Laine Gordon

Turn around your finances and save

If you rely on someone else to sort out your finances or you've simply lost track of yours then you could be wasting hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year in interest, fees and charges without even knowing it.

To fix or not to fix your home loan rate?

If you're nearing the end of your current mortgage deal or you're looking to buy a new home then planning your finance strategy for the future is no walk in the park, particularly amid rate rise forecasts.

Owning or renting? How each stacks up financially

Do you think owning your own property is financially out of reach? On the contrary, new figures reveal that the monthly cost to rent a house in the nation's capital cities is on par with repaying an average-sized mortgage.

Get a foot in the door to the property market

Property prices may be flat or falling in many areas of the country and borrowers are beginning to return to the market, but life is still tough for those trying to get a foot into the property market for the first time.

Global housing markets falter

It’s not just the Australian property market that’s in a rut. According to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index, in the first quarter of 2011, house prices rose 1.8 percent globally, compared with 3.3 percent in the final three months of 2010. The figures represent the lowest growth since the end of 2009.

Online trading a profitable investment option for 2011 12?

Despite the well-known “two-speed” nature of the Australian economy, there are plenty of Australians who enter the new financial year to 30 June 2012 with plenty of confidence - and some spare cash to invest. Volatility in Australian and global stock markets has kept many investors on the sidelines, with a big jump in investments going into “safe havens” like term deposits.

Refinancing dos and don'ts

Refinancing dos and donts checklist.

Lenders home in on refinancers

Competition in the mortgage market is heating up and borrowers looking to refinance are set to gain the most as lenders redirect their push away from first-time borrowers.

Changes to First Home Saver Accounts make life easier

Changes to the First Home Saver Accounts (FHSA) Act will make saving for a deposit much easier.

Exit fee ban now official despite non bank objection

In spite of staunch objection from several non-bank lenders, the Opposition and industry associations, the government’s National Consumer Credit Protection Act ban on mortgage exit fees was passed by the Senate last week and becomes law on July 1, 2011.