Treasurer Jim Chalmers has promised to fix laws imposing a so-called “widow’s tax” on investment properties, without providing details on how he will close the loophole. The issue, which relates to investors with jointly owned properties potentially losing out on concessions if one owner dies or...
Tech companies have been dragging their feet on enforcing Australia’s child social media ban because they want the age limit to fail, federal leaders say. Existing provisions barring children under 16 from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit will be strengthened through planned changes to...
Financial security is often associated with being wealthy, owning valuable assets or having a large retirement balance. While money and assets can provide important protection, genuine financial security is also a state of mind. It is the feeling that you have control over your financial...
June 30 marks more than the end of another financial year. It is an opportunity to review the past 12 months and put better financial habits in place for the year ahead. Tax planning should not be limited to the weeks before a tax return is...
Retirement changes the way a couple can travel. For years, holidays may have been squeezed between work commitments, family responsibilities and limited annual leave. Now, for the first major trip after retirement, time becomes part of the adventure. A seven-week journey through Europe offers enough variety...
When a parent or grandparent is diagnosed with dementia, life can begin to change for the whole family. Familiar routines may become difficult, conversations may be repeated, and someone who was once fiercely independent may increasingly rely on others for support. For family members, helping a...
Australia’s inflation pulse is strengthening despite easing prices at the fuel bowser, potentially adding to the case for another interest rate hike. A mixed consumer price report, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, was softer and stronger than forecasters had predicted. But the most...
Plunging auction clearance rates are not cause for concern, top government ministers are insisting, with one urging anxious home owners to “take a deep breath”. An overhaul of negative gearing and capital gains tax is expected to pass federal parliament by Thursday after the government and...
Australian businesses are spending too much on artificial intelligence and not enough on the humans in charge of it, costing them investment returns, according to one tech giant. Companies are also failing to establish clear rules and goals for the technology, and are over-estimating how much...
Australia has the resources it needs to be a globally prosperous economy, but it is failing to convert those assets into meaningful growth, a think tank says. Abundant renewable energy, critical minerals, a world-class research sector and ties to the world’s fastest-growing region are among its...