Reed Financial

Top 10 Tips for Retirement Planning

2012-06-02T21:12:00.002+10:00

Here's our Top 10 Tips for getting ready to retire:-

1. Design your lifestyle. I honestly cannot stress this enough. A client recently expressed his feeling of 'guilt' at getting out of bed late, and feeling really lazy. All along they'd thought that retirement should be exciting.

2. Calculate how much realistically you'll need to spend each month. Obviously step 1 in designing a lifestyle in retirement will fit like a hand-in-glove for step 2. This may be as simple as dining out, or as luxurious as world cruises every second year.

3. Make sure you apply for all government entitlements. This could possibly be the Aged Pension, but if not, then other incentives are on offer such as the Health Care Card and the Seniors Card.

4. Think about health care costs. If you're ineligible for the Health Care Card (currently has a $50k income test applicable, no asset test), then you'll need to consider the future costs of medical expenses as you age.

5. Purchase white or durable goods while working. This is a handy hint to ensure that your items that are likely to last 5 years or more are purchased while you have discretionary income. It's probably a more psychological issue than anything, but once you're retired on a fixed income, you can be a bit more jittery about outlaying $600 for a new washing machine than if you're still working.

6. Review your estate plan. It's crucial that your Will is up to date and could include strategies such as the option of a Testamentary Trust for the executor/beneficiaries to consider. Other items within your estate plan should consider a Power of Attorney and Guardianship.

7. Investment strategy review. For the past 35 years you have probably been investing in an accumulation mode with a focus upon capital growth. As you enter retirement phase, capital growth remains an important focus (ie. to outpace inflation and ensure capital longevity), however the maintenance of your income is crucial and most important. This is where assets such as investments in residential property with the variability of income, ongoing expenses and potentially low net yield needs to be carefully assessed.

8. Cash reserves. It's handy to have about 6 months income available on hand if you need it for that rainy day event.

9. Tax implications. If you're retiring over the age of 60, then the current superannuation benefits are paid to you tax free. However, if you were to pass away then the concessionally taxed components of your super fund could be taxed prior to reaching your beneficiaries. Strategies such as the recontribution of money from the super fund, and back into it, could be assessed, or compared with an anti-detriment benefit option. You may also wish to guard against future potential tax changes, and maximise the after-tax component within the super fund and evenly distribute assets between you and your partner. These can be discussed with your adviser as to their suitability for your assets.

10. Excitement. If you're not excited about retiring, then it just may not be the right time to do it. There's plenty of research from neuroscientists that state you need to keep your brain active when retiring. It's an excellent idea to take up volunteering, new studies or even a new vocation. Just keep the brain exercising and live a retirement with purpose.

20%+ Off Sale At The ASX

2012-06-02T17:38:00.001+10:00

The recent market downturn has certainly got plenty of attention in the media. With the Europe situation unresolved, the markets have been jittery to say the least.

With the ASX now in bear market territory (ie. decrease of 20%+) it's a prudent reminder of viewing it as a time to weather this storm.......as like all others, this too shall pass.

I agree with every long term investor, it does appear to be frustrating and tiresome. Patience will be rewarded.

If there are opportunities with cash to dollar cost average into equities, then this is probably a time to consult with professional advice and consider this useful strategy on a prudent basis.

Alternative strategies such as protected portfolios may also prove useful in the short to medium term.

As Warren Buffett has remarked in the past, on a Boxing Day sale there are thousands of people running into the retail stores to grab a bargain. Yet the sharemarket goes on a similar discount yet people run out of there.

Kind of bizarre when you think about this perspective isn't it?

Another very recent article tracks along this line of thinking and is definitely worth a read in the Sydney Morning Herald called In Praise Of Market Falls.

Living With Regrets

2012-05-30T08:38:00.001+10:00

According to research published in the Daily Mail (UK), we spend up to 45 minutes per week dwelling on our regrets.

The top 10 regrets that were:-

1. Not having saved more money
2. Not having worked harder at school
3. Not having exercised more
4. Not seeing more of the world
5. Taking up smoking
6. Not staying in touch with people more
7. Not having taken more care of our bodies when younger
8. Not having appreciated an elderly relative more before he or she passed away
9. Not having taken more photos of experiences growing up
10. Getting married too early.

