How are people affording this phone? Apparently, it's sold out everywhere somehow. I am not hating on anyone because i like all brands but 4 grand for a phone seems alot.

Edit: I am starting to think I am broke :/

Inflation only goes up

Rates are going to need to go close to 6% to bring trimmed mean down to below 3% from 3.6%.

CBA said rates hikes were on pause before rate cuts in 2027……then the CPI dropped and actually no, it’s almost certain we are getting a hike at the next meeting.

How many shit predictions by banks and pseudo economists like David Koch and Nerida Consibee before we realise the cash rate needs to go much higher. Yes we have leveraged our economy and enjoyed the dopamine hit of the last 5 years, however the bill is now due and it’s a whopper. The entire economy is a buy now pay later joke.

We deserve this recession that’s coming. I can’t wait for it.

Currently trying for a slight career pivot after finishing a master's degree in a slightly niche field. Seems like a terrible time to be doing this, as the jobs market feels incredibly dry at the moment.

Jobs I've applied for seem to yield no response.

I've even applied for jobs in my current field and haven't heard back about these either!

Going back 2-3 years ago, it felt like I could work basically anywhere I wanted in Australia.

I wonder if perhaps employers (public and private) are kinda frozen at the moment whilst trying to figure out how bad this recession is going to get.

A bit disappointing when I just finished my studies :(

Anyone else noticing this?

Just a PSA in case you have forgotten (like me!) - I purchased some income protection through a financial broker a few years ago as the product was only able to be purchased through a broker. I'm not really using the services of the broker much anymore as they only are providing me with a renewal and confirming if my circumstances have/have not changed. I realised I am actually paying hundreds on ongoing commissions and aside from the odd question here and there I realised I don't really need their services and am fine to manage my policies on my own. My insurance advised I need to ask the broker to remove the commission which they have now done. I had completely forgotten about the commission so I thought I'd let anyone know in case they they were in the same boat. The laws changed in 2025 to require increased transparency and disclosure about commissions so of course this was something that had totally slipped my mind.

Has anyone else had an awful experience dealing with Hostplus?

My DASP application has turned into a complete circus. Repeated document requests, conflicting instructions, unanswered emails and enquiry forms, and a formal complaint that went nowhere. After multiple calls from overseas, I’m still chasing basic answers.

Honestly, this is starting to look like seriously poor customer service and questionable administrative practices. Is this how Hostplus normally operates, or has anyone else experienced the same?

There seems to be a tidal wave of mainstream PE access on the way, from big and established Vanguard and American Century to smaller Equity Zen, Forge Global, Hiive, Clarity and more recently Revolut.

Given that PE is beginning to go mainstream, what would you think about the idea of a broad market index fund for Private Equity?

Do such funds already exist, and if so, where and how can we access them?

Would you allocate a small % of your net worth to such a fund, just for the sake of diversification? For example, say 99% in a regular public index tracker ETF and 1% in a private equity index tracker?

I'm 18, earn ~$1100 per week after tax and have been kicked out of home. I don't know how much I should be spending on rent food utilities whatever and how much I can save. I work 12-13 hour days so I need to eat a fair bit more every week and should probably spend more on groceries. Any and all tips will be appreciated

Only up for interest rates it seems.

Do I need to put in names of individual items in the TRS app, or just group them together like "$500 perfumes, $300 chocolates"? As there is no option to name individual items if I don't select the "others" category. Anyone who has used this app, please help.

Does anyone have any recommendations about establishing a bank account for kids under 5 where family can put money to for gifts etc.?

I’ve been interested in finding a better way to keep track of my investments, particularly ASX shares, ETFs, portfolio performance and CGT records.
Spreadsheets can work well, but they can also become a bit of a pain to maintain as your portfolio grows, especially when you’re dealing with multiple holdings and transactions.

I’m curious how others here manage this:
- Do you use a spreadsheet, a dedicated portfolio tracker, or something else?
- What’s the most frustrating part of tracking your investments?
- Are there any features you wish existing tools handled better?

Full disclosure: I’ve been building a portfolio-tracking website for Australian investors, so I’m particularly interested in hearing what people actually want from a tool like this. I’m not here to spam links or pitch the product. I’d genuinely appreciate the feedback.
Interested to hear how everyone approaches it.

Hi everyone, we were confused by the Medicare surcharge ($202,000 family income + $1500 for each child) and wanted to ask if anyone was in the same circumstance.

We are a household with two kids. We earned just above the medicare levy threshold in the last financial year.

I am a NZ citizen as is both our children. All three of us are on private insurance.

My wife is a subclass 461 temporary resident. She is not eligible for Medicare, nor private insurance except OVHC. She is on an OVHC insurance.

Am I correct in understanding we still need to pay the levy on the entire family income despite everyone being on private insurance as OVHC is not considered as private insurance?

Would be keen to hear anyone who might be in the same circumstances. Thanks so much!

Update: Someone correctly pointed out that I mistakenly wrote 2% in the header, I was meaning the Medicare surcharge (0-1.5%) which applies above a certain family income threshold, not the 2% normal medicare levy.

Hi,

My wife passed away in November, after she'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She'd recently returned to work after our 6 year old started in school.

She had income protection and death cover through AustralianSuper super. However I've been notified the insurance won't pay her death cover.

Obviously it won't bring my wife back and I would sacrifice anything for that.

But I was going to use the money as start up for my son to use to buy a house when he's older and hopefully to help cover some costs that have racked up.

A grief support charity recommended a legal firm, but they just ignored. Asked cancer Council and they said they couldn't help or recommend anyone. I dont get any replies from any lawyers ive tried to contact.

If you've ever been in this situation of losing a partner, people always say "anything I can do to help, let me know" but when the push comes to shove, you just don't get any help.

I submitted a letter to appeal made with AI but they countered. I've made a further appeal letter but feel this is my last chance.

I just dont know what to do, as if this doesn't get any traction then I'll feel completely rejected. But ive reached out so much for help and not received anything back.

What would you do? Just press send and hope for the best?

I posted a similar thing a few months ago, again didnt get much further.

****update 1: Reason for rejection:

Symptoms prior to cover and not being in active employment when cover started.

My arguments are:

She wasnt diagnosed till after the cover started, oncologist report states a reasonable person or doctor wouldn't have known she had cancer as she had flu symptoms.

She was employed when cover started but had time off between her rostered shifts, as she worked a casual contract. Insurance are saying she wasnt working employer confirms this in their documentation. Su001 separation certificate also confirms this.

Thanks

It appears that indexation creates an ongoing feedback loop. That is, CPI inflation increases excise; the higher excise contributes to higher consumer prices and CPI; and that higher CPI feeds into subsequent excise indexation

I read this in a comment on a youtube video (the best place on the internet, right?) and it's blown my mind. So splitting the middle and saying $20ph, that's only around half of what a similar job might pay today but surely house prices have gone up far more than that? So were workers back then able to afford a house just from a year or two of work?

This is just one of many NDIS fraud cases, with numerous offenders already prosecuted and jailed. Recovering these funds and preventing further fraud could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

TL;DR: A 36-year-old Sydney man has been charged over alleged $1.89m NDIS fraud involving services never delivered. Authorities previously sought to restrain 38 properties and 16 vehicles worth over $40m combined. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years for fraud and 25 years for dealing with major crime proceeds.

Thoughts?

My sister is planning on going bankrupt. She hasn’t talked about it much so in my concern for her I’ve been looking it up and I can’t find consistent info about what will happen to her super. Most Aus legal sites say super is protected - but AFSA says it’s claimable.

What’s the actual situation?