You can’t buy happiness

How often have you bought an item because it was on sale, not because you really needed it? I think many people would admit they buy clothes (especially shoes) they never wear, and kitchen equipment that lies in the cupboards gathering dust. How many of us have a heap of DVDs lying around that we’ve never watched? Read more..

Costs of retirement

According to a recent Westpac/ASFA (the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia) retirement survey, a couple need a weekly income of $969 to have a “comfortable” lifestyle in retirement and $526 a week for a “modest” lifestyle. Who did they survey to find those figures? Residents of Ascot or Hamilton in Brisbane? How in the wide world would you spend $969 a week if you were retired? To receive that income to start with you’d need a substantial share portfolio or other lucrative investments. And if you were that well set up, you’d surely own your own home. Read more..