I'm a personal finance geek who hates to see people ripped-off (especially myself). I created baldmoney.com as a way to share what I've discovered in the world of personal finance.
Australia
Australia’s dividend imputation system refunds tax already paid by companies via franking credits. Fully franked dividends can boost yields by over 40%, giving Aussie investors a big edge. It’s like getting a bonus just for investing locally.
Australia
By 'best' I mean lowest cost to you as an investor. Diferent brokers charge various fees on the ASX and US markets for shares and ETFs. Therefore I've highlighted the best broker(s) for each of these four categories. Best for U.S. Shares Service % fees*
Australia
You are the only person responsible for your financial future. If it all goes belly up the buck ultimately stops with you. Even if you have been given dodgy advice from a financial manager, it’s your responsibility to do your homework and take responsibility for your investment choices. No
superannuation
Did you know that a seemingly small fee of just 1% on your investments can result in you losing more than 20% of your balance over 40 years, and that a 1.5% fee can result in you being deprived of around 30% of your investment over the same time!
superannuation
Recently the Murray Report found that Australian’s are paying double the fees of other Western countries for their retirement. That’s costing us $20 billion dollars each year! Why are Aussies being so badly ripped-off? Well we could blame the superannuation funds for slugging consumers with hidden high fees
Index funds
I'm a big fan of index investing, It's the secret weapon that gives the average Joe the ability to play with and soundly beat the big bully’s of the investment world. What is an Index? Companies comprising an Index have to be ordered by a
Credit Card
Over the last few years I've been making use of the 0% spending rate on new credit cards and then transferring the balance to a 0% balance transfer cards. As you might expect I've racked up a considerable amount of debt, albeit at 0% interest + annual
Just because something is expensive does not mean it is better. Cost is actually now part of the marketing of some products, for example Stella Artois does not hide this fact with the tag line ‘reassuringly expensive’ Some other examples where a higher price does not guarantee a better product
UK
IS the FTSE 250 allways a better bet than the FTSE 100? Historically, it seems to have always outperformed the FTSE 100 index. Look at this comparison below over the last 17 years. The FTSE 250 has returned about 250% whereas the FTSE 100 has gained not very much at
Here are some ideas ordered by likely return Investment Type Expected Return Paying off credit card debt -15.0% - 0% Installing solar panels on your house 5.0% - 15.0% Real estate investment property 5.0% - 15.0% Electric vehicle 2% - 3% Collecting wine -20% -
How you might say? I don’t have extra money just lying around to stash into my home loan. Well, this one surprised me, and it takes just a few minutes to set up. Switch to fortnightly repayments instead of monthly that’s it! This simple trick could save you
superannuation
Sit down, we have some really bad news for you. We hate to say it, but you probably ARE being screwed by your superannuation provider. How do you know? Well ask yourself this one question: What fees am I paying? If you can't answer this question then you&