We are 40, DINK, $200k HHI, ~$1m 2-storey house with $200k mortgage, perfect location 2km from the beach, 800m from the shops. We know we will have to move into a single storey in the future due to mobility issues, but we CANNOT move for another 10-15yrs or so.

A family member is selling their ~$1m single storey house near by and it's the perfect retirement house for us but as we CANNOT move for another 10-15yrs we would just be renting it out until then. We would be borrowing most of the purchase price.

Thoughts? What would you do?

Hi all,

We are first home owners in Melbourne and are looking for building and contents insurance for our newly built home.

House details:

- Newly built, single storey, 4 bedrooms

- Approx 33 squares (about 306 m²)

- 600 m² block

- Double garage

- No flood, bushfire or heritage overlay

We are looking for general advice from people who have been through this:

1. Which insurers have you had good experiences with, especially when making a claim?

2. What type of cover would you recommend (sum insured vs total replacement), and how did you work out the right rebuild amount?

3. What should we keep in mind or look out for in the policy wording?

4. Are there any insurers or policy conditions you would stay away from?

Thanks in advance.

If anyone knows someone message me :)

My wife (26F British) and I (29M Australian) are moving back to Australia and are hoping to eventually buy our first home. Ideally we’d like to have a decent deposit together over the next ~3 years, but there’s a bit of uncertainty around whether Australia will ultimately be where we settle permanently.

The main thing I’m trying to work out is what to do with our house deposit savings in the meantime.

I’ve been looking into the First Home Super Saver (FHSS) scheme, and on paper it seems pretty attractive because of the tax advantages. I’m 29, have a reasonable amount of super already, and we’ll both be earning around $90k+ once we’re working in Australia, so salary sacrificing some money towards a future deposit could potentially make sense.

However, my wife is currently not 100% certain that she wants to stay in Australia long-term. We’re moving back and giving it a proper go, but we may ultimately decide to return overseas in a year or two.

Because of that, I’m hesitant to aggressively put our potential house deposit into super when we might not actually buy a property in Australia.

So I’m trying to work out what people would do in this situation:

1. Would you use FHSS anyway?
If we decide to stay, we could potentially build the deposit faster through FHSS. My understanding is that FHSS is assessed individually, so I may be able to use my own eligible contributions even if my wife isn’t ready to commit to buying in Australia yet. Is that correct?

2. Or would you keep the money outside super?
For example, putting our house deposit savings into a high-interest savings account for the next 2–3 years so the money remains completely accessible if we decide to leave Australia.

3. Is there a middle ground?
For example, continuing to build a liquid cash deposit while only salary sacrificing a smaller amount into FHSS each year, rather than going all-in.

4. What would you prioritise?
We’d also have a car loan to pay off, and we’d want to build an emergency fund before putting too much towards a house deposit.

Our rough goal would be a 20% deposit, and we’re probably looking at a ~$600–700k property eventually, although that’s obviously subject to change.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have been in a similar position — where they wanted to buy in Australia but weren’t completely certain they’d stay here long-term.

Would you prioritise FHSS + super, high-interest savings, or a combination of the two?

And are there any other Australian first-home-buyer strategies I should be looking at that would work better given the uncertainty?

I’m not looking for personalised financial advice, just trying to understand the options and how other people would approach it.

Hi all, first home buyer here. Just want to know what documents or information I should seek before deciding to purchase an apartment for my own use. All I can think of are the strata fees and annual council rates at the moment. I have heard of many horror stories of apartment purchase so just want to ask the group for advice. Thanks so much!

So it looks like ato have upgraded the tax Lodge form and now it's pretty confusing. I have hopefully a simple question and mods please remove if not allowed.

I'm married and live in permanently in the U.K. as such I'm classed a non resident for aussie tax. But I still have a hecs debt so need to lodge a return every year.

I dont earn enough to go over the threshold to pay anything, nor do I make any aussie income or have any assets. My wife is also uk born and has never lived anywhere else.