But two thirds of those interviewed said they thought their regrets had led them to act more positively and that they had learnt from their mistakes.

Certainly an interesting list.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106983/We-spend-45mins-week-dwelling-regrets--Electric-Zebra-survey.html#ixzz1wcPfYxSQ

5 tips for money using the marshmallow test

2011-03-14T15:25:00.000+11:00

A recent documentary on the ABC called 'Life at 5' examined children as they grow older and it offers an insight into traits that predict their character later in life.

One of the interesting tests was based upon a 1960's study by Stanford University named 'The Marshmallow Test'. This involved the placing of a marshmallow in front of the child, and then telling them that they can eat that one now, or if they can wait a few minutes, upon the adult's return to the room they can 3 instead of one. Not easy huh!

The really interesting part is that the psychologist on the ABC series outlined that in past tests, they found about 2/3rd's of kids ate the marshmallow straight away. 1/3rd of kids waited til the adult returned so as to get more.

When the children were interviewed as young adults, those that shown self discipline by not eating the marshmallow were much more successful in life. The US results showed similar results with the 'disciplined' children growing up to be more self-assertive, dependable, socially competent and averaging higher on exam results.

While this is very interesting as a parent, there is a strong parable to be taken for wealth management.

A key success factor of wealthy individuals can often lead us to believe that they have a high income or a great business, but rather they usually display a strong self discipline to delay gratification.

Here are our 5 tips for disciplined wealth accumulation:

1. Avoid temptation - stay away from the shops when you're bored.

2. Saving is a habit - the magic of money lies in compound interest and time. Ensure that you keep saving regularly for a wealthy retirement.

3. Use imagination - use your mind to imagine that you have what what you want, but wait until you have the cash to actually purchase it. Avoid credit.

4. Know your goals - manage your risks by knowing what you want, and then adjusting your allocation of money to more conservative assets when you reach your goal to enjoy a smoother investment experience.

5. Teach your kids - give your children the opportunity to manage money. Provide an allowance and educate them about saving, charity and spending.

If you'd like to see parts of the Life at 5 program, including the Marshmallow Test <>

And here's an amusing video of the marshmallow test with kids filmed in the USA <>

Generational Wealth

2011-01-13T16:11:00.000+11:00

Many of us have the ideal goal of providing a financial legacy to our family.

Starting this process however can sometimes be a complex task, so let's address a few common questions we receive.

The solutions below typically have one key message, start early!

The magic of compound interest and disciplined investing provides you with the opportunity to contribute small amounts now, rather than attempting to find large chunks of money later on.

Below, we have briefly commented upon frequently asked issues that clients have with raising children. But if you'd like to know more detail, please feel welcome to give me a call.

Schooling

There are a variety of methods to fund education expenses. These can include:-

* Redraw from the mortgage - Some couples prefer to plow money into the mortgage, thereby saving interest on the home loan, then redraw the money later when it's needed for schooling. My only concern with this strategy is that we can sometimes forget this money being attributable for this purpose.

Others prefer to allocate funds for their purpose in seperate account. This keeps money siloed away and savings can be disciplined to meet the goal.

* Bank accounts & Managed Fund Savings - With a rising interest rate environment, there are options to save for kids educations via bank accounts, or even managed funds as a long term outlook is likely to be rewarded given where we are in the stockmarket cycle.

The primary downside for this form of saving is that the ownership structure could cause tax implications, which reduces the net returns.

* Education Funds - These type of funds have been around for many years. The significant benefit is that they are typically established as a type of bond with 30% tax on earnings. However, they also offer additional tax savings where tax on any earnings have the potential to be used so as to pay out education related expenses.

The downside in the past has been that you would have poor investment choices available, as well as strict criteria for when you could access the money, ie. if a child didn't go to university, you may get your capital back, but with no earnings.

Fortunately, there have been new products enter the marketplace that still offer high tax efficiencies, but also offer greater investment choice, as well as flexibility for you to use the education expenses at your own discretion.

Lifestyle Funding

Some parents take the view that the kids should do it the hard way, and earn their own money to fund things such as a deposit for a house, buying their own car, etc.

That makes a lot of sense, and certainly some of the richest men in the world (eg. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett) subscribe to the same theory.

Nevertheless, we do receive queries from parents and grandparents that would like to consider options so as to help them out for when the kids are young adults.

