WHAT IS MAKING NEWS
From share market updates and changes to government benefits, to stories and events happening around the office, this is what’s making news.
LASTEST VIDEOS
FEDERAL BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS 2021
The federal budget is out! There’s far more spending than what we’d expect during a pandemic but Australia has recovered far quicker than expected. It’s worth looking at a few of these reasons to understand what’s going on.
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK SALE OF MLC
9 September 2020
On Monday 31st August the National Australia Bank (NAB) publicly announced MLC is being sold to IOOF. This separation of NAB and MLC has been planned for a long time and a number of options were considered.
UNLISTED ASSETS IN SUPER
In April I wrote an opinion piece on COVID-19 and liquidity of superannuation funds, which was published on the business website LinkedIn. This has impacted many superannuation members and I’ve summarised the main points in this article.
COVID-19 UPDATE 30TH MARCH 2020
Monday 30th March 2020
The Coronavirus crisis is building, with several European countries and the US providing an insight on where we might be in a few weeks. The first global case has been traced to a wet market in Wuhan on 17th November 2019, and the first Australian case being a Chinese citizen arriving in Victoria on 25th January 2020.
GOVERNMENT STIMULUS PACKAGE IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS
Monday 16th March 2020
The Australian Treasury has released detail on their $17.6bn economic response to the Coronavirus. This is separate to the interest rate cut made by the Reserve Bank of Australia last week, which forms part of the monetary policy response.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID 19) AND THE GLOBAL MARKETS - UPDATE
Friday 6th March 2020
Market. This is our second update on the market’s response to the coronavirus. At close today the ASX 200 was at 6,236, down 2.5% for the day and 13% since the all time high on 20th February.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID 19) AND THE GLOBAL MARKETS
Monday 2nd March 2020
There has been a lot of media coverage around the coronavirus' impact on the global health and the economy, which may have left you feeling inundated with information overload. James has written a short article to give you a clearer understanding on how the coronavirus is affecting the global financial markets.
FINANCIAL COUNSELLING
Over the past few months we have met with two organisations that provide financial counselling services in the SW region. We sometimes get calls from people in need of assistance who we can’t help. In these cases it’s important to know who can provide support
BUSINESS PLANNING 2019!
This year, we mixed up our ‘typical’ business planning day by introducing the team to the practice of mindfulness. This technique is focussed on improving our overall health by being fully engaged in whatever is happening now and clearing our minds from life’s other stresses. As we head into the busier part of the financial year, we felt it was a timely reminder for all of us to ‘check in’ with ourselves to ensure our body and minds stay healthy. Bring on the EOFY!!
2019 FEDERAL BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS!
The Federal Budget was released last night and overall not particularly surprising. The expected surplus of $7bn was announced, although it should be noted this is ‘projected’ and still depends on the government achieving key revenue targets before the end of the financial year.
BANKING ROYAL COMMISSION UPDATE
The report was handed down by Commissioner Hayne on 1st February 2019. Hayne is considered to be a stickler for process and punctuality, so it was no real surprise an extension wasn’t requested and all deadlines were met to the day.
AFTERNOON TEA
What a day! Thanks to everyone who attended our afternoon tea at the Heytesbury house in Cobden. We had a terrific turn out. A special thanks goes out to Courtney Guy for sharing her personal story, her speech was incredibly moving
FIRST HOME BUYERS WORKSHOP
Thanks to everyone who attended the First Home Buyers workshop. Special thanks to our own Tom Carstein, Tom Symons from Harris & Wood Real Estate, Marcus Malseed from Jellie McDonald and Rebecca Sutherland from Finance Hub for sharing their knowledge and expertise when it comes to purchasing a new home.
A LESSON TO THE INVESTOR
I’m not sure about you, but have you noticed how every new financial year like clockwork, companies and fund managers are releasing their statistics and returns for the last financial year. Those that have done well are crowing the loudest, but we’re not seeing or hearing quite so much from the others.
DONATE FOR THE KIDS CHRISTMAS DRIVE!
We’ve received an amazing amount of support over the last few years towards our Christmas Toy Drive. This year we are once again teaming up with FM Maher & Associates to collect as many Christmas gifts as we can for young children around our community, in support of Beyond the Bell’s ‘Donate for the kids’ Christmas drive.
GETTING BEHIND MOVEMBER!
James and Tom are growing their Mo's out this month to raise funds and awareness for all the dads, brothers, sons and mates in our lives.
Tom got involved last year and we must say, he can rock a good beard! If you'd like to get behind this great cause, click below!
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY!
A recent article in the Standard Newspaper highlighted that there is more than $21 million of unclaimed superannuation in southwest Victoria, and $11 million in Warrnambool alone.
WHAT I LEARNT ABOUT BUYING MY FIRST NEW CAR
When it comes to spending my money, my priorities are ridiculous. For example, I wouldn’t think twice about purchasing a brand-new outfit (for every occasion, every weekend) or getting a spray tan
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR REDUNDANCY
If you are leaving your employer due to redundancy, you have a great opportunity to make a fresh start.
AMBLESIDE IN THE SPOTLIGHT - MLC
The team werefilmed by MLC offering an insight into how we are setting the benchmark for embracing the latest in technology.
STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE - INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISERS
We have always been trailblazers here at Ambleside, and introducing outsourcing to our vocabulary back in 2006 was more than just another success story to arise from our forward thinking.
ROLL THOSE SLEEVES UP, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
We all know the importance of donating, but why is it that blood centres are constantly requesting that more people donate? I don’t know about you but having a needle stuck in my arm to extract blood was not the most attractive motivator for me to dedicate my spare time to.
IS DESIGNER SPORTSWEAR THE NEW JEANS AND TEE?
It was a sunny Saturday morning and I was in dire need of a caffeine fix. But as I walked in to my favourite coffee shop, I couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. As I looked around, I noticed all the women dressed in the same outfit. Had I missed the memo?
PERCEPTIONS OF GEN Y FROM A GEN Y PERSPECTIVE
Recently, I caught up with some girlfriends of mine for Saturday morning brunch. In typical fashion, we indulged in a gossip session, then we went on to discuss how social media has changed our lives, our stance on political issues and our budgeting goals for our trip to Europe.