s important to note that these strategies must be implemented before 30 June 2012 to take effect in this financial year.

Have shares lost their appeal for long term investors

Shane Oliver, Head of investment strategy and Chief economist at AMP Capital considered this question in a recent article.

The key points of his conclusion were:-

• While occasionally we see shares underperform cash and bonds over 10 year periods, this is very rarely the case over 20 year periods,

• The high returns of cash and bonds over the recent past are unlikely to be repeated as starting point yields are worth much lower then was the case in the 80's, and

• The current period of poor share returns is not unusual and there is no basis to conclude that shares will no longer provide a higher long term return.