Laine Gordon

How transaction fees work

The right transaction account for you will depend on how you do your banking, whether you have multiple accounts and loans with the one provider and how many transactions you make per month. Let’s say you have your transaction account, mortgage, a term deposit and a credit card all with the same bank. It may be worth your while to be with an institution that uses rebates.

Switching bank accounts a step by step guide

With the current state of the financial market, interest rates on deposit accounts declining by the day, and monthly account keeping fees eating into our hard earned savings, there's no better time than now to switch accounts.

Keep your cool while teaching your kids to drive

Your son or daughter is about to take that wonderful step to attain their drivers licence. Here are some strategies you can use to keep them, your car and your nerves in one piece. A review of young drivers by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found them to be at greater risk on the roads for a variety of reasons including: lack of experience, limited ability and judgement, underestimation of risks, deliberate risk taking behaviours and use of alcohol and drugs.

Tips to wipe your credit card debt

If you have multiple credit cards that are all heading towards their maximum limits there are strategies you can use to reduce your debt.

Woolworths MasterCard unleashed on shoppers

Woolworths is the latest to join the credit card arena with the launch of their new MasterCard Everyday Money credit card, a card which offers a rewards program similar in some aspects to that of the Myer VISA in that gift cards are supplied automatically in exchange for reward points. With an interest rate of 18.99%, up to 55 days interest free

Cool cars that are frugal on fuel

Petrol prices may have stabilised for the time being, but the inevitable increase in the cost of oil will once again have people thinking about ways to save on their weekly fuel bill. While in the past, cars that were fuel misers were not necessarily flashiest cars to drive, there has recently been a move towards cool cars that are also frugal on fuel. Here are a few cars worth looking at.

Gen Y on credit spending frenzy

Mortgage owners are tightening their belts, choosing home cooked meals over nights out and shaking their heads at soaring home loan prices, wondering how they would have entered the property market in today's economy. However, for the Gen Y among us, small credit card debts are their biggest financial woes, as they feed on lavish spending and have little commitments.

Aussies win gold at Debt Olympics

Over the last 10 years households in Australia have borrowed an additional $770bn. Of this, 90% was used to buy assets. $420bn for houses to live in, $240bn for houses to rent and $40bn for shares. If borrowing was an Olympic sport, we would have to be a big chance for gold at the Debt Olympics.

Dude, where's my car?

Every 8 minutes, another car is stolen in Australia. That’s over 700,000 thefts a year. The good news is that the number of car thefts has been decreasing over the past few years. The bad news is that the recovery rate of stolen autos is also down.

Avoid the interest free rip off

Buy now, pay later - there's no shortage of interest-free offers from stores selling everything from designer furniture to home theatre packages. While it's tempting to take home the very latest gizmo and worry about paying for it later, be aware of how another big debt could affect your finances after the novelty wears off and real life kicks back in.