Shares
What happens when parents sell
George Cochrane MY PARENTS and I own a house together and have equal shares among the three of us. The house has been their home for 20 years and I did not charge them rent on my portion of the house.
Sacrifice for a secure future
AUSTRALIANS are a laid-back bunch but when it comes to planning for retirement, a ''she'll be right'' approach is just not going to cut it.
Positive signs visible despite the gloom
It's been a year best forgotten: the Australian sharemarket has lost almost 10 per cent and house prices nationally are about 3 per cent lower.
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Noel Whittaker Is it possible to take money out of super to buy a new home and return it when the old home is sold?
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Noel Whittaker Noel Whittaker answers your finance questions.
Calculating a tax-free component
George Cochrane I am 58 and my wife is 51, both working part time. In early 2007, I started a self-managed super fund and contributed $450,000 for each for us as non-concessional contributions.
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Noel Whittaker Q. I'm putting $1000 a year aside for my child. What should we invest in?
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We've bought a new house but have been unable to sell our original home for what we paid for it in 2004. What should we do?
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Noel Whittaker In recent years I have come to believe that we ‘‘normal’’ investors have little or no influence on the price of shares. Do you think this is correct?
Market wobbles: options for steady retirement income
Fears that the worst of the GFC is not behind us are prompting retirees to restructure their portfolios to include at least some exposure to secure-income investments.
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Noel Whittaker Is investing in income-producing shares with dividends reinvested a good way to grow my super balance?
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Noel Whittaker I’m a 21-year-old university student who has worked hard to save $20,000. I have been looking at investing in an index fund.
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Noel Whittaker After a disastrous business venture, we invested $95,000 in a managed fund, which has fallen in value. What should we do?
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Noel Whittaker I’m 49 and have taken a redundancy with a lump sum of $54,000 net (taxed at 31.5 per cent) to be paid after June 30.
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Noel Whittaker How can I know the exact balance of my super to tell if I’m above or below the $500,000 cut-off on super concessional contribution?
Wealth engineering for security
Bina Brown Whether it is a total financial overhaul or a prod in the right direction, almost everyone can benefit from some level of financial advice from a professional.
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Noel Whittaker I recently heard the Gillard government had announced a revised stance on penalties for excess super contributions.
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I am 66 and retired. I only have a very small amount of super, which I removed from the fund when I lost $2500 in the GFC. This was a panic action that I already regret.
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Noel Whittaker I’ve just turned 56 and my wife is 49. I have $180,000 in super and my wife has $70,000.
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Noel Whittaker I earn $130,000 a year and have a loan on an investment property for $300,000 at 7.5 per cent. Should I pre-pay a year's interest before June 30?
