Patricia Howard Financial Planning

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Always take a very close look

The No-Regrets Guide to Retirement Newsletter

The economic storm clouds are darkening. The war in Europe is getting worse rather than better, the economy in the United Kingdom is suddenly at crisis and higher inflation is still pushing interest rates up around the world. However, with export earnings at record levels and domestic employment demand high,

The Great Optus Hack

While The Great Optus Hack is a wake up call to all businesses to ensure they guard all client information appropriately, I want to start by expressing my deep concern and support for any individual who has been impacted by this. Like most financial advisers, I have been contacted by

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So What is Happening at Telstra?

Just how much can I put into super?

Earlier this year the Federal Government removed the hitherto cumbersome 'work test' that basically stopped anyone in retirement from contributing additional funds to super. This means even if you are in retirement and still under age 75 years of age, you can now contribute funds, such as any

SMSF's: The biggest pitfalls

Too often people are enticed into setting up a self-managed super fund on the suggestion it will give them greater control over their underlying investments and allow them to invest directly in real estate assets. As readers of this newsletter know, I don't believe real estate is an

Red flags in Your Relationship

Surprisingly, four out of ten Australians are unaware of their partners wealth, according to the finance comparison site, Finder. That is a terrible statistic even for those who think they are otherwise happy in their relationship. Every person who is in a long-term relationship, owes it to themselves to fully

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Where to for Wesfarmers?

The No-Regrets Guide Newsletter

Whatever you do, don’t panic! It’s tempting to think the economy, and the world generally, is suddenly going to hell in a hand basket, and threatening to take everyone near or in retirement with it. The main thing is, don’t panic. As you will read in this

The Big Australian

The Big Australian Pays Up The federal government is expected to report an astonishing $120 billion in company tax was collected during the past financial year, when it reports its first budget papers next month. Perhaps more astonishing is the fact that one company, the giant mining company BHP is

Five steps you must take

Five steps you must take in a downturn Economic downturns are always tough on everyone in the community, but they are particularly tough for older Australians trying to get by on a fixed income, generated by their retirement savings. If you are concerned as to how you will get by

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Downsizer contributions

The Get Rich Slowly Club

The Get Rich Slowly Club So much about modern life is about being fast - fast food, fast cars, fast lives and fast investments that promise to make you get rich quick. Yet I’m thinking of creating the ‘Get Rich Slowly’ club. This is where investors simply invest their

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Greening of Investments

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Can you help me?

The No-Regrets Newsletter

Welcome to the August 2022 edition of the No-Regrets newsletter. Simply click on the view-online button above to read the following articles in full or visit https://patricia-howard-financial-planning.ghost.io/ If you would like to read all the articles in this newsletter, why not take advantage of this great offer

Should I sell my investment property?

Should I sell my investment property? This is a big question that many people face as they move into retirement and as much as you might want to think otherwise the answer is always yes and I mean always. Property can be a great wealth creation vehicle. I often ask

Just how much money do the big super funds make?

Widespread losses of some $3.2 trillion across the equity and bond markets in Australia during June, meant most Australian super funds reported a small loss for the year according to the fund rating agency, Super Ratings. In fact, looking at its league table of those funds who provide a

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ANZ's rights issue: Should You?

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How to survive in a high inflation period

So what is inflation?

It seems the only economic news that matters in Australia at the moment is the rate of inflation, which has now reached 6.1 per cent for the last financial year – its highest rate in more than two decades. So, what is inflation and how bad is it? To put

Beyond the noise

Given the news and events of the past week, it is easy to think that Australia’s economy is suddenly being dragged down the gurgler by a deteriorating world economy and one-off events such as the war in Ukraine. So, let’s just step back and turn down the dial

The No-Regrets Newsletter

Welcome to the July 2022 edition of the new, bigger, better version of my monthly newsletter. Simply click on the view-online button above to read the following articles in full or visit https://patricia-howard-financial-planning.ghost.io/ Economic Update So, for two years, during the pandemic, the Australian economy appeared to

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The Share Market: Where to next?

Why you should put your savings into super

Significant changes to the superannuation contribution rules, which come into effect from July 1, means anyone who is still under 75 and is retired, should start looking at moving any spare cash they might have into super. The reason for this is that once the funds are in super and