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
Money in the bank from households continues to climb with APRA’s latest data showing Australians collectively stockpiled an additional $6.17 billion in the month of February. This takes the total value of household deposits to a new record high of $1.46 trillion. APRA’s monthly banking statistics released today also show that since the start of…
It’s a sad reality that our society seems to be more litigious than in years gone by. Thankfully, we’re not in the same parlous state as America, but there is a greater chance than before that you could become involved in legal proceedings that threaten your wealth creation efforts. While that might seem like a…
Who doesn’t love their children? We often quickly think of passing our assets to our kids on death. But do we really know who will actually receive them? This is a modern-day conundrum. We don’t know when we are going to die, and as such, do not know our children’s circumstances at that time. They…
The latest RBA cash rate announcement came as no surprise, keeping the cash rate on hold at 4.35%, with most economists agreeing the next move on rates will be down. What does this mean for borrowers? Well, borrowers could be thousands of dollars better off with substantial savings forecast for loan repayments over the next…
In an increasingly digital world, the frequency and sophistication of financial scams have escalated, posing a significant threat to unwary Australians. The government projects that scams cost Australians $3.1 billion per year. So let’s dissect the common tactics used by scammers and look at a few strategies to avoid falling prey to these schemes. What…
In 2023, the Australian property market witnessed a distinctive shift, as homeowners and investors navigated the changing financial landscape. According to PEXA’s latest Mortgage Insights Report, the total amount borrowed for property purchases across Australia was $300.9 billion, marking a 12.7% decrease from the previous year. This trend reflects the dual impact of rising interest…
Property investment is one of the best wealth-creation strategies out there. In part, because it has a long history of solid performance, so is therefore relatively low risk. It’s important to understand, however, that it is not completely without risk. That’s because every investment opportunity has an element of risk. The trick is to manage…
Australian Tax Office (ATO) data shows that only 9% per cent of investors own three or more properties. So, if property was such a good investment, why do many stop at one? Unfortunately, most people simply buy the wrong property, buy emotively, sell quickly and never buy again, or stubbornly hold onto it hoping things…
What’s happened to your salary recently? Has it gone up? The average Australian salary is $1,888.80 per week or $98,217.60 annually, according to the latest data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This represents an increase of 4.5% year-on-year and you won’t be surprised to find out mining remains the highest-paying sector with an average salary of $2,951.80…
How are you with your credit card payments? Well, according to new research from Finder, an alarming number of Australians are falling behind on their credit card repayments. In fact, based on Finder’s Credit Card Report 2024, 1 in 8 (13%) Australian credit card holders – equivalent to almost 1.8 million people – have missed…
