Personal Finance

The first challenge is understanding how price rises can alter the balance between income and essential bills. Decisions made without a clear purpose can become difficult to evaluate later. A household or investor may have several competing objectives, including liquidity, long-term growth, certainty and …

The first challenge is understanding the different ways spare cash can reduce home-loan interest costs. Decisions made without a clear purpose can become difficult to evaluate later. A household or investor may have several competing objectives, including liquidity, long-term growth, certainty and flexibility. Those …

The first challenge is understanding why carrying a balance can make everyday purchases more expensive. Decisions made without a clear purpose can become difficult to evaluate later. A household or investor may have several competing objectives, including liquidity, long-term growth, certainty and flexibility. Those …

The private health insurance rebate is a government contribution towards premiums, usually taken as a lower premium or claimed back through the tax return. The rebate depends on the age of the oldest person covered by the policy and the income tier the household …

According to reports, Private Healthcare Australia proposed lifting the surcharge to 1.5% for Tier 1 earners and to 3% for Tiers 2 and 3. The industry group estimates the change would raise a net $410 million and bring 383,000 more people into private cover. …

Headline CPI rose 4.3% over the year to September 2026 on the monthly measure. The RBA's target range is 2-3%. Underlying inflation, which strips out volatile price movements, has been around 3.5% for approximately six months according to Governor Bullock's 29 September media conference …

Inflation peaked at 7.9% at the end of 2022 before falling back within the 2-3% target range during 2024 and 2025. It has since risen above the target range again, with headline CPI running at 4.3% in the September 2026 monthly measure and underlying …