Paul Clitheroe's Insights

The days of buying a first home as a 20-something could be over. Today's first home buyers are likely to be closer to age 40 than 20, and it has the potential to radically change the way Australians save a first home deposit.

We all know saving is good for our financial health. But when it comes to saving money, some pieces of advice are better left unsaid.

Recent surveys show that six out of ten millennials don't have a regular savings plan. A worrisome one in ten are living pay cheque to pay cheque.

Debt management firms are now required to hold a credit licence. Thank goodness.

The end of the financial year can be a good time to review your portfolio. Asset markets don't stand still for long, and you could find your investment mix no longer reflects your appetite for risk.

The latest Federal Budget has delivered good news for first home buyers and single parents planning to buy a home of their own. But the initiatives could do with a 'buyer beware' warning.

It's been an exceptional few months in the property market. In February, values rose 2.1% nationally - the biggest monthly jump since 2003. March saw a 2.8% uptick, the fastest climb in 32 years. Thankfully, price growth for April settled down to 1.8%.

As the mercury falls, now's the time to turn up the heat on electricity bills

When it comes to investing, Australians are pretty conservative. Just over one in four of us invest directly in shares. This may seem high, but it's modest on a global scale.

Over the past 12 months, scams have cost Australians $201 million. In the first three months of 2021 alone, crims fleeced their victims out of $63 million.

Consumer protection is not a bad thing when it comes to investing.

We don't just need to protect our physical health during COVID. Our financial wellbeing could also be at stake as scammers try to profit from the pandemic.

It's that time of year when the one in two Australians with private health insurance will cop a rise in premiums.

Women's financial wellbeing is on the rise, but there is still a significant gap compared to men.

Paying off your home loan early can make good sense. But in a low rate world it's a strategy that can come at the expense of personal wealth.

Managing investments can become a juggling act as we get older. We need a portfolio that generates regular income. But we also need assets that let us keep up with increases in the cost of living. At the same time, we tend to feel less comfortable about risk, with more of a focus on preserving capital.