There's so much talk at the moment about interest rates rising, property values dropping, speculation of crashes, doom and gloom and uncertainty. Well I'm here to say 'stay calm.' Interest rates do go up. They've gone up again yesterday. Hopefully that will be the last for a few months but it might not be. They've been so low for so long that we're no [...]
When we think of boundaries, we often think of the boundaries we set for our kids rather than for ourselves. They're the rules and restrictions we give them to move within to keep them safe, secure and happy. But boundaries are also important in areas of our own lives and work to keep us safe and on track to achieve our goals. Boundaries can [...]
Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some great mentors - personally and professionally, formally and informally. When you take the time to look at what others do, how they do it and even why they do it, there is just so much to learn. Whether it’s about problem solving, leading, managing or setting and achieving goals, I’ve learnt so much [...]
It can be hard work to find the right home loan for your circumstances. So where do you start? 1. Firstly, decide what “right” means for you. Do you want flexibility to make additional repayments or security of the same repayment every month? Do you want an offset account or just the bare minimum features at the cheapest rate? 2. Consider your long term [...]
Yesterday, the Reserve Bank of Australia announced the third cash rate rise in as many months. Whilst this seems a lot, this is the first of any rate rises we've seen since October 2011 when the rate started dropping from 4.75%. The cash rate is currently sitting at 1.35% and while the actual interest rate charged by lenders is higher, the interest we're paying [...]
Six things that tell you it’s the right time to buy your first home: Buying a home occupies most of your thoughts: You’re ready and you’ve decided it’s what you want to do – 100%. Buying a property is your focus. It’s at the top of your goals list. You’re realistic about your budget: So no water views, no outdoor kitchen or spa. You’re [...]
I don’t know about you, but over the last couple of years there are a couple of things I’ve really missed. Concerts and holidays. The beauty of seeing a live performance has been missing from our lives, which is awful for us and even worse for the performers. But no more! I’m going to shrug off that post pandemic blanket and book some tickets! [...]
There are lots of answers to this question, and I’m a little biased, but the main reason is that we don’t have a preference over where you borrow your money from - we’re more concerned with matching the loan to YOUR needs. When you go to your bank, they have a great knowledge of the products they’re offering. They know their limits, their guidelines [...]
The first thing to do when interest rates rise is to stay calm. It's OK. We've got you. Rates increases are inevitable - especially after over eleven years of status quo with record lows and no increases from the RBA. So yesterday’s increase of 0.5%, taking the base rate to 0.85% is no surprise. Economists are predicting that the cash rate will rise to [...]
One of the first lessons I learnt when I started hiring a team was the importance of clarity. I needed to be really clear on: * the culture I wanted to create * the values of the company * the values of the people I was going to hire * the tasks that I needed to let go of in order to grow and [...]