Based upon the size of money needed nowadays for a deposit, it is beneficial to either start when the kids are very young, or update your Will to look after them.

But if you're willing to look at a long term investment, ie.10-20 years, then you do have a wide range of instruments worthy of consideration that may be of interest.

Rather than speculating and dropping $5,000 plus on the wing and a prayer of some 5 cent mining stock becoming the next BHP, you could consider the use of market returns with a combination of leverage to potentially build over time to a significant amount.

For example, let's say you invested $5,000 initially then added $1,000 per year. Over a 21 year period, with 10% returns, this would amount to over $107,000. The use of leverage on a self funding basis, eg. ETF Index Instalment Warrants, could assist either the amount of money you contribute each year, or to potentially boost the return.

Retirement

Parents, and grandparents, typically don't even think of superannuation for their young kids. But it's definitely an attractive component of creating generational wealth.

In fact, this is something of a hobby horse of mine for some time. In a nutshell, if the government decided that they were going to put the Baby Bonus ($5,294) into a newborns super fund, then the next generation could be very close to substantially reducing the need for an aged pension.

Here's an example, a $5,294 super fund invested at birth with funding from the Government. After 21 years, assuming 8% returns and no new contributions are made at all, the fund would be valued at $26,649 ($14,326 in today's dollars @ 3% inflation).

If the 22 year old then worked at a job earning say $45,000 to $50,000 per year, and their employer made $4,000 per year contributions rising with inflation, then by the time they are aged 65, they'd have $2.6 million in their super fund (or $724,000 in today's dollars).

In today's money, this could produce $40,000 to $50,000 in retirement, tax free. It'd ensure a comfortable retirement and don't forget these assumptions didn't include any contributions from them personally.

Unfortunately, this is hardly the policies of election winning governments as newborns can't vote, so it's unlikely we're going to see incentives such as these for the future.

Nevertheless it is worth considering superannuation strategies for families considering long term wealth vehicles for their children.

If a super fund can be commenced while they are young, and even minor amounts contributed every now and then, this is likely to set them up for financial peace of mind when they themselves are parents.

10 factors of happiness

2011-01-13T15:58:00.000+11:00

On a regular basis, the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling explores life satisfaction trends in Australia, examining how different aspects of people's lives impact on happiness.

Their most recent report had some ten interesting key findings:

1. Having children may increase happiness and people from bigger families tend to be happier than those with fewer children.

2. Satisfaction increases as the family unit grows - 40% of people aged 30 and above with 4 or more children are very satisfied with their life overall compared to 28% with one child, and 27% with no children.

3. The high incidence of divorce is taking it's toll on some family relationships. Around 30% of parents report being dissatisfied or not so satisfied with their step children, compared to about 10% of parents with their own children.

4. Australian workers are happy with their security, flexibility and the nature of their jobs, but less satisfied with their working hours and pay. The share of people working longer hours has increased over time, with around 17% working more than 50 hours per week, while at the other end of the spectrum more and more people (30%) are working part time.

5. Unemployed Australians are the least likely to report being satisfied (42%) and the most likely to report being not so satisfied (23%) or dissatisfied (3%) with life.

6. Men are more satisfied than women with it comes to their relationships with partners, share of housework and level of free time. But women are slightly happier than men with their own relationships with their own children.

7. Spending money wisely can boost happiness and particular types of wealth, such as the family home, superannuation and savings in the bank are linked to greater happiness than others.

Non home owners for example, report lower satisfaction (7.7 out of 10) than those who own a home valued above $500,000 (above 8 out of 10).

8. Some debts like those associated with credit cards and overdue bills can lead to lower levels of happiness but larger debts above $100,000 like mortgages linked to more valuable assets can positively influence happiness.

9. Satisfaction with life is high when in the earlier twenties and have fewer responsibilities (above 8%), decreasing in the late thirties and forties (around 7.6%) as the pressure of balancing family life with work responsibilities grows and increasing slowly again to reach similar levels of their youth as they move into retirement.

10. Other factors like relationships with friends and family, health and work are important to overall happiness.

These findings are probably common sense to many readers. It also is in alignment to many overseas studies.

A 2010 study at Princeton University actually went a step further with their link between income and happiness.

They found that a $75,000 salary was an ideal figure.

