Zen of a market crash Market corrections , market dips, bear markets..... who loves them? Not many...but what if I told you that maybe you should…?Actually, they’re never called any of the above. They’re always called a crash. Read more
You don’t pay me for my time I recently had to go to an eye specialist. The guy I went to was recommended to me as the best in his field.I showed up at the clinic on time, feeling a little nervous and unsure of what was happening next. Read more
When in doubt…kick it out! My old soccer coach was a wise man. He had a saying “when in doubt, kick it out”.He would always say if you’re under stress and someone’s bearing down on you at 100 miles an hour and you need to make a quick decision, if the passing option isn’t clear, if there’s risk of an interception or a miskick – just kick it out. Read more
When can I access my Super? Superannuation is generally intended to help fund your retirement, but there are instances where you may also be able to withdraw your super savings early, depending on your situation. Read more
What’s Really Going on in the World Economically ...Without the BullshitThe Global Financial World has had a lot going on over recent years. Ever since the Global Financial Crisis, interest in the economic situation has peaked among the general public, although it is easy to get lost in the financial jargon. Read more
Wealth building tips x 4 The key to building wealth is to spend less than you earn, invest appropriately, stick to your plan, and start early. Read more
We’re all about re-designing lives for better The SFP founder Bill Bracey features in a TV series - Your Best Interests (www.yourbestinterests.com.au) is about financial advice and the difference it makes to the lives of everyday Australians... Read more
Topping up super with ‘catch-up’ contributions If you have not fully used your concessional cap in a prior financial year, you may be eligible to use these unused carried forward amounts in a later year. Read more
Top-up your super with help from the Government If your income is under a certain threshold, then making personal after-tax super contributions could enable you to qualify for a Government co‑contribution and take advantage of the low tax rate payable in super on investment earnings.. Read more
The wisdom of ‘no change’ recommendation in investing In 2019, the Australian population tipped over 25 million. None of these lovely people have any chance of sustaining a successful investment strategy without the help of an empathetic and tough loving investment adviser. Read more
The recession and your home loan The word recession and economy have become incredibly popular in the last few months. Read more
The lucky country... Three reasons why Australia may come through this period of global misery better than most countries. Read more
The Change – Staying on track after a Divorce When you find out that your partner is wanting divorce, it’s like a traffic accident, everything goes into a slow motion.You can see it all unveiling around you, but you just don’t know what to do, or who to talk to. Whether it comes as a sudden shock or more gradually, divorce and separation brings emotional confusion to peoples’ lives and challenging issues to their finances. Read more
Take control of your finances now for the new financial year If you set yourself money goals at the start of 2019, the upcoming new financial year is a great time to check if you’re on track. Read more
Super…should you do it yourself? "For many of us, building a sufficient superannuation balance for retirement is likely to be the most important thing we can achieve in our working life.After all, the quality of your lifestyle in retirement depends largely on how much you contribute to super, and the investment choices you make. Read more
Steps to claiming a tax deduction for your super contribution You may be eligible to claim a tax deduction if you make a personal contribution to superannuation. There are some important steps you need to follow carefully and specific timeframes to take action. Read more
Spouse contributions: Win/Win! If your spouse is a stay-at-home parent, freelancing, studying or out of work, adding to their super could benefit you both financially. Read more
Splitting your super contributions to your spouse Splitting super contributions to your spouse’s super account may help to boost their retirement savings and provide a range of other benefits. Read more
Smart super strategies for this EOFY Want to help boost your retirement savings while potentially saving on tax? Here are five smart super strategies to consider before the end of the financial year. Read more
Sacrifice pre-tax salary into super Contributing some of your pre-tax salary, wages or a bonus into super could help you to reduce your tax and invest more for your retirement. Read more
Review of 2017, outlook for 2018 Still in the "sweet spot", but expect more volatility ahead - following are the key points: Despite the usual worry list, 2017 has been pretty good for investors as global growth and profits accelerated and central banks stayed benign as inflation stayed low. Read more
Relief for NSW first home buyers The NSW Government is rolling out a new package designed to improve housing affordability across the state. Read more
Rehearsal? Life is here and now! “So little one, what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s one of the first questions that many of us faced as youngsters, more often than not from a distant relative we couldn’t have recognised in a police line-up. Read more
Rebooting for retirement As retirement comes into view, it’s time to imagine a new you for the post-work age. Read more
