Insights and Research

“Has the coronavirus induced recession affected you?” “Are you considering moving to live in a different location because of Covid-19?” “Has the pandemic changed your strategy or approach to property investing?” These are some of the Covid-19 related questions we recently asked 1,500 Australian property investors and would-be investors in our annual Property Investment Sentiment…

Is your present self aligned with your future self? Although, this question may seem a little philosophical, it’s an important one to consider, as it may prompt you to evaluate whether you are engaged with not only your existing financial situation, but also your proposed financial situation in the future and the relationship between the two.…

Australians working in the renewables, export, innovation and defence industries will be beneficiaries of an America under President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership, experts have said. Though Biden won’t be moving into the White House until 20 January, the Democrat victory means a number of decisive policy shifts, according to US Studies Centre senior research fellow Jared…

With the rise in housing prices and a relatively slow income growth, the capacity for some individuals to save an adequate deposit on a house or unit has become progressively difficult*. In light of this, to strengthen their loan application, some prospective new entrants may consider turning to family members for help via a loan guarantor arrangement.…

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the new Coronavirus Supplement payment rate of $150 a week, starting from 1 January. “We are announcing the changes to the Covid Supplement we introduced at the start of the pandemic, and we will be extending that supplement for three months after the end of December,” he said today in…

We generally expect that our wishes for medical treatment will be respected, but what happens when we are not able to make decisions, due to an accident, sudden illness or a progressive disease that impacts our decision-making capacity? An advanced care directive (ACD), often referred to as a ‘Living Will’, is a document that describes…

Australians are building the world’s largest houses as the coronavirus pandemic forces people to spend more time at home. According to CommSec’s latest Home Size Trends report, released today, the size of the average new Australian house built in 2019-20 grew by 2.9 per cent to 235.8 square metres, the largest increase in more than…

Trauma insurance is a type of personal insurance designed to assist you financially if you suffer a life changing medical event. It potentially meets a gap that exists between your other personal insurances – Income Protection, Total and Permanent Disability and Life cover. Many people think of Trauma insurance as financial protection for four key traumatic medical events – heart attack, stroke,…

The coronavirus pandemic is driving up demand among buyers for residential property, and private home-sellers in regional areas could be the biggest winners. According to property data group CoreLogic, the median house price in Australia is $559,254. If we assume 2-3 per cent is payable in real estate agent commissions, that’s roughly $14,000 to $17,000…