Aussies are bargain hunters
According to the Australian National Retailers Association, December retail sales are up 3% on last year and 10% on the year before. Shopper...
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Tips for achieving extra savings
1. Pay your bills by the due dates and avoid late payment penalties - about $10 on utility bills and far higher for credit card bills. 2. Re...
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Rent goes up, property prices go down
According to Residex, property prices in Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide are expected to stagnate or even go backwards over the next year. Tow...
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Banks not passing on rate cuts to farmers
Farmers say they are not being treated fairly by their banks, because they have not received the same level of interest rate relief as homeo...
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CBA BankWest acquisition passes final regulatory hurdle
Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan has approved the takeover of BankWest by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, but has attached conditions to th...
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Pay off credit card debts first
Paying down debt is the best protection you can give yourself and your family in these uncertain economic times. Debts with high interest ra...
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Rent in capital cities continues upwards march
Figures released today by RP Data have confirmed what many property investors already know - weekly rents are increasing solidly in all capi...
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Mortgage stress to blow out in 2009
While interest rate cuts have helped ease mortgage stress, close to one million households could experience it by mid 2009 as rising unemplo...
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US rates slashed to historic lows
The US Federal Reserve (Fed) has cut the official cash rate overnight to an unprecedented zero to 0.25% range as the outlook for the economy...
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House prices maintain positive growth
According to figures released by Residex this week, Australian house values managed to grow by just under 3% in the year to November 2008. T...
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Personal loans down in October 2008
Personal finance commitments fell in October 2008, as uncertain economic conditions and weak consumer sentiment saw Australians reign in exc...
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Rate cuts help with mortgage stress
According to the Housing Industry Association (HIA), mortgage stress is easing in direct correlation to the RBA's rate cuts. The industr...
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Unemployment in Australia remains low
Unemployment in Australia crept up to 4.4% in November 2008, but remains low in comparison with other markets. While the figure represented ...
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Grocery shopping during a financial crisis
The financial crisis has put many families in tricky, if not dramatic situations. Many are faced with mortgage and loan complications, credi...
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ATMs to display fees up front
Changes to the way Automatic Teller Machines charge customers from other banks will change in March 2009, with the Reserve Bank saying that ...
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Keep repayments high to bring interest costs down
A borrower with an average $300,000 mortgage who maintained their high repayments over the last three months as standard variable mortgage i...
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Lending growth defies tough times
According to the Deloitte's Australian Mortgage Report released yesterday, mortgage lending continues to grow at an annual rate of aroun...
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Bonus payments used on cards and mortgages
More than half of families and pensioners who will receive lump sum payments this fortnight as part of the federal government's economic...
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Property market still quiet
Auction clearances were up slightly on the weekend of the 6-7 Dec, but still well down on the same weekend last year. In Melbourne, 48% of 6...
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Over 40,000 caught by fixed rate mortgages
According to the ABS, approximately 43,632 borrowers took out fixed rate home loans between March and September 2008, when interest rates we...
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Consumer spending up in October 2008
Research conducted by the ABS revealed that retail spending improved surprisingly in October 2008. According to the figures, retail spending...
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RBA slashes rates
The Reserve bank today slashed its cash rate by 100 basis points to 4.25%. Interest rates are now at a six and a half year low, with more cu...
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Aussies up to $700 a month better off
According to economists surveyed by The Daily Telegraph, the average Australian now has close to $700 more in the kitty each month than they...
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Sydney buyers slugged by stamp duty
According to a residential stamp duty report released by BankWest today, stamp duty on the typical Australian home has risen 59% in just fiv...
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New home sales jump
The RBA's 1% October rate cut and the government tripling of the first home owners grant in mid-October has hit the mark, as new house s...
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Women don't talk money
A research report conducted by ANZ has revealed that women generally have lower levels of confidence when making financial decisions and dea...
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Australia to avoid recession: OECD
In contrast with most other developed countries the Australian economy will continue to grow in 2009 according to The Organisation of Econom...
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Home prices in USA continue to slide
Data released by Standard & Poor's has revealed that home prices in the USA continued to fall in the period to September 2008. The ...
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Christmas saving tips
1. Consider a 'Kris Kringle' arrangement, where each member of your group agrees to draw a name out of a hat and only buys a present...
