Uncategorized Archives - Page 43 of 53 - Raiz Invest

Market Update from George Lucas, CEO of Raiz Invest

Positive Trump-Xi meeting at G20 Summit

This week will start with analysis of the G20 Summit in Argentina and then the market should go back to focusing on US treasury yields and the possibility of a slowdown in the US.

The G20 summit saw trade at the top of the agenda, with hopes for talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump and that the two leaders would strike a deal easing US-China tensions after the recent APEC meeting confirmed deep divisions.

In a positive outcome, Xi and Trump agreed to temporarily halt imposing new tariffs and work on a more permanent deal at a dinner on Saturday after the Buenos Aires summit.

Without a deal, Trump could have pushed ahead with levying tariffs on an extra $250bn or so of Chinese imports.

China stocks rally

Despite the talk of US protectionism before the G20, equities in China, which have been a big victim of trade war fears, have recovered recently and done better than those in the US.

The underperformance of Chinese equities earlier in 2018 started around the same time Trump approved tariffs on $50bn of Chinese imports, and threatened more to come.  Worries about China’s economy, which also emerged around that time, didn’t help either.

But since early October China’s stock market has performed noticeably better than its US counterpart, in line with some stabilisation in the renminbi relative to the greenback.

That partly reflects the S&P 500 starting to come under pressure as investors fret about the outlook for the US economy and improved sentiment surrounding US-China trade tensions.

Spotlight on Fed Chair Jerome Powell

Turning to the US, markets will be watching US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell’s address to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress on the US economy.

Powell’s testimony this week is likely to see him hint that the Fed intends to continue hiking interest rates next year. I don’t think he can say anything else as the November employment report will likely be strong and cement expectations for a December rate hike.

However, slumping oil prices and fears about the US economic outlook have caused investors to dial down expectations for tighter US monetary policy for the first time in ages.

Investors are now discounting roughly two rate hikes between now and the end of 2019, rather than the three that they were anticipating a few weeks ago.

2-year US Treasury yields dip

Still in the US, the 2-year US Treasury yield has fallen significantly since November 8. This has also been driven by the recent fall in oil prices pushing down inflation expectations and worries about the US economic outlook connected to future Fed tightening.

Oil’s more than 30 per cent decline since touching a four-year high in early October has left energy stocks the worst performer on Wall Street this quarter.

However, a question remains about how much of the tumble in oil is due to a sudden market oversupply, or if it’s down to fears of a broader economic slowdown next year.

OPEC meeting could reverse oil-price plunge

The answer will likely come at this week’s OPEC meeting, with a supply cut on the agenda.

There’s confidence that a deal to restrict supply will be reached after Russia signalled it would continue to cooperate with the cartel and may agree to some form of production cut.

But if oil prices continue to fall and were to reach $45 a barrel, then that becomes a clearer signal that it’s not just an oversupply challenge, but that slowing global growth is a factor.

Read our previous blog – ‘Why Time in the Markets Matter’

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Important Note: The information on this website is provided as general advice and does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this website.

Investors only: The information on this website is confidential and it must not be reproduced, distributed or disclosed to any other person unless it is part of their statement of advice. The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions and may change without notice. This may impact the accuracy of the information. In no circumstances is the information on this website to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of making a decision about a financial product or class of products.

General advice warning: The information contained on this website is general information only. It has been prepared without taking account any potential investors’ financial situation, objectives or needs and the appropriateness of this information needs to be considered in that context. No responsibility or liability is accepted by Raiz Invest or any third party who has contributed to this content for any of the information contained here in or for any action taken by you or any of your officers, employees, agents or associates.

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You may or may not have heard the saying, “It’s not about timing market, it’s about time in the market.” But what exactly does this mean?

Some new investors may tend to place a short-term focus on how their investments are performing. They’ll frequently track how their shares are going, get excited when their position rises, and then, if it falls, they’ll become carried away with emotion and saddened by a change in market conditions and short-term loss of assets.

But what about the long-term picture? Over time stocks tend to naturally go through periods of growth and decline – this is completely normal. Therefore, selling off stocks after a brief period of decline rather than focusing on the long-term goal can be a strategy that doesn’t add value, given it is likely that shares will rise later down the track.

