Investing and Money Guides for Australians
Super, tax, ETFs, property, budgeting, all in plain English. Pick a topic below or search for exactly what you need.
CommSec Pocket Fees: What It Costs and How It Compares
A$2 a trade up to A$1,000, then 0.20%, on buys and sells. Plus the separate HIN nobody mentions, and the order size where Pocket costs more than main CommSec.
BGBL vs VGS: Which Global ETF Belongs in Your Portfolio?
BGBL charges 0.08% and holds South Korea. VGS charges 0.18% and does not. What actually separates the two big ASX global ETFs, and how to pick one.
IVV vs VGS: All In on America, or the Whole Developed World?
This is not a fee decision, it is a concentration one. IVV is one country. VGS is 23, and the US is already most of it. How to think it through.
Loss Aversion: Why Losing $100 Hurts More Than Gaining $100 Feels Good
Losing $100 feels about twice as bad as gaining $100 feels good. How loss aversion quietly shapes Australian money decisions, and how to work with it.
Anchoring Bias: Why the First Number You Hear Decides What You Pay
The first number you hear sets the price you think is fair, from auction guides to salary talks. How anchoring works in Australia, and how to beat it.
Mental Accounting: Why You Treat a Tax Refund Differently to Your Salary
A refund dollar buys the same groceries as a salary dollar, but your brain disagrees. How mental accounting costs Australians money, and how to flip it.
Present Bias: Why Future You Keeps Getting Stitched Up
Present bias makes $50 today beat $100 next year. How it drains your super, powers buy now pay later, and why automation beats willpower every time.
Status Quo Bias: Why Doing Nothing Is Costing You Money
Staying put feels safe and quietly costs you, on insurance, energy, your mortgage and your super. What status quo bias is, and the yearly review that beats it.
Retail Therapy: Does It Actually Work?
Does retail therapy work? The research says yes, briefly, and not for the reason you think. What it really does, and how long the lift lasts.
Financial Glossary
Plain-English definitions for 87 money and investing terms.