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Soft landing for house prices
According to Saul Eslake, Chief Economist of the ANZ Bank, house prices will not fall in Australia by as much as they have in other English ...
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First home buyer activity highest in seven years
New South Wales first home buyers have been the quickest to return to the property market, following softer house prices and falling rates. ...
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CBA ends no deposit home loans
The Commonwealth Bank is tightening its mortgage lending rules and putting an end to its no deposit home loans. From December 1 the Commonwe...
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Tips for going green
Australia's climate is warming. Sea levels are rising and we are experiencing changes in climate patterms, with more frequent and intens...
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Auction activity shows signs of improvement
Auction results improved slightly across some capital cities over the weekend but are still noticeably weaker than this time last year. Acco...
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Aussies going broke in record numbers
According to the latest report by the government insolvency agency Insolvey & Trustee Services Australia, Australians are going broke at...
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NSW raises land tax, retains stamp duty
The New South Wales government has raised land tax for investors with properties worth more than $2.25 million. The state budget has been hi...
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Property is the best investment
According to investment experts, owner occupiers and property investors can get comparable, or better returns than people who invest in the ...
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City auctions still weak
Auction clearance rates remain low in Sydney with just 44% of listed properties selling on Saturday. 421 properties were listed for auction ...
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Tips on saving water
According to a report by the Queensland Water Commission, residents of South East Queensland use about 112 litres of water a day. It’s hard ...
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Save money and the environment
We have provided some green saving tips that are good for the environment and your wallet. 1. Print double-sided and two-to-a-page Next to a...
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Rate cut - RBA
The RBA has cut its cash rate more than expected, reducing it to 5.25% from 6% - three quarters of a percentage point or 75 basis points. Th...
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Melbourne house prices drop
According to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, the median price of a house in Melbourne declined by 3.3% in the September quarter. REIV...
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Home affordability improves in Sep quarter
The HIA/Commonwealth Bank First Home Buyer Affordability Index improved by 3% in the September 2008 quarter - a good result, even though it ...
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Identity protection tips
Some of the best ways to protect yourself from ID theft and financial fraud are also the simplest: > Always read and check your credit ...
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First home buyers shun First Home Saver Account
Hundreds of eager first homebuyers attended auctions and property inspections over the weekend, in an attempt to cash in on the government&#...
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Negative equity to invoke mortgage stress
Rising unemployment will force approximatley 1 million households into mortgage stress by March 2009. Big interest rate cuts are not expecte...
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First home owners grant tripled
14,000 first home buyers are expected to benefit from the doubling of the first home buyers grant to $14,000. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd anno...
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Super & Investment products miss out on government guarantee
Traditional bank products such as savings, transaction, debit card, term deposit and cheque accounts are all covered by the government's...
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Rates to fall to 5% by Christmas
Financial markets expect the Reserve Bank to cut rates to 5% before the end of 2008. In the last five weeks the RBA, has cut rates from 7.25...
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Sydney and Melbourne auctions show signs of life
The Sydney auction results from the weekend were a slight improvement on the week before, with 49.8% of 344 properties put up for auction so...
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Big banks cut rates
Westpac led the five major banks in cutting interest rates on a standard variable mortgage by 0.8% yesterday, following the Reserve Bank'...
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Xmas gift tips
1. Plant herb seeks a few months before Christmas in nice pots - they can make wonderful gifts 2. Don't leave your shopping until the la...
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Mortgage market recovering
According to big mortgage broker AFG, the number of people applying for a mortgage rose 10.2% in September. The rise was driven by big growt...
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First Home Buyer Accounts are complex and costly
The Federal Government's new high-interest savings account to boost first-home deposits are off to a slow start. Hefty policy requiremen...
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Tips to cool your energy bill
Many households around Australia spend a large proportion of their energy bills on heating and cooling. Yet keeping warm in winter and cool ...
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Don't lower your mortgage repayments
Lenders have been dropping their interest rates in recent weeks, and the temptation to lower mortgage repayments is high. But according to t...
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Women miss out on super and savings
Women need to make more of an effort to make voluntary contributions to their superannuation and develop an investment strategy because, on ...
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Cost of building a home increases
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says that rising commodity prices have added an additional $1,678 to the cost of building a home. The...
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Spring clean your finances
Check your bank statements to make sure you are only paying for what you should Check your loan documents to ensure your lender ...