Just as hard as it is to predict the downturns, it is also hard to predict when stocks will turn around and rally.  This is known as timing the market – picking the tops and bottoms.

To avoid having to time the market to invest, a more long-term strategy is to utilise the advantages of time in the market – that is, the longer you are in the market, the more likely you are to see a healthier return.

The first step is to choose the right portfolio for you. If you are likely to withdraw your money when the market declines, you should probably be in Moderate to Conservative portfolio options. This way, a stock market decline should have less emotional impact on you, and you will be more likely to remain disciplined with your strategy when markets decline.

If your savings goal is short-term (less than three years) a Conservative option is also probably best.

The Aggressive and Emerald portfolio options are for those with long-term saving goals and the ability to remain disciplined during market down turns and the associated losses on their portfolios.

Choosing the right portfolio is an important step in avoiding the emotional traps of euphoria and depression that can cause you to make rash decisions. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

The second step is to have a disciplined saving/investing strategy or philosophy. At Raiz, our philosophy is to invest small amounts regularly, thus helping to manage market uncertainty. This is a well-known investment strategy, known as dollar cost averaging.

Raiz automates this strategy and does it more frequently, with the average Raiz customer investing at least once a week. The result can be a healthier balance over the long-term through the automation provided by Raiz.

By automating the process, your investing strategy can also be protected against those short-term emotions.

Another benefit of spending more time in the market is from compounding. This is when an asset’s earnings are reinvested to generate additional earnings over time. Reinvesting dividends into shares can increase returns due to the power of compounding.  So, the longer you spend in the market, the more dividends you are likely to receive, which are reinvested into more and more shares over time.

It is not easy when it is your money.  We all experience the emotional high and lows that come with investing, however by maintaining a disciplined, automated approach, and selecting the right portfolio, you can avoid short term stress and take advantage of dollar cost averaging and compound returns over time.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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1. An active Raiz Invest Account must be held (account balance greater than $5). Raiz account holders hold valid accounts as set out in the product disclosure statements found on the website: raizinvest.com.au.
2. Entries open Monday 19^th November 2018 at 4PM and entries close Sunday November 25^th 2018 at 5PM. To enter, one must comment on the Facebook post within the time frame stated above.
3. Raiz Invest will select five winners with a $100.00 credit investment in to their active Raiz Investment Account. These five investments will be selected at Raiz’s discretion. We note that no individual prize exceeds $250 and total value of prizes do not exceed $50,000.
4. These five Raiz Account holders will be requested to message us their email and will be notified by email when the credit investment is deposited into their Raiz Investment account by Friday 30^th November 2018.
5. The permit number in the format NSW Permit No. LTPM/18/03853.
6. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any other third party.
7. By entering this promotion, you agree that we may use entries for future marketing purposes in any media or branding.
8. The competition is promoted by Raiz Invest Australia Limited, Level 11/2 Bulletin Place Sydney 2000 NSW, 1300 754 748. ABN 26 604 402 815, who is the Authorised Representative of AFSL 434776. The Raiz product is issued in Australia by Instreet Investment Limited (ACN 128 813 016 AFSL 434776) and promoted by Raiz Invest Australia Limited (ACN 604 402 815). A Product Disclosure Statement dated 10th April 2018 for this product is available on the Raiz website and App. A person should read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether or not to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

NSW Permit No. LTPM/18/03853

by Raiz Invest CEO, George Lucas

So, is the market volatility over? Unfortunately, when you invest into markets, it is never over.  The reason we invest is to give us the potential to earn more than can be earned from a bank account.

With that in mind, here’s my best guess for the reason behind the recent downturn in the markets. It wasn’t about fears around global growth, it was about an expectation that company earnings, especially in the US, won’t be able to grow as fast in the future as they have over the last couple of years.

Many in the market decided to take profit because of this earnings uncertainty, especially when it came to US technology companies.

The latest US employment report, released last Friday night, didn’t help. It showed a strong US labour market, adding a better-than-expected 250,000 jobs in October, which means that company earnings may slow as wage-costs rise.

