General News

As our lives become busier and our roads more congested, many buyers are prepared to pay a premium to be within walking distance of transport, shops and amenities. Homes located in 'walkable' suburbs - those with a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance - are reported to command a price premium over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas. Now Australian cities have been ranked by walkscore.com, a popular US website that measures  walkability on a scale from 0 - 100 based on walking routes to destinations such as supermarkets, schools, parks, restaurants and retail. With a 'walk score' of 62, Sydney comes out on top in the ranking of the most walkable Australian cities and suburbs. Melbourne rates a walk score of 56, Adelaide comes in at 53, Brisbane scores 51, Perth scores 50 and Canberra...

Too often when we criticise we cause offence because our criticism is couched in hostile, nagging or accusing terms. Most people deserve a second or third chance so if you must criticise, make sure you do it in a way that motivates rather than offends. Before you even attempt to discuss another person's failings there are four important questions that you should ask yourself. Do you have your facts straight? What do you hope to achieve? What are the pros and cons of airing the problem? How would you handle the criticism if it were directed at you? If you decide you are justified in making the criticism, it's important to wait until the right moment before airing it, because there is little to be gained from humiliating someone in front of others or adding to their woes if they are already...

Negative gearing can have significant tax benefits but don't let it be your only motivation for buying an investment property. The property you choose needs to stand on its own merits so that it has the potential to make money in the long term through capital gains. What you want to achieve is a situation where tax rebates and your rental income are used to pay off your home loan, and down the track when your property has increased in value you can sell it at a profit or keep accumulating multiple properties. Indeed, one of the main advantages of negative gearing is that it may let you invest in a more valuable property than you would otherwise have been able to afford using only your cash savings. When using negative gearing, it's important to be prepared for unexpected impacts on your cash...

The beauty of a positive cash flow property is that it won't burn a hole in your wallet but you'll have to work hard to find one that also delivers good capital growth. Keep in mind that any profit you make on the rental income is likely to be subject to capital gains tax (after depreciation and other tax deductions), so it's wise to put aside a component of your rent return to meet the tax bill. Positive cash flow properties are suited to investors who are looking for a conservative investment strategy and are keen to use the extra cash in the pocket to pay down debt and/or increase their equity to make room for further investment. Here are 10 top tips for finding positive cash flow property: Buy a property that generates a strong rental yield (the return your property generates compared...

There's no easy answer to the much-debated question: do negatively geared or positive cash flow properties make the better investment choice? There are many investors who swear by negative gearing, which is when the cost of the property, including interest on the loan used to buy it, outweigh the returns it generates.  This loss can be claimed on tax, which is where the appeal of negative gearing lies. Others strongly believe having a positive cash flow is a wiser choice because it means you have more income than expenses and cash in your pocket every week.  This is achieved either through positive gearing - where your property's rent returns are high in proportion to the purchase price and cover all the expenses. Alternatively you can achieve a positive cash flow with a property when its outgoings (loan interest, body corporate fees etc)...

The Reserve Bank has slashed interest rates by 25 basis points to a historic  low of 2.75 percent, the first reduction this year. The decision followed a spate of soft economic data that increased calls by  industry groups and other observers for a lower cash rate. Financial markets and economists have been split over whether the central  bank would continue its easing cycle, which has seen 175 basis points of cuts  since November 2011. The Australian dollar fell below 102 US cents following the decision. It was  hovering at about 102.38 US cents just before 2.30pm.   "The Board has previously noted that the inflation outlook would afford scope  to ease further, should that be necessary to support demand," RBA governor Glenn  Stevens said in a statement. "At today's meeting the Board decided to use some of that scope. It judged  that a further...

The Aqua Wealth team were delighted at being announced the winners of Securitor's National Practice of the Year award for 2013. This fantastic news comes just a few weeks after our team was awarded the Practice of the Year award for the region of Victoria and we are both proud and humbled at being recognised amongst the best of the best of our peers within the Securitor group. We are very proud of this achievement and what we have been able to deliver to our clients in such a short period. We look forward to building on this success and continuing to deliver on our promise on providing quality advice solutions to our clients. Thank you once again to all of our business partners, friends and family for your continued support. Without you we would not be in this position! ...

Thank you to everybody who came down to our first annual charity walk/fun run yesterday! Your support for a great cause is much appreciated. At this stage we have raised $2,400 in support of the 'Summer Foundation: Building Better Lives' which is close to our target amount (and subject to change pending last minute donations) so we are delighted with the outcome of our inaugural event. We hope to see everyone again at next years event! [blue]To donate to our cause please click here to visit the Everyday Hero website to make a donation to Building Better Lives[/blue]...

Happiness--in your business life and your personal life--is often a matter of subtraction, not addition. Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things: 1. Blaming. People make mistakes. Employees don't meet your expectations. Vendors don't deliver on time. So you blame them for your problems. But you're also to blame. Maybe you didn't provide enough training. Maybe you didn't build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon. Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn't masochistic, it's empowering--because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time. And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier. 2. Impressing. No one likes you for your clothes, your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. Those are all "things." People may like your things--but that doesn't mean they like you. Sure, superficially they might...