, ,

8 ideas to improve your business’s cash flow over the festive season

The festive season is fast approaching and this year, more than ever, it’s important for businesses to ensure they have their cash flow management in order. Here are our top 8 ideas to help you through the upcoming period. While the holiday period is usually a boon for retailers, cash flow problems still hamper many businesses, as accounts departments across the country take a much needed holiday. With COVID-19 causing all sorts of headaches and heartaches for businesses big and…...
Read More
, , , , , , , ,

Want to know how much your neighbours paid for their first homes?

First home buyers wanting to crack into the property market can now use an interactive map to see how much their neighbours spent on average for their first home. Snoopy snoop! Everyone loves having a bit of a sticky-beak. After all, we’re only human. And this interactive map, which is being run by the federal government’s NHFIC, allows you to see how much your neighbours spent on average for their first home. It also shows how much your first-home-buying neighbours…...
Read More
, , ,

Australia is building the biggest houses in the world once again

We dream big in Australia. So it’s little surprise that when the Great Australian Dream becomes a reality it means bigger houses than anywhere else in the world, according to a new report. In 2019/20, the average new house built measured a whopping 236m2, up 2.9% on the year before and the biggest size increase in 11 years. That’s according to data commissioned by CommSec from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which shows our houses are now being built bigger…...
Read More
, , , ,

RBA trims cash rate to new record low 0.10%

If you didn’t back a winner on Melbourne Cup Day then fret not: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has delivered mortgage holders a win by cutting the official cash rate by 15 basis points to a new record low of 0.10%. RBA Governor Philip Lowe says the cash rate cut is part of a package of measures to support job creation and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Given the outlook for both employment and inflation, monetary and fiscal…...
Read More
, , ,

Responsible lending laws to be axed: what that means for you

You might have recently heard that ‘responsible lending laws’ are set to be scrapped early next year. Rest assured though that you'll still be able to borrow responsibly. Let us explain how. The planned scrapping of the responsible lending laws is the federal government’s latest key initiative to boost economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession. Now, the federal government (and the banks) say it will simplify the regulatory landscape and free up access to credit for home buyers and small…...
Read More
, , , , ,

JobKeeper 2.0 is about to begin: here’s what you need to know

Like most sequels, JobKeeper 2.0 won’t be as big a blockbuster as the original. But that’s not to say it won't help many SMEs navigate the difficult times ahead. Today we’ll cover what you need to know about making the transition for your business. It’s hard to believe that JobKeeper 2.0 is due to begin next week. But it’s actually been half a year (or 13 fortnightly payments) since the scheme was first launched, over which time around 42% of…...
Read More
, , , , , ,

Lenders begin contacting borrowers who have deferred loans

If you’ve deferred your home or business loan then it’s likely your bank will reach out to you in the coming weeks. Here’s what to expect and what options are available to you. As the initial wave of six-month loan payment deferrals comes to an end, banks have started contacting customers to discuss the next step, which could include further support, assistance or deferral. Of the more than 900,000 loans which have been deferred during the pandemic, at least 450,000…...
Read More
, ,

R U OK? We’re here for you, and here’s how you can support others

2020 hasn’t been an easy year for many Aussie households and businesses, which makes today an important one to check in on one another. COVID-19 and associated lockdowns have placed all sorts of new pressures on families and businesses across the country this year. In fact, more than 1.5 million Australians are currently suffering from mortgage stress - the equivalent of 40% of households. With today (September 10) marking R U OK? Day 2020, first and foremost we wanted to…...
Read More
, , ,

More than a quarter of SME businesses knocked back for finance

As if small and medium-sized businesses weren’t already facing an uphill battle this year; now it turns out that more than a quarter were knocked back when they applied for finance in recent months. Here’s how we can help. The latest Sensis Business Index – which surveyed 1,015 businesses in the first week of August – shows 26% of businesses that applied for finance over the past three months were knocked back. The figure was worse in the bush with…...
Read More
, ,

There’s a good chance you have a lazy $6k lying around your home

Whether you’re looking for extra cash to purchase a property, or could do with a few thousand dollars to pay off your existing mortgage, the average Aussie household could make nearly $6,000 from selling their pre-loved items. Turns out we’re a bunch of hoarders that’d make the Kerrigans blush, according to the 2020 Gumtree Second Hand Economy Report. Indeed, more than 85% of us have unwanted items collecting dust around our homes that we could sell on second-hand trading platforms.…...
Read More