In order to earn the potentially higher returns from investing we need to put in place strategies to manage the market uncertainty.

Firstly, when it comes to portfolio selection, clients should consider their age and goals in deciding what portfolio selection is right for them.  Being in one of the aggressive portfolio options can work well when markets are rising.  However, when they fall, they will also lose more.  If the fall in the dollar amount causes you to withdraw your money or to time your market exit and then entry, then maybe you should explore a less aggressive option.

Market timing usually doesn’t lead to higher returns, as funds may be withdrawn near the bottom of the market and added back near the highs.  There is a saying “It’s the time in the market, not the market timing” 😊.

This is why our philosophy is about investing/saving small amounts regularly.  We minimise the effect of market timing and it can assist in managing market uncertainty.

In my opinion no matter what your age, if you are saving for a short-term goal, then you should be in one of our conservative options.  Market uncertainty is then less likely to have the same affect on the value of your portfolio and you are more likely to reach you goal in the time frame you have set for yourself.

If you are saving for the longer term, say greater than 3 years and you are young, then being in an aggressive option may suit you.  This is because markets do tend to go up in the long term (you need to include dividends). So even though in the short term you may have set backs in your portfolio value, in the long term you should earn more than you can earn in a bank account.

In the end, it is your choice. We cannot recommend a portfolio choice.  Raiz is not a get rich quick scheme, it is about developing a habit of regular saving and investing to meet a long or short-term goal.

Remember, the current drop in the markets has nothing to do with the health of current US corporate earnings or the current state of the global economy and global growth – it is all about future expectations.  Markets are currently digesting the recent information and trying to land on a consensus of what earning growth will be for 2019.

Indeed, by many measures this quarter has been a record earnings season for US companies, while the US economy posted an impressive annualised growth rate of 3.5 per cent (annualised) for the third quarter.

US stocks weren’t alone in having a horror October. The MSCI’s World Index of stocks in 23 Developed Market countries fell by more than five per cent in local currency terms over the month.

So, is the market volatility over?

My answer is probably not as it will take time and some more ups and downs for the market and investors to come to a consensus, if, and by how much, earnings for corporations could slow.

In saying that, it is possible that November and December will see rallies. Although, February 2019 could turn into another sell-off until March 2019 when the forward-looking market has got its head around earnings growth for 2019 and begin focusing on earnings for 2020.

What level we end up at, and how much down, if at all, I don’t know. I do hope I am wrong, and markets resume their steady rally, but that is not my best guess.

So, choose your portfolio wisely — based on your goals and expectations of what you want Raiz to deliver.  Also, the Raiz philosophy of investing small amounts regularly can assist with managing market uncertainty as market timing is difficult.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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Why is superannuation important? What makes the guaranteed contribution scheme justifiable? And how much should you personally contribute to your super fund?

With Australia’s pension fund (superannuation) ranked 4^th in the world in 2018 by the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, and super assets totaling $2.7 trillion at the end of the June 2018 quarter, it’s worth taking a look at what super means for Australian citizens and its economy.

Australia’s modern superannuation system began in 1991, with a compulsory scheme that requires employers to pay a set portion of their employee’s salaries into a super fund, known as guarantee contributions. Currently, the super guarantee rate is 9.5% of your income, and is planned to be incrementally increased after 2021 to 12% by 2025. On top of these compulsory contributions, you can also choose to make personal contributions out of your own pocket to further grow your super.

When can I access my Super?

To access your super’s funds, you need to reach your ‘preservation age’, which is currently between 55 and 60 depending on when you were born. As long as you’re permanently retired you can access your super once you reach this.

Benefits of Super?

The obvious reason for super’s existence is to help people save money for retirement. Therefore, the main benefit of guaranteed contributions is that it forces you to set aside money for eventual retirement, so you have an adequate income stream post retirement to be comfortable and maintain a certain standard of living. This is especially helpful for anyone that may struggle to save money for long term goals, since it can be hard to think about putting aside money that may not help you for another 30 or so years. See our blog ‘Why you don’t care about Future you’

The drawback of mandatory super payments is of course, that in the short-term you feel a loss of disposable income, and with the savings being out of reach until your preservation age, you may have to save an additional pool of money to afford short to medium term purchases such as a new car or holiday (see our blog ‘5 Ways to Save More with Raiz’). Given this, it’s still hard to argue against investing in Super. A lack of retirement funds would mean more reliance on the government’s Age Pension scheme, which in turn would place more pressure on the government (and therefore tax payer dollars).