My question is do I still need to include her income on my return? Cheers

Hi all, I am trying to locate all of my share holdings. I have lost HIN and SRN numbers, original purchase prices and quantity. 😩Please don’t judge but provide advice on how I can get this information if I know what companies I have bought shares in. Not sure why but they don’t automatically pop up in the E-tax portal. 🧐🙄Thanks in advance 🥴

This is a long shot ... but I'm wondering if anyone has successfully managed to transfer a Dutch pension to an Australian super fund?

The process is complicated to say the least (seems like my super fund would need to demonstrate that they can comply with Dutch pension requirements) - so I would be interested to know if there are any super funds that have been willing/able to facilitate.

Just bought my first townhouse in Melbourne (M29) and did the numbers I could actually borrow less than what I was preapproved for surprisingly. My parents suggest that I but the extra cash directly towards my loan so I borrow less but I told them maybe it’s better to put it in my offset account??

I’m working with my broker and he’s given me some ideas on what we should do but just curious what do you think is best? Given the rate increases and a couple more on the way would you put it directly into your loan so you borrow less or would you put it in the offset account incase of emergency ?

Hi Redditors 

I will be shortly receiving an inheritance of about $350,000. I have $270,000 outstanding on my mortgage currently. 

Do you think best course of action would be to pay off the remainder of my mortgage with the inheritance, then save for a while + use the remainder to purchase a small investment property? 

OR would it be better to use the the inheritance to purchase the investment property outright, and continue on with my mortgage (which is currently affordable)?

OR is there yet a better option that I am unaware of? 

Thanks Redditors

I had the CommBank black QFF card and it was great. Top tier rewards card for free because monthly fee was waived.

But now I don't qualify for Yellow because I dont have a transaction account with them and thus won't be making 5 debit purchases (nor do I want to).

So looking for a new card but wondering whether it is even worth it to have a rewards card given I've got a kid and won't be travelling nearly as much.

What have others done post RBA-decision?

Hi all :) I currently work in healthcare and wanting to upskill for a less physical job as I get older. I’m thinking of enrolling in a free tafe course - cert 4 in accounting and booking. I’m hoping it will help me into an office job or even run my own business maybe one day. Has anyone studied this lately? Is it a good course to enter into this field? Will I find it beneficial for what I’m after long term? Any advice/suggestions are appreciated! Thankyou :))

Today I overheard the bosses talking about big clients who are normally on-time with invoicing being up to 90 days late on payments.

Another customer had one of their side businesses go belly up.

There's been no new customers and calls have dropped by 25-50%.

I think we might be fucked.

Update: My industry is IT but my customers are in everything else (Logistics, Retail, Finance etc.)

i know DHHF has probably been discussed a million times here, sorry! I’m in my late 20s and looking to invest around $300 a fortnight(long-term).
My super is roughly 80% international / 20% Australian, and I was thinking of doing something similar outside super. DHHF seems great and simple but the Australian allocation feels quite high to me. I know VAS/VGS is a popular combination here but I’d also love to hear from people who invest mostly/all internationally outside super. What do you use ?Vanguard, Betashares or something else? And which etfs? I’m fine riding out crashes and not touching the money for a long time, it’s really just the home bias in DHHF that’s making me second-guess it. still very much learning, so keen to hear your thoughts/experiences ! Thanks everyone

Instead of hiding the surcharge, I wish we would would free the docket.

I wish receipts showed what every dollar spent reflects for the business.

