Whether you’re getting into investing for the first time, or looking at how you might expand your existing investment portfolio, it’s important to understand your risk profile. Once you have this key insight, discovering the kinds of investment that will help you meet your goals will be more straightforward. What is investment risk? The risk when you make any investment is that you won’t get the return you’re hoping for, or worse, that you might lose your investment completely. You’ve heard the

When you’re employed, your employer makes compulsory contributions to your superannuation. When you work for yourself as a sole trader, or you’re in a partnership, making super payments isn’t mandatory. But, it’s still an important thing to consider. Retirement savings contributions are there to set you up in retirement. Generally, investing money into super will give you better investment returns than just putting it into a bank account. Plus, because the money is effectively locked away until retirement, there’s no temptation

Remote working has become more and more common as developments in technology have allowed us to communicate and collaborate no matter where we are. In fact, most of us are already logging on from home or holiday already. In May 2018, Swiss serviced office provider IWG released a study that found that 70% of professionals work remotely at least once a week. Sometimes called ‘telecommuting’, remote work is on the rise, and it’s challenging traditional ideas about where and when work

Keen to get into the property market as an investor? Before you start looking, you need to understand that what you’re looking for in a house, that you would occupy, might be different to an investment property. When you’re hunting for an investment property, rather than looking for features specific to your needs; like commute times or how much you like the kitchen, you’re going to be thinking about the rental yield of the property and whether this would be an

Whether you’re heading into a holiday period, or just planning to take a break (and congratulations, because a healthy business means work-life balance), it’s important to keep your cashflow under control. This means pre-planning and being proactive. When you’re not in the office, there are still overheads and salaries that need to be sorted. If taking time off means that less cash will be coming in, it’s essential to plan for this period to make sure that these costs can be

There are 1,440 minutes in a day and each of us have the same allocated amount. Some people manage to achieve much more than others. So, how can we free up time to help lead a better business and ultimately a happier life? The top 10 time wasters: 1. Lack of clear goals. Planning and setting SMART goals provides clarity. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, and most importantly Time-bound. Have your goals documented and visible. 2. A messy desk. Desk clutter equals mind

Donating to charity not only supports the vital work of an organisation or group, but it can have positive side-effects when it comes to claiming tax deductions. To be eligible for a tax credit, you need to make sure that your contributions meet certain conditions, and that you’re making a legitimate claim. In general, when a charity is an approved donee organisation or registered as a ‘deductible gift recipient’ (DGR), and you donate over a certain amount, you can claim a

Your business is there to serve you; not the other way around. In other words; you should never be a slave to your business. Being a slave implies a victim mentality – that the world has simply dealt you a bad hand, that you have no say in the matter. Perhaps you hear yourself thinking you’re a slave to your business because your clients need you, or your team can’t cope without you, or maybe the economy is busting, or booming…

The Superannuation Guarantee Amnesty legislation has failed to pass the Senate into law. With Parliament not scheduled to sit again until February 2019 and the Federal Opposition opposed to the Amnesty, the fate of the legislation is still very much up in the air. Under the current law, if you’ve missed a payment or haven’t paid an employees’ super on time, you are required to lodge an SG charge statement. If passed into law, the proposed amnesty will be a one-off