I'll admit I'm a bit of an iPhone addict. I'd be lost without my devices. However, on my recent trip to Fiji, a stay at an out of the way destination on the Coral Coast where access to WiFi was limited, gave me the perfect opportunity to disconnect from the web and enjoy the beautiful tropical oasis.

6 days later, I was back online and while I hadn't thought about it nor missed it, it was like I'd never left. I had things to do - Facebook items to post, credit card bills to pay before their ...

It's all the rage right now - setting up a self managed super fund and borrowing to buy a residential property as the major asset.

On paper it sounds like a great idea - you've got some money in your fund, borrowing costs are very low right now, rental returns are pretty good, it offers asset protection against bankruptcy and income and capital gains are concessionally taxed.

There are only a handful of occasions when we think it's a good strategy and plenty of reasons why we have concerns ...

Despite there being two million small businesses in Australia, we know it can sometimes feel lonely when it comes to sharing challenges and harnessing knowledge to make positive changes.
We want you to know you’re not alone.

Eagle Waves Radio is Australia’s first and only radio station dedicated to empowering small businesses. Our commitment, and our passion, is to level the playing field by giving you direct access to the very best business advice guaranteed to inspire practical and profi...

Personal Deductible Contributions

By making personal contributions to your super, you may be able to claim a tax deduction to reduce your tax liability.

What’s in it for me?

• •      Pay less tax by reducing your taxable income, while growing your retirement savings quicker.
  
• •      Retirees, self-employed persons and homemakers can build wealth more effectively.
  

Who can this strategy work for?

This strategy is most suitable if you:

• •      have a marginal tax rate above 19%
  
• •      want to redu...

Your biggest asset is your ability to earn an income. I talk about this a lot because I’m passionate about ensuring you have the right foundations in place for peace of mind and financial security. If you couldn’t work tomorrow because of injury or ill health, how long would your financial resources last? Would you want to end up reliant on government support? It’s not a lifestyle I’d want and it’s not a lifestyle of choice for most people.
There is a perception that protecting your ...

I’ve been living in my apartment for 2 years now. And still I am receiving other people’s mail. Bank statements, superannuation statements, promotional material to name a few.

Why do some people not mind that their stuff gets left behind when they move on? Are they now tracking it online? I doubt it. I can certainly appreciate that sometimes when you leave one place you want to start afresh. To my mind though, there are certain items that remain important no matter where you go.

Here are my...

• Firstly, check how much you've contributed to super so far this financial year. Don't get stung with excess contributions tax by putting in more than the caps.
  Concessional Contributions
  If you're under age 50, you can contribute up to $25,000 and if you're over age 50, you can contribute up to $50,000 i...

I’m heading off overseas to Vietnam shortly for a 2 week vacation and a few days at Conference. Fabulous, I know!

I’ve done quite a bit of travelling in my past and I’ve had some incidents with wallets and money being stolen. When it comes to currency and money, a lot has changed since the mid 90s in the way you can access your funds, but what hasn’t changed is that there are still people out there who will steal your stuff.

Here are my thoughts for savvy travelling with money.

For...

In the most recent budget, the government changed the taxation laws such that minors receiving non-working income WILL NOT be entitled to the low income tax offset of $1,500 from 01 July 2011.

This means that if you have kids with investment monies (such as a bank balance that has accrued from all that birthday money), they might find they have a tax liability at the end of the financial year.

It also has an impact on your more complex affairs such as paying distributions from a famil...

Move into retirement and be better off

If you’re between 55 and 75, establishing a transition to retirement pension could help you:

• ease into retirement by reducing your working hours without reducing your income
• increase your retirement savings without impacting your income if you are still working full time
• boost your income today so you have more money to cover your everyday living expenses.

‘Transition to retirement’ rules were introduced to allow working Australians aged 55 ...

Your time is valuable. So how do you decide whether it's worth doing something yourself or outsourcing to an expert?
I was chatting with my partner's brother about making decisions during our recent holiday. He said, "my dad always said, 'ask yourself - what information do you need to make the right decision?', then go and get all the information and make your decision."
Wise advice from the old man, indeed.
But in this hectic world, not all of us have the time to research all of the options and...