Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [australia]

For questions that relate to the laws, practices, and products of Australia.

For questions that relate to the laws, practices, and products of Australia.

354 questions
35
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4 answers

Should I invest when in debt?

I have just consolidated my debt and am thinking where I want to be in the future. My payment plan is to be debt-free in three years. It is not an extremely aggressive plan; I still want to have a life, maybe travel once in those three years and…
TheRealTy
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35
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8 answers

High income, sudden windfall

I currently earn quite a good salary (around $250,000 Australian dollars per year). Due to a recent investment coming good I am expecting to be receiving a windfall of around $1.2 million Australian dollars (after tax). My wife and I are both under…
Throwaway
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7 answers

How can I gift $41,000 to my friend anonymously? (Australia)

We both live in Australia. I don't want him to know it's from me. But I’m not hiding from the government. I’d prefer the money to go into his bank account so he can see it's real money. I have his home address, BSB/account number, phone number &…
Ally
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28
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5 answers

If I plan to buy a car in cash, should I let the dealer know?

Is it desirable for them if I paid in full? Should I let them know or should I keep it to myself? Will I get lower prices if I was willing to pay in full?
Zaenille
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23
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5 answers

Why do small merchants charge an extra 30 cents for small amounts paid by credit card?

Jurisdiction Australia, but could apply globally for all I know. Looking at major Australian bank websites, their EFTPOS contracts mention nothing about transaction fees being different for small amounts than large amount - it's a flat percentage…
Bohemian
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21
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7 answers

What is a good rental yield?

If you are thinking of buying a property for investment purposes, what is a good gross yield? I've been told you should take 3 zero's off the price of the property, so if a property is worth 400,000, it should be rented out at $400 per week. That…
Joe.E
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17
votes
2 answers

As a private landlord, how can I choose a good tenant?

I have 2 rental houses and I'm sick of real estate agents who provide bad service. I have changed real estate brokers 3 times over the past 5 years and I have come to the conclusion that I am the best person to look after my own properties. I am…
user9722
15
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7 answers

Where should I park my money if I'm pessimistic about the economy and I think there will be high inflation?

I'm in Australia. My prediction is the economy isn't going to fare very well. I also think that the property market is going to drop. I also think there will be high inflation to come. I can explain why I think these things, although I think it's…
Joe.E
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14
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5 answers

If I have all this stock just sitting there, how can I lend it out to people for short selling?

Short sellers need to borrow stock in order to short sell. I understand they typically get this stock through a broker though some sort of arrangement where they pay interest. I was wondering, how can an individual actually do the lending? Does…
Joe.E
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11
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4 answers

I'm moving to another country. Where should I keep my money?

I've been working in the US for a number of years, and am shortly to return to Australia. My cash is in an online bank based in the US. Would you recommend I move it to an Australian bank, or leave it with the US bank? What sorts of issues should I…
gef05
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1 answer

With the Fringe Benefits Tax, should I even salary sacrifice for a car?

In Australia, some employers offer an option to salary sacrifice a car purchase. The cost of the car is taken from your pre-tax salary, so your gross income will be less, and therefore, your income tax would be less as well. However, I read around…
Zaenille
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11
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4 answers

What does it mean for a normal citizen like me when my country's dollar value goes down?

I live in Australia. From what I can see in the past few years (and still ongoing), the AUD value just seems to go down. Right now, 1 AUD=0.86 USD, and from what I've read in some websites, it's predicted that the AUD will go down to 0.75 USD. What…
Zaenille
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4 answers

I'm 20 and starting to build up for my mortgage downpayment, where should I put my money for optimal growth?

I have no credit, no loans, and am a contractor for $40/hr at a company and I expect to work here for quite a while (job security should be above average). Every week, I allocate $300 to my Mortgage Preparation Fund. I keep it in a high-interest…
Zaenille
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9
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5 answers

Borrowing money to buy shares for cashflow?

I currently have lots of equity in my house in Sydney. I am holding 2 investment properties that are negative and really draining my cash flow as we have young kids and wife only works part time. I have been looking at using some equity to invest in…
MJ.Gram
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9
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4 answers

Do "crossed checks" work in the United States?

I grew up in Australia, and learned that when I write a check, I should generally cross it with two diagonal lines with Not Negotiable written between them. The idea being that this signifies that the check can only be deposited into an account…
Peter K.
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