Protecting your wealth - Insurance in plain English What is insurance? - Insurance is a form of protection - a way to protect yourself, your family and the things you own if something goes wrong. It enables you to replace or repair your assets, whether those assets are your belongings or your capacity to earn income. Read more
Post Budget, what to do now Well the 2016 Budget has been delivered, so what should we be doing regarding the changes to super?There are a number of big changes regarding contributions to super, but in short the Government is making it harder to get larger amounts of money into super, thereby making it harder for retirees to take advantage of the tax free status of a Super Pension (known as an Allocated Pension). Read more
Planning is the key to making it financially If you’ve paid off your home, have a healthy stash of super and take an overseas holiday each year, you’ve made it financially. That’s the view of many Australians according to recent research. Read more
Our new Corrimal office is open for Business! After 28 years of advising clients in the Illawarra and now having more than 1,000 clients in the region, we are very proud to announce the opening of Illawarra Financial Planning’s new main office for the area. Read more
Marriage in later life Romance blooms at any age, including as we get older and supposedly wiser about such things of the heart, and head. Read more
Managing your money - Budgeting in plain English What is a budget? A budget is a plan that works out how you will manage your income and expenses.Maintaining a budget is a powerful way to control your money. Read more
Making the most of record-low interest rates The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) took the cash rate to a record low of 1% in July, bringing mortgage rates to their lowest level in more than half a century. Read more
Making a difference and re-designing your life Thank you so much for your support for SFP Founder, Bill Bracey’s inaugural TV appearance on the series – Your Best Interests. We’ve been overwhelmed with positive feedback with many resonating with Helen’s story about how financial planning has made a difference to your life. Read more
Leigh Morris speaks on budgeting - Channel 10 News Congratulations to Leigh Morris who screened on Channel 10's Eyewitness News - on Sunday 14th January 2018.Watch the replay of Leigh's interview and the importance of budgeting and cashflow. Read more
Keeping fit at all stages of life Staying fit is important at any age, but as we get older our bodies change and respond differently to exercise. Read more
It all starts with a single step. All you need to do is start Procrastination is no doubt the number one reason why people don’t become successful at achieving what they dream of.It is caused by the change that needs to happen. And we, humans, don’t like change that much! Read more
Investment Goal Setting Buying your first car, helping the children get a good education, enjoying a rewarding retirement. Read more
Investing in a holiday home Is it really your great Aussie dream?It happens every year. You’re strolling down the high street of your local beachside town enjoying a long hot summer with the family when a holiday home in the real estate agents’ window catches your eye. Read more
How to turn One Day to Day One – Budgeting No one wants to budget. It’s scary, it takes a long time, it would deprive me from… Read more
How to play catch up with your super Now you can put more into super at the concessional rate of tax, starting from the 2019-20 financial year. Read more
How to lead a happier life From our beaches and outdoor lifestyle to our democracy and cultural diversity, there a lot to feel happy about in Australia. Read more
How to create realistic goals... and stick to them Whether it’s finances or fitness, spending time on setting your goals can reap rewards. Read more
How does your super balance compare? Below are the average super balances for different age groups in Australia so you can see how your super savings compare.A healthy super balance can be a key ingredient in being able to live the life we want in retirement. But for many people, retirement is a long way off, and it can be hard to know if your super is on track. If you’ve been asking yourself – how much super should I have at my age? – read on to find out. Read more
How Australians will use their tax return With nearly one in three people planning to save their tax return, have you considered what you might do with yours? Read more
Holiday budgeting tips - How to avoid a travel debt hangover We’ve all had the feeling. You step off the plane from Bangkok still buzzing, images from your holiday flitting through your mind - the Parthenon, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower. Read more
Here's some free advice Stop taking advice from people that offer it for free.We’re all guilty of it at some stage in our lives.As we grow up, land our first job and receive our first pay check, friends, family and colleagues will all chip in to give you their pearls of wisdom. Read more
Happy New Financial Year 2019! Happy end of financial year! Bill Bracey of Sydney Financial Planning provides an economic update for the new financial year (July 2019). Read more
Give your career a health check Health... check. Finances... check. Career... check?Are you happy at work? Do you jump out of bed excited about tackling your next project? Or are you counting down the days until your holidays or retirement? Read more