Researchers indicated that the lower a persons salary falls below this benchmark, the unhappier he or she feels. But no matter how much more they earn above that level, they don't report any greater degree of happiness.

Getting ahead

2010-08-05T20:34:00.001+10:00

Many people believe that they'll be happy with more 'things'. Quite often it's what is the cause of making them unhappy. This is a good article that is a common concern: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/08/04/1517853/getting-ahead.html

Work less, live longer

2010-08-05T20:25:00.000+10:00

People who work more than 10 hours a day are about 60 percent more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than people who clock just seven hours a day.

The ATO is watching

2010-06-30T13:46:00.000+10:00

ATO targetting Engineers, Teachers and Mechanics:-
http://www.smh.com.au/money/tax/ato-joins-the-data-dots-20100609-xupg.html

Fund Managers warned over window dressing

2010-06-29T19:12:00.000+10:00

Active fund managers warned about 'window dressing' their end of financial year portfolio returns. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/funds-warned-over-window-dressing-20100629-ziss.html

Give the Sutherland Shire a miss for investing?

2010-06-29T19:04:00.002+10:00

Terry Ryder isn't keen on the Sutherland Shire for investment property. Interesting article:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/27513/20100609/sydney-shire-real-estate-no-go-zones-investors-rba-nsw-queensland-victoria-western-australia-tasmani.htm

Medic!

2010-06-22T19:29:00.002+10:00

If you have been putting off that expensive medical or dental procedure, schedule it before June 30 if you want to maximise the amount you can claim back through the tax system.

At present, if your medical expenses (after deduction of private health insurance and Medicare), amount to more than $1,500 in any one financial year, then you can claim 20% of the amount above the $1,500 benchmark.

Unfortunately, as announced in the recent Federal Budget, this $1,500 benchmark is increasing to $2,000 from 1 July, 2010.

There is no upper limit to what you can claim, and it's always difficult to know if you're going to claiming so much with unexpected medical visits during the year, so the tip is to 'save everything' in a box and then revisit the receipts prior to seeing the accountant at the end of the year. If the expenses are over $1,500 (for this year) then submit the receipts for your tax return.

Note that these receipts include you, your spouse and dependants.

For example, if you spent $5000 on family medical expenses (net of Medicare and private health rebates), subtract the $1500 threshold from your net expenses and you are left with $3500 out-of-pocket expenses. This would mean that you are eligible for a rebate of $700 (20 per cent of $3500).

You can claim for expenses relating to an illness or operation paid to a doctor, nurse, chemist or hospital.
If you haven't kept receipts, all is not lost. You can go to your pharmacist at the end of the tax year and ask for a printout of all the medications you purchased that year.

You can also ask for an itemised statement from Medicare or your private health insurer.

It may be beneficial for couples to combine medical expenses and make a claim in the name of the person on the higher marginal tax rate.

For what you can and can't claim go to the Tax Office website: ato.gov.au. Search "medical expenses".

Last Minute Tax Planning

2010-06-22T19:27:00.001+10:00

With only a matter of days away until the end of the financial year, a quick revision of tax planning items may assist in minimising tax this year.

Superannuation has retained its appeal as a key strategy while gearing, effective tax structuring and maximising timing opportunities should also be considered.

TIMING

* Deferring income until July 1 (eg. delay any year end bonus when tax rates are lower.)
* Bringing forward tax-deductible expenditure.
* If you're retiring and may receive an unused leave payment or ETP, then delaying until next year may also be beneficial.
* Delay maturing fixed interest deposits to 1 July
* Defer capital gains where possible
* Forego salary pre-payment if taking annual leave now
* Pre-pay interest on tax deductible investment loans
* Pre-pay income protection premiums in advance
* Bring forward deductible expenses such as equipment, subscriptions, financial planning fees, school fees covered by the tax rebate, donations and medical expenses

INVESTMENTS

* If you've sold an asset and realised a capital gain, perhaps assets with capital losses can be sold to offset some gains.
* Can income producing assets be transferred into the name of a lower earning spouse, a trust or super fund (eg. self managed super fund).