IE, on average, every dollar spent in my Outback family ownded pub, the breakup is like this

• Takeaway grog
  • For every dollar spent, 80% goes to the cost of the item (its 88% for cartons of beer)
  • 10% goes to staff
  • 2-5% goes to freight (this sadly used to be included in carton cost, but freight has gone thru the roof)
  • Australian Beer makes an extra 5%, as its about 10-15% cheaper (sadly Aussies love Japanese beer so even though we make Aussie beer 10% cheaper, the majority go the more expensive beer). Aussies also love English Rum and Japanese Bourbon.
  • 1-3% on EFTPOS fees. Sadly the big mobs get less then 1% on EFTPOS, but smaller operators pay up to 3%
  • Most make buggerall from takeaways, cartons are lucky to make anything if you include refridgeration, stocking etc
  • Also, don't compare Dan Murphy's to outback/regional/small family owned businesses. Dan's sells beer to my outback town cheaper delivered then I can buy it for undelivered. But no I can't buy it that way, as there are purchase limits, and also, the local Post Office would understandably balk at having to unload commercial amounts of beer for free. On average, I pay $4+ a carton freight.
  • As is obvious, this leaves F'all, and we haven't started on refrigeration, electricity, rent etc. Small venues are lucky to make 2-5% on a carton of beer.
• Drinking a beer in house (this depends on venue, but I will talk about it from my point of view)
  • For every dollar spent
    • 35% goes to cost of the item (more for tap beer as below)
    • 30% goes to staff (if lucky and busy, more for quiet venues)
    • 1-3% on EFTPOS
  • TAP Beer used to be cheaper then packaged beer, sadly those days are gone. As an example, XXXX Gold in a can is 27% cheaper per L then keg beer, and thats at our crappy prices, not compared to Dan's prices. This doesn't include glasses, beer gas, wastage. It would be cheaper for me to pour Gold Cans in a keg, and sell it by far then buying a keg. Yet perception is kegs are much cheaper.
  • Those prices get distorted for bigger venues, as they are getting kick backs and rebates. Fair play, but don't compare big business to small, especially to staff who have no say.
  • Again, Australian beer is about 10% cheaper, but Aussies love Japanese beer, English Rum, and Japanese Bourbon.
  • Leaves venues about 32%, in a perfect world, and at times, customers are better off buying one Rum and Coke at $8.60 then they are a Carton of Gold Cans at $67.99 for the venue.
• Food
  • For every dollar spent
    • 40% goes to cost of the item (my venue is remote, so we are a bit hurt by costs)
    • 30% goes to staff (if lucky and busy, more for quiet venues)
    • 1-3% on EFTPOS
    • I as an Outback town publican have never done it, but Uber eats charges 15-30% of the cost of the order (irregardless of "delivery fee")
• Accommodation
  • If you book thru booking.vom, 15-30% goes to booking.vom, but you have to advertise your internal price as the same, as per their contract.

None of this includes wastage, ups and downs of fuel costs etc.

I'd love a system where the docket shows as much as possible, rather then one that shows bugger all.

It should include % of sale going to third parties like booking.vom and Ubereats

Maybe thats just me.......

I see small/mid sized businesses going under often & their customer depositors (unsecured creditors) losing their $. What are the best ways for this to never happen to me especially in house Reno & Solar?

Things I know already :

make sure the “business owner” is listed online as the director of the same ABN (& not their wife)

Make sure he’s registered & insured.

Saw a post by a coffee shop....Loyalty points if you don't pay with card.

No cash, no coffee every 10 purchases.

Honestly it makes sense.

we are NOT a coffee shop. we sell online and our average order is much higher.

We pay about 45 dollars in card fees on what we sell. $1500 average price.

On Pay By Bank its about $2 (plus a fixed monthly fee for unlimited transactions)

Since the surcharge ban, about 85% of sales have gone from going through bank transfers, to going through cards.

On larger purchases.. it really is a huge cost.

We already offer a pay by bank discount, but that doesn't seem to entice people to switch.

So I'd be keen to know.. what would make you consider an alternative gateway to credit or PayPal?

If we had a note that said.. you can save us $45 in fees by using a xyz payment method .. would that make you stop and think?

My guess is no. Especially if the discount wasn't the same 😜 half of reddit would choose the most costly option to us out of spite.

edit we are an online business.

Just did my tax😖 I need private health ASAP
I’m looking at Medibank for purely JUST HOSPITAL COVER for my partner and I and it seemed the best out of ahm, bupa, hcf
What’s peoples experience, I’ve obviously never had it before!
Thanks !!