How does Super affect the Australian Economy?

Hypothetically, if people began to not contribute much/any money to their super throughout their lives, an increased reliance on the Age Pension would strain government resources, causing either allowance per person to decrease, or forcing the government to increase funding. This funding would have to be sourced still within government funding in other areas, and/or increased tax rates.

While Australia ranks number 54^th in the world by population, ranking 4^th by pension fund assets shows the great lengths in us as a country in ensuring enough wealth for Australians in the future.

Should you personally contribute to your super fund?

Another way of growing your super balance is through voluntary contributions. The main advantage of this is that any contributions may be tax deductible*, reducing your personal income tax. For more detail, see our blog ‘New rules for Super Contribution’. These savings could also potentially accrue more returns than a standard bank savings account in the long term. When judged over the last 10 years, the top 30 super funds averaged a return of 6.4%. The top 30 performing funds over the last 12 months averaged returns of 9.2%.

How can you easily manage your Super?

Raiz Super offers its users an easy to use interface that allows you to easily view your balance and all contributions (guarantee & personal), all on your mobile phone. Being entirely accessible digitally through the Raiz app and website means users can regularly check their Super balance, observe how the market has affected their overall amount, and easily contribute additional funds. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

So, given the importance of Super, do you feel connected enough to your future?

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

 * For the new rules, there are certain eligibility criteria, which are not trivial, so you do need to check with a licensed tax adviser (or other) before deciding to make voluntary contributions and claim a deduction.

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Don’t have the Raiz App? Download here

Australia is in the big league. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we have the second highest household debt to GDP ratio out of 43 countries, with Switzerland getting the chocolates.

But while household debt has been rising, we should not think this is a new phenomenon – Australians have typically not been savers.

We’re not alone in this. Indeed, if a study by researchers at Cornell University is on the money, it’s an American trait, too. This piece of research contends that Americans are far more attuned to seeing opportunities to making money than saving it. It seems our “grey matter” is very creative when it comes to making a buck, but not nearly so good at seizing opportunities to save a dollar.

What the study did was measure our attention to earning or saving money. According to a Wall Street Journal article, participants had to identify colours shown quickly on a computer: one “earning” colour that let them gain 30 cents, a neutral colour that had no monetary effect and one “saving” colour that let them avoid losing 30 cents.

When the “earning” colour was shown, a staggering 87.5% of participants identified it more quickly and accurately than when the “saving” colour was shown. Even in trials that framed “saving” as earnings that would come slightly later, participants were still better at immediate earning.

In the study’s second part, participants had to identify which colour appeared first. Three out of four said they saw the “earning” colour appear first—when in fact, the “saving” colour did. This suggests our “earning” bias may even be strong enough to warp our perception of time.

“It’s such a powerful bias that it literally distorts the lens with which you see things. It’s not like people don’t care about savings,” says Adam Anderson, an associate professor and co-director of Cornell’s Affect and Cognition Lab, who co-wrote the study and is quoted by the Wall Street Journal. “We’re kind of blind when those opportunities are presented.”

Australians, I would argue, are like Americans. We are good at earning money, but not so good when it comes to saving it. Perhaps a key reason is the fact we spend much of our lives making our “hard earned money”, and so little our lives considering, or working on how we can hold on to it and save it.

We need to spend more time training ourselves to save money.

At Raiz Invest, we would like to think we are playing a small – but significant – role in changing this thinking about savings. Our App, which now has more than 235,000 active users, many of whom fall into the millennial demographic, is an easy and price-competitive way to automatically save and invest. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

In the process we are teaching Australians, especially young Australians, about saving, making it a daily part of life, just like working to earn it. In the end we are hopefully empowering them to have a far greater sense of control over their financial affairs, of which saving is such a big part.

