Personal Finance

Power playersBig super riding high as members shuffle decks

Seven out of 10 funds suffered a fall in member numbers last financial year, but the sector’s biggest funds went from strength to strength.

Anthony Keane

PoliticsFinancial advisers face improved oversight

The Morrison government has set out new draft laws to govern financial advisers in response to the Hayne banking royal commission.

Colin Brinsden

Economic boostAfterpay revolution aided recession battle

Accenture Research has found Buy Now Pay Later service provider Afterpay provided $3 billion in net benefits during last year's recession.

Colin Brinsden

Warning signsJust how risky is your ETF?

Investors with exchange-traded funds have been warned to pay close attention to their underlying assets or face the consequences during a severe market correction.

Nick Bruining

New proposalPush to rein in financial advice costs

The nation’s peak body for the wealth industry is proposing to put a lid on soaring financial advice costs by making legislative and regulatory framework more consumer-oriented and streamlined.

Danielle Le Messurier

BankingBig banks plead for tourism reboot

ANZ’s Shayne Elliott tips gross domestic product growth to hit 4.8 per cent in 2021.

Joyce Moullakis

Savvy shoppingHow the right apps can save thousands of dollars a year

Keeping old receipts for tax time and plotting out a weekly budget is the stuff of nightmares, but innovative technology is bridging the gap.

Jody Allen

PoliticsTreasurer tight-lipped on super increase

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has refused to confirm reports the government will stick to the legislated increase to the superannuation guarantee.

Matt Coughlan

Confidence soarsWhat crisis? Big spenders back in boom-time mood

Australian households are set to keep driving the economy’s recovery — even without JobKeeper — as Westpac’s measure of consumer sentiment hits an 11-year high

Michael Heath

Cutbacks290 bank branches close in one year

A huge wave of bank branch closures across Victoria could soon pass 100, and there are calls for future cuts to be revealed. See the list.

Anthony Keane

Buy now, pay laterPayment platform Zip’s ‘exceptional set of numbers'

Shoppers keep flocking to buy now, pay later services, with the provider that signed up JB Fi-Fi and The Good Guys breaking transaction records.

Rebecca Le May

Myths bustedThe five biggest tax mistakes of the self-employed

Worrying about being left with a huge tax bill is not a pleasurable or productive experience. But you could save yourself a lot of heartache by ignoring these myths ...

James Fuller

CAREERSCOVID job market’s most disadvantaged jobseekers

The COVID-19 employment landscape was particularly challenging for people with disabilities, without post-school qualifications, experiencing homelessness and Indigenous Australians.

Melanie Burgess

Play the gameFive ways to stop the pension pinching

Financial advisers’ phones have been running hot as part-pensioners query dramatic reductions in the age pension. Here’s how to keep maximising your pension ...

Nick Bruining

Housing marketUrgent warning on Aussie housing market

Australian housing prices are surging thanks to buyer demand and dirt cheap home loan rates. But will the boom continue?

Melissa Iaria

Greensill gambleGreensill assets worth more, watchdog told

Lex Greensill is still talking up the value of his collapsed financial empire.

Jared Lynch, Nick Evans

ExclusiveNew laws to tighten finance liability

Sources said the legislation, which requires clear lines of accountability for executives and managers under the Financial Accountability Regime, was being drafted and formalised.

Joyce Moullakis

In the gameThe Aussie megafunds muscling in on global giants

A handful of Australian pension funds are emerging as global competitors for the established giants in North America, Europe and Asia, as a wave of mergers fuels the rise of local megafunds.

Matthew Burgess