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Families are stressed about money
According to a report conducted by Relationships Australia, money issues dominate the list of top stresses on families and is the leading re...
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Market creates more pensioners
The number of applications for the age pension has jumped up 40% in the last year. The rise is being driven by changes to the assets test r...
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Banks cut interest rates
St George bank will cut rates on its standard variable home loans by more than the RBA's official 0.25% cut announced yesterday. St Geor...
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More rate cuts next month
The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to cut rates by another 0.25% in October 2008, then leave the rate at 6.75% until next year. It is...
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Rate cuts
ANZ has cut its 1 year fixed home loan interest rates by 50 basis points to 8.49%. ANZ has pledged to pass on in full, any RBA cut in offici...
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House prices fall in VIC
Average house prices in Victoria have fallen by 10 to 20% over the last year. Real estate agents report that homes in the outer suburbs of M...
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Reserve Bank may cut rates
Economists predict that the Reserve Bank may hand homeowners a 0.5% rate cut at its meeting next month. The Reserve Bank usually moves the c...
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1 in 10 young Australians moving back home to save money
According to a Galaxy Research survey commissioned by ING Direct, approximately 48% of Australians planned to make major lifestyle changes i...
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Jobless claims in US rise to six year high
The number of newly laid off Americans signing up for jobless benefits last week unexpectedly climbed to its highest point in more than six ...
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Lack of understanding for financial issues
According to a survey by Queensland University of Technology, men and women lack a basic understanding of key concepts, like compound intere...
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Pensioners can't survive on $273/week
According to seniors lobby groups, pensioners need an immediate raise in the base pension rate by $30 a week. Single rate pensioners on $273...
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Banks drive up inflation
Economists say that bank fees, charges and interest rates are driving up inflation. Inflation rose to 1.5% for the June quarter and 4.5% for...
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High housing costs keep the kids at home
According to the Housing Industry Association, about 1 in 5 people aaged 25 to 29 years are still living at their parent's home, as comp...
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Property repossessions up in Queensland
According to court records, property repossessions in Queensland for the month of June 2008 have significantly increased as compared to the ...
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Rate rise: Westpac
Westpac has followed the lead of Commonwealth Bank and raised its variable interest rate by 14 basis points. Westpac's standard variable...
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2 banks in Australia raise rates
The Commonwealth and ANZ banks have followed St George and raised interest rates on their home loans outside of moves by the Reserve Bank. T...
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Intellichoice webinar: Love to have extra money?
Our webinars will arm you with the knowledge necessary to take control of your finances so you can work towards achieving your financial dre...
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Mortgage stress may affect 1 million households
Mortgage stress levels in Australia have been tipped to reach more than 1 million homes by December 2008, along with predictions that more t...
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Rates unchanged for now - RBA
The RBA Board left the cash rate at a 12-year high of 7.25% when it met on Tuesday this week. Governor Glenn Stevens stated that the Bank is...
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Property is a buyers market
According to RP Data, rising interest rates, declining consumer and business sentiment, falls in the sharemarket and climbing inflation have...
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St George Low Doc Variable Rate Increase
As a result of increasing costs, in particular sustained funding cost increases, effective Tuesday, 24 June 2008, St George/BankSA will be i...
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Credit card debt growth slowing
According to the Reserve Bank, growth in credit and charge card balances and spending on credit and charge cards slowed in April 2008. Total...
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Project manage the completion of your home and save up to 30% off the cheapest building quote
Intellichoice is proud to present a Home Building System here in Queensland, which makes it easier for Australians tto enter the home-owning...
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Pressure to lift rates easing
Rising unemployment numbers are easing the pressure on the Reserve Bank to lift interest rates above 7.25%, despite rising inflation. Employ...
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Rising rates bite mortgage market
The number of new home loans written in Australia fell 3% in April 2008 to a 17 month low, as rising interest rates impact the mortgage mark...
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Renters feeling the fallout
According to a report released this week by the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA), Australia's tenants are now spending almost a...
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Launch of financial planning website
We have just completed the Intellichoice financial planning website! Check it out on https://www.intellichoicefp.com.au/ The website gives...
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Revamp of financial services website
The Intellichoice Financial Services website has just been revamped! Check it out on www.intellichoice.com.au
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