Mark Bristow

Small businesses to start phasing out surcharges

Getting charged extra at the checkout when you pay with your plastic should largely become a thing of the past by the end of the year, with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) preparing to enforce new laws on credit card surcharges by small businesses.

Banks take one-two punch

Australia’s leading banks have been hit with a double-whammy, with the Senate passing the Major Bank Levy, and Moody’s downgrading their credit ratings.

Are apartments making markets unpredictable?

Australia’s increasing demand for new apartment housing could be having an impact on house prices and interest rates, according to a new report from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

Move to cashless economy speeds up

Australia’s transformation into a cashless society is accelerating, with a new report showing increasing abandonment of cash and cheques in favour of digital and electronic payments.

Aussie auctions stay busy

Despite high prices in the capital cities, Australian housing remains popular with buyers, according to the latest auction clearance rates.

Aussie car sales on the increase

Aussies are buying more new cars, with four wheel drives and similar vehicles leading the pack, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Record scam numbers recorded

Australians are reporting a record number of scams, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s annual Targeting Scams report showing a 47% increase from 2015 to 2016.

What the new bank levy could cost you

One surprise to come out of Australia’s 2017 Federal Budget was the introduction of a new 'budget repair' levy on Australia’s big banks.

Good debt and bad debt, how to consolidate and save

Even if you didn’t pay much attention to the 2017 federal budget, you may remember how it was presented a little differently. Rather than focusing solely on surpluses versus deficits, the federal government sorted its borrowing into "good debt" and "bad debt".

Looking beyond the rate, other home loan features to get excited about

Many of us get hung up on interest rates when comparing different home loans. It’s easy to understand why – “the lower the rate, the better the loan” is a very simple formula to understand.