It won’t happen overnight. But it does need to happen, and with governments and regulators still only paying lip service to financial literacy education in the schools, we hope the Raiz Invest App will be part of the solution to help Australian earn more, while saving.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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What is My Finance?

Need an easier way to understand your finances? My Finance is a free to use feature within the Raiz app. It provides you personalised insights and notifications on how you are spending. Spending is the other side of the equation when it comes to saving so by spending less, you can potentially save more…. Keeing a handle on how spending can help you meet your savings goals 🙂

In addition, we have harnessed machine learning & artificial intelligence into the feature so that it will provide you with tips & insights relevant to you – about your spending habits and where you may have saving opportunities. Or you can also  question our chatbot Ashlee – see our blog ‘Ask Ashlee – Raiz Intelligent Chatbot’

How it works

To use My Finance, please make sure you link up your spending accounts as this is how My Finance will be able to provide you personalised insights. The more up to date your My Finance is with categorised spends and linked accounts, the more accurate this will be. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

Check out ‘Uncategorised’ tab in My Finance

Check out the ‘Uncategorised’ tab within ‘Categorise Transactions’ to categorise any that My Finance was unable to. My Finance will then learn to categorise this in the future and give you better insights, powered by machine learning technology.

You are also able to change categorised transactions that we may have categorised wrong at any time by tapping on ‘All’ and the specific transaction you’d like to change. It will also fix up past transactions and My Finance will learn to categorise this in the future as well.

Future Cash

My Finance also projects your future free cash based on your past spending and income, which may also help you determine if you are spending above your means or if you can save more.

Integrated into our Raiz Chat

We know it can be hard to quickly check or calculate your expenses on the go. That’s why My Finance is also integrated into our Raiz Chatbot, Ashlee who will be able to respond to your spending and future cashflow questions in real-time. You can check this out in more detail on our blog – ‘Ask Ashlee – Raiz Intelligent Chatbot Questions’

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Past return performance of the Raiz product should not be relied on for deciding to invest in Raiz and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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By Rachel Gopez – uno Home Loans

1. Where do I start?

Buying a property can be one of the most stressful times in your life. A lot of research, time and effort is required to find the ideal house. There are many things to consider, so it helps to have a structured set of steps to follow when starting the process.

A great starting point is to work out a budget based on your deposit and how much you can borrow. It can be tricky to pull numbers out of thin air, so using an online calculator such as uno’s borrowing calculator is a great tool to help you work this out. Once you get your pre-approval secured, you’ll have a good estimation of what purchase price you’re looking at. After finalising your exact budget, you can get started on the fun part: finding your dream home!

2. How much money do I need for a deposit?

A deposit isn’t the exact same amount for everyone. When calculating your home deposit, most lenders generally require 10% of the property’s value and sometimes only 5%. For example, if the property you want to buy is valued at $800,000, the deposit required would usually be between $40,000 (5% of $800,000) and $80,000 (for a 10% deposit).

With a 5% deposit, it needs to comprise genuine savings. This doesn’t include money from a parent or third party (this is known as a gift) and must be savings in a bank account.

The more money you have saved for a deposit, the better. “Having at least a 20% deposit is your best option, as it saves you from paying lenders mortgage insurance,” says uno Home Loans team leader, Chris McNaughton.

3. Can I buy a property with no deposit saved?

So you’re not a famous blogger and have no money saved yet? All is not lost! A guarantor loan is one way to buy property when you don’t have a deposit. A guarantor is legally responsible for paying back the entire loan if you cannot make the loan repayments. The guarantor is usually a family member and will also have to pay any fees, charges and interest. Learn more about guarantor loans here.

4. What costs are involved in buying a home?

The exact costs involved in buying property depend on which state you live in. This is due to the variance in house prices, stamp duty and legal costs. You can calculate how much stamp duty you’ll have to pay, based on your state, here. You’ll also have to pay a transfer fee and a mortgage registration fee. The transfer fee is roughly around $200-$300 and the mortgage registration fee is around $100-$150.

The legal work involved in preparing the contract of sale and thoroughly reading all legal documents is called conveyancing. A conveyancer can help you arrange and make changes to a contract. The price range for this service is typically around $600 to $1,500.

