Ken is director of Metropole Wealth Advisory and gives strategic expert advice to property investors, professionals and business owners. He is in a unique position to blend his skills of accounting, wealth advisory, property investing, financial planning and small business. View his articles
What is land tax? Who should pay for it? And can I reduce this major property cost which seems to eat into my rental income disproportionally? These questions are often asked by serious property investors who already have or are in the process of building a significant property portfolio. As is the case for most…
You’ve probably heard that most wealthy people own nothing in their own names, but control everything through structures such as a trust. If Australia’s richest people use trusts, maybe it’s something you should consider also. Did you know that trusts have been around since the 12th Century? The Lord Chancellor at that time could decide…
Foreign cash flowing into Australian homes has surged by an additional $400 million, according to new figures, solidifying Queensland as the new hot spot for overseas investors. Data from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) for the October to December 2023 quarter shows 1,580 residential real estate investment proposals worth $1.9 billion were approved. The…
Australians are going without everything from prosecco to private health insurance as cost of living pressures persist, according to new research by Finder. Their survey of 1,012 respondents revealed more than 1 in 2 (54%) – equivalent to more than 11 million people – admit the cost of living has had a negative impact on…
Australia, along with the rest of the world, is on the cusp of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. Termed as the “great wealth transfer,” we’re looking at an eye-watering US$68 trillion (A$100.2 trillion) moving hands globally over the next 20-30 years. This shift, predominantly from the baby boomer generation, is not just significant…
The average new owner-occupier mortgage in Australia is now $636,597 – a new record high that is set to keep on rising alongside property prices in key states. Over the last 12 months, the national average has risen by $56,357, an increase of $154 a day, despite the fact the cash rate is at its…
Money in the bank from households has fallen for the first time in a year, recording a sizable $11.5 billion drop in just one month. This is just the second drop in household deposits since the start of the rate hikes, according to the latest APRA monthly banking statistics for June 2024. That said, money…
The stage is set for the RBA to leave the cash rate on hold next week, despite a rise to Australia’s annual inflation rate from 3.6 per cent to 3.8 per cent. While this is the first rise in annual inflation since December 2022, the result is in line with the RBA’s own forecasts, keeping…
Over the past decade, many Australians have invested in property via their superannuation funds. One of the reasons they do this is because they want to have control over the performance of the funds in their super. Another is it allows them to buy an investment property when perhaps they could not have otherwise. However,…
Millions of Australians are hiding money away in bank accounts unknown to their family or partner, according to new research by Finder. The survey of 1,012 respondents revealed more than 1 in 10 (12%) – equivalent to 2.5 million people – currently have, or have had, a secret savings account. The research found 8% –…
