Yes, you might get a tax refund soon but no, you shouldn’t blow it all

By | June 7th, 2022|lifestyle|

Aussie's all around the country are eagerly waiting for their tax refund. For some people that means scraping together enough to pay their tax bill for the year. For others, it means a nice juicy tax refund. If you’re in the latter category, don’t be tempted to go out and spend it all at once. [...]

10 End of Financial Year’s resolutions to get working on now!

By | May 2nd, 2022|lifestyle|

The End of Financial Year is looming and there’s no better time to get your finances sorted for the financial year ahead. Put aside that guilt of giving up on your new fitness plan at some point in February, and focus on these 10 simple actions, which will help you take financial control during the next [...]

How to get ready for End of Financial Year (EOFY)

By | May 16th, 2017|lifestyle, Loop Financial|

There’s a lot to love about tax time (said no one ever!). We know it’s very easy to find ways to keep putting it off, but in the end there’s no avoiding EOFY. Nobody loves the idea of having to spend hours searching through their inbox, files, and drawers and wherever else they keep their invoices, receipts [...]

Young investors proving that property isn’t everything

By | May 4th, 2017|lifestyle, Market Information|

While many young investors may be struggling to crack the property market, they are finding plenty of other innovative ways to invest their money and make good returns. Gen X and Gen Y are losing interest in property investments and big-name shares, and are instead investing more and more in high-growth sectors offshore including video [...]

High-tech, sustainable living is finally here!

By | December 9th, 2016|lifestyle|

Who wants to live in a house with annual power and water bills that falls under $500? Everyone. A new eco-village, The Cape, Victoria allows its residents to enjoy perks such as affordable housing and game-changing housing sustainable technology in its 8.2-star energy rated homes. The seaside tech-savvy suburb is kitted with the latest sustainability [...]

Could you live in 35 square metres?

By | December 6th, 2016|lifestyle|

If that sounds just a bit too crowded for you, stay away from NSW and Victoria where the state governments have limited the minimum studio apartment size to 35 sq. m and 37 sq. m respectively. These restrictions fly in the face of the "micro apartment" concept that's springing up in cities like New York, [...]

Government changes could cut education for half a million vocational students

By | November 16th, 2016|lifestyle|

The government is planning an overhaul of the way vocational loans work, but representatives from the sector say the proposed changes are flawed and will result in at least half a million young Australians missing out on the chance to develop their skills. The planned cuts to the taxpayer-funded loan system could even result in [...]

Could Ride-Sharing Change Lives For The Better?

By | November 9th, 2016|infrastructure, lifestyle|

Following the recent legalisation of ride-sharing services in Queensland, the discussion has now opened to the impact it could have on cities and how the general public moves in and around them. TTM traffic engineer Simon Crank said ride-sharing services have the potential to be so much more than a taxi alternative and could significantly [...]

How your home’s floor plan can affect its value

By | October 24th, 2016|lifestyle|

While location is still king when it comes to driving up real estate prices, there's something else that encourages buyers to pay more – even if they may not realise it. It turns out that a good, functional floor plan can make a property stand out from the crowd and have buyers fighting over it. [...]

If you really love them… keep them out of the dryer

By | October 19th, 2016|lifestyle|

We LOVE the convenience of tumble dryers and the lovely fluffy clothes they give us, but there are some things you just need to take a little more time and effort over. Avoid the stress and cost of ruined clothes or – worse – an expensive dryer repair by keeping these things out of your [...]

Vodafone’s new system stops crashes by letting cars ‘talk to each other’

By | October 12th, 2016|lifestyle|

Fans of the movie 'Cars' will be pleased to know that there is technology on the way which will actually allow cars to talk to each other. Probably not as casually as Lightning McQueen and his friends did, but still, it's pretty cool. Telecoms giant Vodafone is currently testing a new system designed by the [...]

How to earn some cash in your spare time – and enjoy it

By | September 28th, 2016|lifestyle|

Everybody complains about lack of time these days. It's perhaps the biggest excuse people roll out when it comes to pursuing passions and hobbies outside of work. "I would love to take up … but I just don't have time." "I'm already so busy with X, Y & Z, there aren't enough hours in the [...]

Why you shouldn’t get too excited about the four-day work week

By | September 21st, 2016|lifestyle|

Amazon has recently announced plans to introduce 30-hour contracts for some of its employees as part of a four-day working week trial. They are by no means the first big American company to do this; in fact, about 30% of companies in the US now offer shorter or compressed working weeks. This concept hasn't really [...]

7 things for first home buyers to remember

By | September 14th, 2016|lifestyle|

Buying your first property can seem pretty daunting – after all, it's likely your most expensive purchase to date and there's a whole load of legal and financial paperwork to wade through. Welcome to a world of confusing jargon and types of insurance you'd never thought about before, as well as more fees than you [...]

Those Sydney and Melbourne ‘livability’ surveys have missed something

By | September 7th, 2016|lifestyle|

You might have heard about a survey that came out a couple of weeks back ranking the world’s most “liveable” cities. The survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Melbourne as the most liveable city in the world for the sixth year in a row, which is why you may well have heard [...]