SUPERANNUATION

* Government co-contributions are a priority if you are eligible. To be eligible for the full benefit, you need an income of less than $31,920, although taxpayers earning up to $61,920 can receive a partial payment of up to $1,000 (full benefit amount).
* Up to $25,000 can be contributed as concessional superannuation contributions (eg. salary sacrifice) and up to $50,000 if over the age of 50.
* Consider salary sacrificing bonuses into superannuation if expected pre June 30.
* High income earners with a part time working spouse may consider the spouse contribution rebate. Contribute up to $3000 on behalf of a spouse earning less than $10,800 and claim an 18 per cent rebate - or $540.
* If you have turned 65 during the financial year, you should consider whether to use the $450,000 "bring forward" limit for non-concessional contributions. While there is a $150,000-a-year cap on after-tax super contributions, the rules allow up to $450,000 to be contributed for the next three years for those under 65. So if you have turned 65 this year and don't use that provision, you will be limited to $150,000 a year from now on.
* If you are eligible to start a transition to retirement pension, this should also be considered as it's a tax-effective way to build your retirement savings.

GEARING

* You may consider setting up facilities such as margin loans before June 30 (with pre-paid interest to generate a tax deduction now),
* Pre-pay next year's income protection insurance, the costs of which can also be claimed as a tax deduction up to a year in advance.
* Consider the use of a capital-protected loan for equities, which also received a tax boost in last month's budget, with the benchmark interest rate (the interest you can deduct each year) being lifted from the Reserve Bank's standard variable home loan indicator rate to that rate plus 1 per cent.

OTHER TIPS AND TRAPS
* For pre and post retirees, another consideration is gifting rules: retirees receiving the age pension can give away up to $10,000 a year ($30,000 over five years) without the money being included in means tests.

GOOD NEWS - Less Tax From Next Month

From July 1, the last round of election tax cuts will deliver further savings to the average taxpayer. You will have to earn more than $37,000 to pay the most common tax rate of 31.5 per cent (including the Medicare levy) while those earning between $80,001 and $180,000 will have their marginal rate cut from 39.5 per cent to 38.5 per cent. Only those earning more than $180,000 will have to pay the top marginal rate of 46.5 per cent.

Pensioners look out

2010-06-22T15:21:00.002+10:00

Did you know? Pensioners who fix solar panels to their home and sell excess electricity back to the power company will have any credit or rebate counted as income and their pension payments cut.

How long have you left to live?

2010-02-11T11:00:00.000+11:00

Want to know your life expectancy? http:www.mylongevity.com.au
Excellent website - free service, tailored to you.

Tax system to be reviewed

2009-11-02T21:00:00.000+11:00

"The times, they are a changing" Never a more apt description could be quoted for the Australian financial system.

Names such as Henry, Ripoll, Cooper are probably not that familiar to you right now. But in coming months, the media will be touting their names daily.

Ripoll is examining the financial service system as a whole. There is likely to be a number of recommendations that effect the financial industry profoundly in the near future.

The Cooper review has been charged with examining and analysing the structure and operation of Australia's superannuation system. The Review is focused on achieving an outcome that is in the best interests of members and which maximises retirement incomes for Australians.

Superannuation has been tinkered so much over recent years, we would hope that a softly-softy approach is recommended from the Cooper review.

The bell-ringer for December 2009 is likely to be the Ken Henry Review. Henry speaks about the review as a once-in-a-generation game changer.

He will examine, and likely overhaul, our taxation system.

There has already been media speculation this week that the tax return system will basically be 'automated' for PAYG employees, thus freeing them from seeing their accountant unless they have more complex tax issues such as investment properties, etc.

In a recent Sydney Morning Herald article, the following points were speculated as being touched upon in the Henry Review as their recommendations to the government:-

Cheaper insurance - possible lowering/removal of stamp duty/levies
Alcohol taxation - a review of the bias in the taxation levels
Housing stamp duties - likely to remain
Payroll tax - likely to remain
Company tax - likely to fall from 30% down to 25%
Capital gains tax - possible removal of the 50% discount
Superannuation access - possible lifting to age 67
Lifetime annuities - examining a potential government role for lifetime income
Road use - possible recommendation of a road user-pay model

More surprises are tipped on top of these leaked items.

So over Christmas, you can expect to read plenty on these three enquiries as they unfold.

Good time to check how much you're putting into super

2009-10-27T18:56:00.000+11:00

With the new financial year 1/4 of the way through, it's good timing to double check how much super you're contributing.