Get Your Sheep Together I’m a stickler for being organised, for planning ahead, for sytemising and organising. If I sound proud of this, it’s because I am.For those in people in my life who have to put up with this constant need of mine to pigeon-hole and plan, it’s a source of constant annoyance I’m sure. However, I know I cannot function without this level of order. Read more
Get ready for the first year of retirement Will you be a honeymooner, a go-getter or a relaxer?The first year of retirement is one of transition in which you will need to adjust to major changes that can bring big rewards. Read more
Fussy buyers snub houses that don’t present well If presentation isn’t on point, many buyers keep looking, which is an important point to remember for those wanting to sell in the current market. Read more
Further Federal Government Stimulus Package announced On 22 March 2020 the Government announced a further package of measures designed to stimulate the economy and assist individuals and businesses with mitigating the negative economic impacts associated with the Coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Five handy tax tips you should know Tax time is looming, which means it’s time to brush up on your tax minimisation tools.We’ve provided a few examples below to get you started Read more
Financial stress keeping you awake at night? It seems that financial stress is keeping every generation up at night, albeit for different reasons. Read more
Everything you need to know about salary sacrificing Confused about salary sacrificing? You’re not alone. Let us clear it up for you. Read more
Do you really want success? "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value". Of all Albert Einstein’s many quotes, this is one of his most profound.I ask others what success looks like and of course the concept is different for everyone. Usually, it’s considered in the context of material measures…the biggest house, the newest car or the highest salary. What I also find is that acquiring these types of success usually gives a person satisfaction for a relatively short period. Read more
Dig up your forgotten fortune In 1930, Harold Bell Lasseter claimed that when three decades earlier he rode on horseback from Queensland to the West Australian goldfields, he stumbled across a huge gold reef.Over the next 80 years, scores of expeditions set off to the region near the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, but no-one ever found a sliver of evidence of the socalled Lasseter’s Reef. Read more
Can delayed gratification help you with your finances? Are you the type of person who always has to have the latest clothes, smart technology or gym gear?If you answered yes to this question, you could be a person who likes instant gratification, that is, you like to indulge in instant reward now, rather than exercising self-controli, in return for a potentially greater reward in the future. Read more
Be the boss of your cash If, like many others, your life and money feels a bit like a juggling act - paying bills here and there ... and "Uh oh, forgot about the council rates, guess that one's going on the credit card".You may be thinking that having some extra cash would solve a lot of your problems. Read more
Be savvy with your spending this Christmas Christmas isn’t coming, it’s already here! For most of us, December is when the reality of Christmas really kicks in and has us scrambling to get organised. Read more
Be a senior entrepreneur on your own terms! Many people over 50 are putting their skills and experience to work in their own businesses. Read more
Australia's four gift-giving personalities There are four distinct Gift-Giver Personalities represented across generations, genders and geographies in Australia. Read more
Australia is a generous nation Almost $20 billion spent on gifts each year, Australia is a generous nation. Read more
August Economic Update 2020 We look at a few statistics on what has happened with the economy so far and insights into what's to come. Read more
Achieving a comfortable retirement Many women dream of a retirement where they can kick back and relax, do whatever they like and be free from the demands of others – actually focusing on caring for themselves. Read more
A digital life after death The common thread shared among Walt Disney, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears goes well beyond entertainment. Read more
7 tips to improve your financial wellness What is financial wellness? How you 'feel', is your wellness. How you 'feel' about your money is your financial wellness. Read more
6 steps to get your money stuff together If you’re like three out of four Australians, you may have started the year without a proper budget.i Read more
5 useful charts on investing in times of uncertainty like the present Key points Successful investing can be really difficult in times of uncertainty like now making it important to stay Read more
5 habits to become financially secure Ever looked at a friend who has everything together and thought 'what's their secret?' Here are five habits you can implement to help achieve financial security. Read more
3 ways to get your feet on the property ladder Creative ideas for younger Australians to invest in propertyIt won’t come as a huge surprise to learn that Australian homes are among the most expensive in the world. In a recent surveyi every Australian town and suburb was rated as ‘seriously’ or ‘severely’ unaffordable. And if you’re in a capital city it’s even worse, with the average Sydney home costing nine times average household income. Read more
2017 Most Trusted Adviser Sydney Financial Planning earns 'Most Trusted Adviser' status for the fourth year in a row! Read more