Purchasing your first home is an important decision with far-reaching implications. You’ll be significantly better off financially if you make the right choice. However, if you mess it up and buy the wrong property, you could be worse off both financially and from a lifestyle perspective. Many parents have learnt a lot from their experiences,…
Articles by Stuart Wemyss
Stuart was a Chartered Accountant before establishing mortgage broking firm ProSolution Private Clients. He has authored two books and shares his experience with readers of Property Update. Visit www.prosolution.com.au
In recent weeks, state governments have been sending out land tax notices to property investors. The noticeable increase in land tax receipts over the past few years has prompted more investors to reassess their property investments. Furthermore, the surge in land taxes is anticipated to exacerbate the rental crisis. Property investors are likely to pass…
The price of Bitcoin has risen 64% in 2024 so far. That’s after rising 156% in 2023! Last week, a client brought to my attention that the CEO of the largest asset manager in the world, Blackrock, suggested that crypto is a good long-term store of value. He likened it to digital gold. This might all seem like…
Upgrading your home is a very important lifestyle decision that will have a significant impact on your standard of living. However, it is also a very important financial decision. Making wise choices can greatly improve your financial position, but mistakes can be very costly and impair your ability to build wealth. (1) Approach the decision…
It is generally an accepted investment principle that diversification can reduce your risk and improve investment returns. The common vernacular is, to spread your eggs amongst various baskets. I would agree with this principle, so long as it doesn’t result in the deterioration of investment asset quality. Sometimes property investors should not diversify. That’s because…
The government projects that scams cost Australians $3.1 billion per year. Given that more of our life is becoming digitalised, especially with banking and financial services, we are more susceptible to scams. It’s critical that you take active steps to protect your money. Most common scams are… According to the National Anti-Scam Centre, scams are…
A key financial goal for most people is to eventually repay their home loan. Last year I outlined 3 questions you must ask yourself to determine whether repaying your home loan is your top priority – see here. The internet is filled with countless ideas on how to repay your home loan faster. However, many of…
I was motivated to write this blog for two main reasons. Firstly, I observed several buyers’ agents on social media proudly advertising short-term capital gains. One instance caught my attention, where a buyers’ agent claimed to have purchased a property for a client 18 months ago for $435,000, asserting its current value at $510,000, implying…
As investors, we gain invaluable insights by experiencing various markets and events, and by reflecting on our actions—those we took and those we didn’t. I firmly believe that experience is the key factor in preventing costly investment mistakes. Hence, I dedicate time each year to ponder the lessons provided by the market in the preceding year. These…
The location of your “great Australian dream” can dramatically alter your wealth-building activities and as such, you must take this into account when developing your investment strategy. Homes are typically not purchased with the sole or dominant reason of building wealth as there are many non-financial, lifestyle factors that influence where we live. However, that…