First Financial Blog

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Private health insurance… do you have it? Do you need it? Are you paying too much? Are you adequately covered? Choosing your health insurance can be a difficult decision to make, and even once you have selected your cover, you often continue to ask yourself these questions.

Australian housing affordability is an issue of concern for both State and Federal Governments. We look closer at the new HomeBuilder program and also review the other existing financial support programs available to home buyers.

Whether your kids are boomeranging back, or they are yet to leave home, it’s important that you set expectations and create practical boundaries within your household. The truth is… your kids aren’t really kids anymore, so you should resist the urge to fall back into full parent mode.

During challenging times, it can be extremely beneficial to have a trusted financial adviser. Someone who knows your personal situation and can help you navigate the uncertainty with sound advice and professional assurance.

Have you thought about how you would like your estate to be distributed? What do you want to happen to your assets when you’ve gone? Do you want your grandchildren to benefit… or do you have a favourite charity you would like to support?

It’s a First Financial tradition to celebrate the end of the financial year. This year with coronavirus restrictions enforced, we turned the party digital to make sure we still said “Cheers” to another successful year.

There is never a good time – or age – to be out of work. But for those over 60, it can feel particularly painful. If you have lost a job or been made redundant, the hardest part is knowing what to do next.

We discuss whether implementing the new reduced minimum for your pension payment is a viable option for this financial year. Reducing your retirement income is an important decision that can impact your lifestyle, so we have outlined some of the points to consider.

Taxes… they are one of the two certainties of life. You can’t avoid them, but there are ways to reduce your liability… especially when it comes to capital gains tax. We look at strategies within your super to help minimise the amount of CGT you pay when you successfully sell your assets.

The end of the financial year is almost here… and that means it’s tax time! With 2020 being an extraordinary year, the ATO is already expecting that this tax season will be like nothing ever experienced before.