5. How much does an average house cost in Australia?

Australian property prices are talked about more than Australia’s Prime Minister (who is it again?). Asking the cost of a house in Australia is like asking how much a latte costs: it really depends on where you are. Median property prices in each state change month-to-month, but you can find updated data from property analytics company CoreLogic.

Remember, buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you’re likely to make in your lifetime. You want to do your research and take it seriously.

About Author

Rachel Gopez is Content Producer at uno Home Loans, the online mortgage broker.

Looking for a new home loan? What used to take days with banks and brokers can how be done in less than 10 minutes – from your lap top or mobile phone. uno is an online mortgage broker with one mission: to help you win at home loans. Whether you’re a home buyer or looking to refinance an existing loan, uno puts the power back in your hands. Visit www.unohomeloans.com.au

It’s important to note that the information we give here is general in nature – no matter how helpful or relatable you find our articles. Even if it seems like we’re writing about you, it’s not personal or financial advice. That’s why you should always ask a professional before making any life-changing decisions.

Raiz: Need a way to start saving for a house deposit?

Use Raiz to set up a Savings Goal to help you reach that house deposit easier. While just having round-ups turned on might take longer than you’d like to save this up, you can also set up a recurring investment or invest lumpsum deposits whenever you have free cash to spare. You can also manage your budget through the MyFinance feature, which shows an overview of your current and future cashflow. By automating your Savings plan, you can spend more time on looking for your perfect home!

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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Sydney, Australia – 3 October 2018 – New research by Raiz Invest Limited, the mobile-first micro-investing platform, shows the recent political climate has made millennials more financially risk averse, with almost half (44 per cent) spending less than six months ago. An even greater proportion (48 per cent) considering changes to their investment strategy.

More than 1,000 young Australians were asked about changes in spending and savings habits, as well as trust in major institutions around personal finances – including superannuation, savings and investment funds – to uncover the impact of these major events on their behaviour.

Australians are feeling disillusioned – Raiz Study

No surprise that nearly one in three (29 per cent) mistrust their financial institutions with their superannuation, with a third (34 per cent) remaining neutral. A quarter of respondents no longer trusted financial institutions with their investment funds.

Recent research from the Museum of Australian Democracy and University of Canberra reinforces the growing pattern of disillusionment and cynicism with Australian politics. Only 31 per cent expressed trust in the Federal Government.

“Repeated leadership spills, continued investigation into the big banks, insurance and super regulation have all truly unsettled Australians, causing them to call into question, where they invest and deposit their savings and assets,” Raiz Invest Managing Director, George Lucas, says. “It is not a good outcome for the entire financial services industry including Raiz with all institutions and FinTechs being tainted by the revelations in the Royal Commission”.

Millennials more risk averse

The research found more than half (51 per cent) of millennials consider themselves risk averse when it comes to investing. One in ten described themselves as extremely risk-averse investors. Since the Royal Commission into financial services, the majority still are not ready to consolidate superannuation into one fund, with over one in five (22 per cent) stating that they believe it’s better to spread the risk across a few funds and 34 per cent admitting to being ill informed on such matters.

“The high number of risk-averse millennials correlates with the idea of disillusionment in financial institutions.  It is not surprising that they still are reluctant to consolidate their superannuation into one financial institution but would rather spread the risk. Going forward the average Australian will find it more difficult and expensive to get financial advice, making it more important than ever that the FinTech industry continues to grow to fill the gap and provide advice in new innovative ways,” Lucas says.

“We’re seeing the games in Canberra having a real affect, with 58 per cent of millennials either saving more or spending less as confidence in politics shrinks,” Lucas says. “We are also seeing real impacts from the Royal Commission, with outcomes that may not benefit the average Australian, like more expensive financial advice or making it harder to obtain a home loan. Millennials need to continue the trend of saving and investing and improving their financial literacy early to meet the changing landscape of financial services in Australia.”

Raiz encourages millennials and all Australians to invest for the future, putting complete control in the palm of their hand. Through Raiz Invest and Raiz Invest Super, we will continue to help Australian’s become more financially literate and improve their financial confidence.

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Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

Read Post