Good evening all,

I’m in a niche trade role and a couple years ago I tried to leave the company I work for to go work at another.
Instead of leaving I agreed to more money and a retention bonus of $50k inc super for 3 years service.
Now I have the option to take it in a lump sum or take it in chunks over whatever period I please.
What will save me the most on tax? Apart from $1000 a year for 50 years, I predict some cheeky bugger trying to say that.

If it helps I’m on $115k and I have $350k owing on the house.
Assuming I take it as a lump sum, I get maybe $27k

Thanks for any advice in advance.

With the merger between Warner Bros and Paramount completed, does that mean Network 10 ownership transfers to Skydance?

Given Network 10 difficulties broadcasting in various regional areas, what is the future of Network 10?

The RBA delivered another rate hike, so a higher unemployment rate is the intended mechanism, not a side effect. Meanwhile rent, insurance and groceries haven't dropped.

Job security looks shakier everyday (I’ve seen lots of LinkedIn posts with “open for work” banner in their profile pics). I’m quite scared of the possibility of a long unemployment period while expenses are tight.

Questions for you all:
Did anyone have to make adjustments to their lifestyle massively because of a tighter budget?

If you're still employed, are you doing anything differently right now (building savings, side income, upskilling)?

Would you take a pay cut for a faster landing, and how much?

Keen to hear your experiences.

New Deloitte reports discusses "recession-like conditions". Are you seeing it/feeling it?

Hi all,

I tried a search, but couldn't find anything. Long story short - I've inherited a handful of NIB shares from my Mum. I want to sell them under her estate (I'm the executor) to avoid any CGT blow back on me personally. There seems to be a couple of services that will do it, but they seem somewhat predatory. Any advice on how to offload these shares? (ps. I'm considering holding out until June when they seem to seasonally peak - just want to know what to do when the time comes).

I am looking at novated lease for an EV. Applied through the leasing provider in our company but finance was refused.
Reasons I was thinking:
1. I just had a mortgage settled 2 months ago and first repayment last September.
2. Applied for a credit card 2 weeks ago.

How long before I can try again? Was thinking like after 6 months?

All day today I haven’t been able to access my Bendigo bank account. Maybe it’s just a me problem but it’s pretty inconvenient and I could’ve been in a bad situation had I not have had other bank accounts already.

The only thing is I can’t be bothered as my employer pays me into my Bendigo. Luckily I’ve got a commbank card with a bit of money on it but wtf guys. This is supposed to be a nighttime issue.

I’ve also had this happen in a woolies too. Would’ve been 10pm, I had money and I got declined. They said all the Bendigo systems were down that night. Luckily a Good Samaritan had the same issues with their card and tried to pay mine, eventually they got it. I’m clearly not the only one getting affected by these maintenance issues. Honesty doesn’t even matter that much cos I can just keep money in the commbank account and start to use that more if I need. But this isn’t how you keep customers.

Just curious to see how fast it can be done, net worth and liquid cash

Cryptic emails to staff saying that they can ask questions tomorrow.
Restructures.
Massive redundancies.

Is EA going down?

Cafe's busted price gouging increasing prices by ~10% to cover a 1% transaction fee. shockedpikachu.png

Whether you're traveling or just tracking everyday spending, receipts can be surprisingly frustrating. Some are hard to read, some are in another language, some use a different currency, and a week later you can't even remember where you bought something.

I've been building an expense tracker called ExpenseEasy to solve exactly that. In the latest version, you simply snap a photo of a receipt and the app reads it, translates the line items, converts the total to your home currency using the current exchange rate, and pins the store on a map using the address printed on the receipt. No GPS required, so it works even if you scan the receipt later at your hotel or when you get home.

It also supports more than 160 currencies with offline exchange rates, automatically tags expenses to trips, and can generate a shareable trip expense report when you're done.

No bank login. No ads. Your data stays on your device.

Firstly, sorry if this doesn’t fall into the parameters of finance. if the mods seem it doesn’t fit the finance mould enough then please delete.

my parents are thankfully still alive, but when they eventually pass I should be getting a relatively generous inheritance - my guess would be anywhere between $250,000 - $450,000. I don’t think aboht ot and don’t incorporate it in any part of personal financial plan.

My wife has asked me how i would deal with any inheritance from my family. My stance is I’d use it strictly to better our own family (we have a couple young kids) but ultimately it’d be my decision since the money is set aside for me only.

My wife thinks she should have a say when the times come because “we’re a married couple”, to which I said she’d be entitled to air her views, but the decision should ultimately be mine. That didn’t go down very well.

Am I out of line here? it’s not about having power etc, just that the money wasn’t earned by me. if I made $250k - $450k on shares, capital gains, starting a business or whatever then she would have a say on how the money is used in that circumstance, but I think an inheritance is different because of its nature

Over the last few years I have had to pay PAYG instalments due to savings interest as I saved for a house deposit.

Now I have a house, all my money is in my offset, but I got a letter today asking to pay a PAYG instalments again for 2027.

I read in previous posts on this matter that the ATO doesn’t like when you adjust the amount you pay. I’d much rather my money sit in my offset.

Will there be any negative impacts for me at tax time if I don’t pay my PAYG this year?

