Money Magazine September 2019

There was a time when leaving your house without a wallet would have been disastrous. With no cash or bank cards at hand, you could not do anything nor travel anywhere. These days, between cardless withdrawals, Apple Pay and debit-card-linked travel cards, you can still get around without a gold coin to your name. In the world of investing, cash has also lost some of its currency. The mantra “cash is king” no longer holds true and investors must find new ways to stretch their hard-earned savings. We’re tackling this in our cover story “Income is king” (page 34). Pam Walkley explains the choices when interest rates are dangerously heading for zero. The options listed are by no means exhaustive, but there’s enough there worth evaluating. One of our biggest challenges here at…

There was a time when leaving your house without a wallet would have been disastrous. With no cash or bank cards at hand, you could not do anything nor travel anywhere. These days, between cardless withdrawals, Apple Pay and debit-card-linked travel cards, you can still get around without a gold coin to your name. In the world of investing, cash has also lost some of its currency. The mantra “cash is king” no longer holds true and investors must find new ways to stretch their hard-earned savings. We’re tackling this in our cover story “Income is king” (page 34). Pam Walkley explains the choices when interest rates are dangerously heading for zero. The options listed are by no means exhaustive, but there’s enough there worth evaluating. One of our biggest…

Switching to a better deal saves thousands I was late to read your April edition, but it was worth it. Your cover story “Switch to a better deal” has saved me several thousands of dollars on my mortgage, car insurance and mobile phone. I’ve also been reviewing bank and credit card charges over the past month. Based on competitive quotes, I requested a better price and all companies adjusted their rates. The biggest saving came from the bank, where the local manager refused to adjust a home loan in line with the competition. However, persistence paid off as I called the bank direct and requested a rate the same as its competitors and two minutes later I was given the same rate with no need to change banks. I would recommend that…

Good people are needed to tackle bad attitudes It was so refreshing to read Paul’s comments and thoughts on the recent election results and how it would affect median Australians and not the average (June edition, In Your Interest, page 10). I read Money magazine casually in our lunch room at work. Another colleague brings it in for me. I did not have a lot of money growing up and now as a middle-aged divorced adult looking at retirement in the next 20 years I am not where I am being told I should be financially. Making the most of my money throughout the last 30 years of my working life was not a priority and never seemed important. Not everyone has an interest in or the ability to look…

Good people are needed to tackle bad attitudes It was so refreshing to read Paul’s comments and thoughts on the recent election results and how it would affect median Australians and not the average (June edition, In Your Interest, page 10). I read Money magazine casually in our lunch room at work. Another colleague brings it in for me. I did not have a lot of money growing up and now as a middle-aged divorced adult looking at retirement in the next 20 years I am not where I am being told I should be financially. Making the most of my money throughout the last 30 years of my working life was not a priority and never seemed important. Not everyone has an interest in or the ability to look after their money. They…

Switching to a better deal saves thousands I was late to read your April edition, but it was worth it. Your cover story “Switch to a better deal” has saved me several thousands of dollars on my mortgage, car insurance and mobile phone. I’ve also been reviewing bank and credit card charges over the past month. Based on competitive quotes, I requested a better price and all companies adjusted their rates. The biggest saving came from the bank, where the local manager refused to adjust a home loan in line with the competition. However, persistence paid off as I called the bank direct and requested a rate the same as its competitors and two minutes later I was given the same rate with no need to change banks. I would…