As announced in the 2009 Federal Budget, the government has cut the superannuation concessional contributions (pre-tax contributions) cap from $50,000 to $25,000 per year from 2009/10 for those individuals under 50 years of age. This includes both employer contributions, and any salary sacrifice amounts you may be adding.

For those aged 50 to 74 the concessional contributions cap has been reduced from $100,000 to $50,000 per year (non-indexed) up to 30 June 2012.

In light of the changes it is important that you consider these limits, as an excess contributions tax of 31.5% will be levied on the amounts contributed over the new caps. This is on top of the 15% tax paid by your super fund on the concessional contributions.

The amounts contributed that are in excess of this will also count towards your non-concessional contributions cap (ie. after-tax money) of $150,000 per year.

If this limit is breached, then a further 46.5% tax will be levied. The total tax paid on the excess contributions would amount to a whopping 93%.

If you are uncertain as to the amount of super you're contributing, or believe that you may exceed the limit this year, please contact me to discuss further.

$150 rebate on new washing machines

2009-10-08T14:22:00.000+11:00

It looks like we'll be needing a new washing machine soon.

If yours is on the blink as well, then have a look at the $150 government rebate on offer until 30 June 2010.

http://www.sydneywater.com.au/Water4Life/InYourHome/WashingMachineRebate/

Should you invest all-at-once, or drip feed your money in over time?

2009-10-08T12:22:00.002+11:00

Good 5 minute video from Professor Ken French on this subject:
http://www.dimensional.com/famafrench/2009/06/dollar-cost-averaging.html#more

Harry Triguboff warns against rate rises

2009-10-06T18:53:00.000+11:00

Interest rates are up, and so's Harry's blood pressure by the look of things. Plenty of comments from readers on this article:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,26165249-643,00.html

National Rental Affordability Scheme

2009-09-28T15:46:00.000+10:00

The Federal Government has created an interesting initiative to assist with the rental affordability concerns of low to middle income earners. It has been named the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).

The efforts to develop measures such as this should be applauded. However there is a distinct lack of publicity for the scheme, meaning that investors may not be aware of this opportunity.

The National Rental Affordability Scheme is an Australian Government initiative to stimulate the supply of new affordable rental dwellings by up to 50, 000.

Under the Scheme investors will be eligible to receive a National Rental Incentive for each approved dwelling, on the condition that they are rented to eligible low and moderate income households at 20 per cent below market rates.

For investors, the first reaction is simply a loss of money, ie. discounting rental income by at least 20%. However, the Federal and State Governments have a subsidy that may equal, if not be greater than, the discount in rent.

For example, as of June 2009, the Federal Government grant is $6,504 in tax rebates per year for the next 10 years. A number of State Governments, provide investors with a $2,168 in a cash grant per year for the next 10 years. These amounts are then indexed each year as per the rental component in the national CPI.

The tenancy leases are generally of a longer term than a standard residential lease, while non-profit organisations are typically the rental property managers for each property.

Discussing this scheme with investment property specialists, there appears to be the sentiment that these properties are designed for Housing Commission type arrangements, or Defence Force style schemes.

The government has unfortunately failed to clarify these misconceptions. It is documented that the target market for this housing scheme will be public service type occupations such as nurses, teachers, police, fire brigade, etc.

Our review of providers in the marketplace indicates that there are a variety of real estate investment providers offering different versions and options within the NRAS scheme.

While the NRAS opportunity deserves further exploration for real estate investors, it would pay to do some careful research for all options prior to committing to a long term investment.

Further information can be sought from the ATO website.

Employment law changes

2009-09-18T19:42:00.000+10:00

New work balance laws come into effect on 1 January. Doesn't seem to be well publicised yet:

http://brw.com.au/viewer.aspx?ATL://1252893659327

Intrinsic importance

2009-09-16T17:40:00.000+10:00

Good 5 minute video for prioritising things that matter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhKLSTBSgwI&NR=1

Staff motivation and compensation

2009-09-15T11:31:00.000+10:00

Here's an excellent video for any business owner/manager to view on staff motivation and compensation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

Your free credit check

2009-09-09T07:07:00.003+10:00

Ever wondered what your credit history actually is?

It's a good idea to check about once a year. You can apply for the details for free. Here's the link:-

http://www.mycreditfile.com.au/my_credit_file_product_information/my_credit_file_product_information_default.aspx