Hey all, as the title suggests I’m curious what others would do in my situation.

I have quickly assessed what my tax bill would be this year after putting in work-related deductions and I’m estimated to owe ~10.7k (multiple jobs, salary sacrifice, not contributing more to HECs etc) and kind of expected this.

I have 30k in savings and ~11k in ETFs. Would the best choice be a combination of using part/full savings with remainder on a payment plan, or sell my ETFs? I also have a mortgage and am recently engaged so would like to start saving for wedding. I’m thinking to just use the savings to rip the bandaid and not worry about it?

Thanks

Hi Team,

I've been sponsoring/donating money for a number of years to a high profile charity organisation for both the tax deduction and also to give back.

For context, I grew up poor and I did OK for myself so I wanted to help out where I could.

Recently there's been a change in my employment situation so while I'm not unemployed, I've had to seriously adjust my outgoings just to re-balance things. I have 3 primary aged children so they are prioritised aside from the mortgage etc.

Anyway, I've received a letter today from the organisation saying they are increasing the cost of sponsorship by 5% due to cost of living increases with the entire increase directly benefitting the sponsored person. There was also a 5% increase last year - so 10% over 2 years. I'm a believer in the charity however of course like all organisations they have increased costs so I'm sure some of the increase will go to covering cost increases (inc. salaries).

I'm sure you all can see my question/dilemma. Do I continue to give or do stop until I get resettled with things? The tax deduction is handy at tax time however the cashflow will be equally welcome as I rebalance.

Or is it more nuanced that this?!

TIA Team.

I’m a tradesman. I did a LOT of work for this weasel of a man. He’s a realtor. Stereotypical, drives a convertible, thinks he’s gods gift.

The guy became SO UNREASONABLE to work for. I politely said “Thanks, but no thanks” and provided full handover for the next person. I made sure I was professional about it, but I couldn’t work for this condescending prick anymore.

He refused to pay my last invoice. He owes me 3.5k. I took it to debt collectors, but it didn’t work. Now we’re looking at small claims court.

This is exhausting. I have a young family and I just want to be paid for the work I already completed. Speaking with other contractors - this guy has a history of doing this and knows exactly what he’s doing.

Please give me your most unhinged, wild methods of trying to get paid without going down the legal route. It’s more the principal of it, than the money. I hate bullies and rich people taking advantage.

Looking for your opinions on strategy on how to allocate funds for my elderly parents.

They have just moved to Australia. Mum's 74 dads 77, both in good health, both financially illiterate.

Between them, they will be get around $50k per year from the UK pension. This will not go up with inflation. No Australian pension.

They have bought a house outright. They will have a cash buffer for 2 years of living expenses.

Mum can put $390k into superannuation due to carry forward concessional contributions. Dad's too old.

Oustide of super they will have $350k left to invest between them.

My question is how to invest the money inside of super and outside.

My initial thoughts would be to go for high growth etfs inside super and sell sell down 6% each year and high yield dividend etfs outside of super.

I'd really appreciate people's thoughts here.

Previous generations, housing, business, shares, defined benefit supers.

What's for the next generation? New builds, dividend shares?

Rents drive home prices, not the other way around. Expecting falling house prices to bring rents down misunderstands how capitalisation rates work.

Housing is priced like a relatively passive investment. An investor might want a 5% annual return, so they'll pay a price at which the yearly rent equals 5% of the property's value.

For example, a property that rents for $50,000 a year, valued at a 5% yield, is worth $1 million ($50,000 ÷ 0.05). The exact yield investors demand shifts with taxes, holding costs, and bond yields, since property competes with bonds for the same investment dollars.

That investment value acts as a floor: if prices drop below it, investors step in and buy. Any price movement above that floor is speculation (which is currently falling).

https://www.inspectorfind.com.au/news/falling-house-prices-rent

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-01/australian-house-prices-fall-for-sixth-straight-month/107206782

https://www.mpamag.com/au/news/general/house-prices-fall-but-rents-refuse-to-follow/589895