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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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 :/

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

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

Inflation only goes up

Hi All, does anyone have a good recommendation for someone that teaches trading, where you have actually made substantial money from their teaching, Thanks in advance.

Hey guys, info: 29 years old. $20k in savings. $6k in ETFs. $73k in super. No debt other than $12k of HECS. I have a partner, currently renting together.

I got gifted/inherited $100k unexpectedly to help for a house deposit. I am grateful and surprised but the more I look at housing and repayments etc the more I am unsure. However, I just don’t know what to do. I’d like to not rent but homes in sunny coast are insane for what you get. I’d like to not move too far due to family and work. I’m not that mad about renting, like it sucks but it has its perks. I think my goal is to utilise this opportunity to build wealth. I just don’t know if that’s through buying a house or unit or using it in another way?

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?

Hi all, in the process of forming a new company with 6 individuals who are all based and live in Australia. We've had some initial discussions and generally agree that incorporating the business overseas may be a better option than setting it up in Australia

The problem is, none of us have any experience in setting up a company overseas - looking for anyone that can guide us in the right direction, provide info, steps, etc.

Another question is if all directors/shareholders are Australian residents, how does tax work if the company is registered overseas?

Like many, I’m with Suncorp and will be leaving due to the lack of offset & higher rates.
Has anyone had any luck getting the discharge fee waived when refinancing?

Having the decision made for us and then offering an inferior product at a higher cost surely gives us the right to that at least?

We’ll be going to Macquarie, whilst not the cheapest, we have some changes coming up and need their ease of quick approval.

Early 40s couple with two dependents.

I recently uploaded several years of our bank statements, tax returns, IP records, and portfolio history into a custom dashboard to track our actual post-tax money flow.

Across this period (12months), our total net inflow was $422k (combining PAYG income, IP rental revenue, tax refunds, and dividends).

Where every dollar went:

IPs Mortgages (Servicing P&I): 37.6%
Living Expenses: 30.1%
PPOR Mortgage Servicing: 18.1%
Shares Portfolio / Misc Savings: 14.2%

Our biggest takeaway is avoiding lifestyle creep on the primary residence (PPOR) - we are 20km away from the Sydney CBD, not towards the East or North. Resisting the urge to buy into top-tier postcodes kept our PPOR mortgage manageable, which unlocked significant cash flow for investing and living life comfortably.

Curious how other households break down their cashflow distribution or approach PPOR vs. investment allocation?

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?

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck haggling with their bank or a credit union for a better rate on an existing personal loan. Mine is coming up for renewal soon and the initial rate quoted isn't as good as I was hoping for. Feeling like I should at least try and see if there's any wiggle room. Any tips or strategies that worked for you would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone,

We are a business looking to start putting suppliers that accept card payment through a qantas point earning credit card.

The points earned would total a significant amount if most suppliers accept card.

I’d ideally like to transfer the points to the directors personal qantas frequent flyer account for them to redeem personally on flights etc

Can anyone advise if there are any tax/FBT obligations regarding this or issues that need to be considered ?

Thank you!