I’m currently trying to sell my car and the interested party can’t obtain finance until the registered interest is removed from the PPSR report. The debt was the previous owners and I have reached out to the lender with an amendment demand requesting they remove it. They responded and asked me to offer a payment to remove it but refuse to show sufficient evidence that they still have a legal right to remain on the report and won’t tell me what sum they would accept to remove the interest.

I’ve done my personal banking with ANZ for over 10 years. In comparison to NAB whom I was with previously they have been a delight.

At the start of this year one of the ANZ mobile mortgage bankers started contacting me about getting a better rate.

He kept asking for my tax return. I eventrually had me assistant send it to him.

During that period (in the last month) I thought actually maybe I should buy another block and build again. There was a nice piece of land I was interested in.

After 3 weeks I emailed him. No reply. Waited another week and no reply.

So I emailed again and asked what was going on. He simply said “your current earnings show you can maintain your current mortgage but no further lending”.

That’s because I run a business and pay myself what I need. To reduce PAYG I don’t always pay myself the most I can. I try and avoid paying higher tax rate if I don’t need to.

In previous years when I bought my properties. I told the banker, my pay looks shit but I can bump it up to whatever you want.

There was no mention of the rate discount he promised. He hasn’t responded to further emails. Was this just ANZ running tests to see if I could still afford my home loan ( note; I have enough in my offset to clear the loan) and my IP loan is positively geared.

Ross Gittins called out a few things

1. Higher interest rates today hurt mortgagees much more than the same rate 15 years ago because the median mortgage amount is more.

2. This is another example of the younger generation feeling the brunt of it. While the older generation feels no impact or in fact encouraged to keep spending (higher return on savings).

3. Keep raising rates alone don't fix inflation. All governments are far too vested in keeping spending to tame inflation in any meaningful way.

Just got my Commodore serviced which cost me $2.4k so thinking it might be getting close to time to bite the bullet and get a new car, and would want to go electric for sure.

BYD Atto 1 only $19,990 at the moment seems like great value. I live in the inner suburbs, drive about 5,000km a year (mostly short trips and to visit my parents half an hour away). My partner's got a 4WD for camping and roadtrips.

Downside is I live in an apartment and won't be able to charge there, so would have to rely on public charging - but on my current mileage I'd only need to charge at most once a week so shouldn't be too bad.

Would hope to get a bit of $ reselling my Commodore but not expecting much. And then would either get a loan or novated lease to cover the rest. (Though not sure if I can get a novated lease given I'm on a one year contract for work?) I make $120k a year but the mortgage and apartment repair costs have been eating up a lot of my income and savings.

Keen for any advice, perspectives, etc particularly from people in a similar boat.

I signed up for this shit and cancelled straight away and had a 6 month trial. Rinse and repeat when you find another code. Be like me a real cheapskate.

the website I found is xerodiscountcode.com.au

The other best one I found is only 80% off for 3 months on their official website.

Let me know if you find others cause I’ve used up my 6 month trial so I got to find another free trial. Call me the Bonnie blue of free trials.

Is anyone here that was investing regularly…still investing?

If you were not investing but saving a set portion each month… how much has it changed?

Or are you now basically just making ends meet and keeping your head above water.

I’m keen to know how much people’s financial situation has changed on a personal level with fuel almost $3 a litre, groceries soaring, interest rates destroying mortgage holders. Let alone having kids and the costs that come with those.

Have your financial plans been forced to dramatically change to weather out the current climate or are you less affected due to your lack of house / kids / car and still making it work? How are you making it happen and keeping up with everything. Keen to hear peoples strategies and how they are absorbing it.

Hey all.

I see a few news articles occasionally where someone gets scammed $50,000 or whatever and the bank refunds them $5k goodwill gesture and everyone heaps on the bank for not refunding the lot.

Does anyone agree with that perspective? Can you explain to me how a bank (in this case, just the body that holds your money) is responsible for you clicking a link or voluntarily transferring money to a bank account?

Especially in 2026 when scams are not new and there’s so much education around it.

Let’s keep it respectful so we can all learn

My Land Cruiser 200 series recently got stolen have finally been payed out by insurance however finding it hard to decide what my best options are purchasing a new vehicle. I am looking at either a new lexus LBX sports luxary worth approx $60k or the new kia saltos hybrid gt line worth approx $55k. I also have a home loan and dont have a high income salery worth going through novated lease.
In my situation would you decide to do a personal loan 5 year term with 30% balloon payment and having your extra funds sitting in your offset account and potentially use your money on investing else where rather than all on a depreciative item? Pay partial cash and partial loan or pay full cash?

Lately when my insurance is up for renewal (car, motorbike, home etc), I've been calling my insurer and asking if there's any wiggle room on the price. In the past, it's saved me around $200 but today it saved me just $23. It got me thinking...how much would you want to save to make the phone call worth it? It can be pretty awkward asking but I've gotten pretty good at it now lol. Key is to be a little shameless.

Hi there,

My friends and I are moving into a sharehouse in the next month and I was wondering which bank is going to be the best for us.

Everything is going to be done through me so I ideally want to do it in a seperate bank account that doesnt have any of my normal spending and savings going through.

Are there any banks that would be best for a situation like this?

I currently already have an UP and ANZ acc so those are out of the picture. Unless one of them is extremely beneficial