Mark Bristow

Are Australia's highest-value properties also the most at-risk?

Australia’s most expensive properties may have recorded the greatest value growth over the past year, but are also the most vulnerable to the effect of a potential housing crash, according to CoreLogic stats.

What is mortgage stress?

Mortgage stress is not the worried feeling you get when the news is constantly filled with speculation around housing affordability, property bubbles, or interest rate rises. Instead, mortgage stress can be broadly defined as when your household’s income doesn't adequately cover the cost of your mortgage and other expenses.

ASIC bans flex commissions to encourage fairer car finance

A formal ban on car finance flex commissions has been introduced by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), to help protect financially inexperienced consumers from excessive interest charges on their car loans.

How can I pay my loan off faster?

Whether you have a home loan, a personal loan or a car loan, it’s likely that you’d prefer your debt to be paid off as soon as possible. The longer you owe money to a bank or lender, the more interest you’ll be charged, until the total cost eventually exceeds any benefits offered by the loan.

Is it safe to get a home loan with a small lender?

While there are certainly benefits to getting your mortgage from a major bank like Australia’s Big Four, it’s the smaller lenders that tend to offer the more competitive interest rates, fees and charges that give the big banks a run for their money.

QBE refunds car insurance after ASIC review

Insurance provider QBE has paid out $15.9 million in refunds to car insurance customers who were receiving little to no benefit from their policies, following a review from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).

Aussie households less optimistic about their financial future

A significant percentage of Australians have concerns about their financial comfort, given recent economic forecasts of rising household costs, growing risk of mortgage stress, and relatively slow growth in incomes.

Aussies abandoning cash and cheques for cards and tech

New figures released by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) confirm what many of us have suspected for some time – fewer Aussies are making cash payments for their purchases, and more are utilising cards and other cashless fintech solutions.

Aussies less worried about housing, more about unemployment

New research released from Roy Morgan indicates that Australians are more worried about unemployment than they are about house prices, though interest rates and the economy are also on their minds.

Car crime stats up

Keep an eye on your car keys – new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that in 2016, car crime across Australia reached its highest level since 2012, driven by spiking car theft numbers in key states.