As of July 2005, Australian workers can now choose between a retirement savings account (RSA) and a superannuation fund (or super, for short). But what exactly is the difference between an RSA and a super fund?
Organization
Simply put, a super fund is managed by a trustee and must comply with certain government rules to ensure that your super is managed properly. Super funds are more like a mutual fund, in that they are their own entity. Types of super funds include: corporate funds available to employees of a certain company; industry …

While debt consolidation may seem difficult to understand at first glance, it is really quite a simple topic—the name says it all. Concisely put, debt consolidation is consolidating your debts. This means that you take all of your various debts and consolidate them into one large debt with one payment.
Why Do People Use Debt Consolidation?
Debt consolidation is typically sold as a service that “makes it easier to manage your debt”. Instead of making six different payments on six different debts to six different lenders, you instead can roll all of …

For most people, a house – or, more accurately, a mortgage – is the largest purchase they will ever make. That’s right. “Home buyers” aren’t actually purchasing that cute little plot of land, the house, or even the white picket fence. The bank is purchasing all that, and the buyer is purchasing the mortgage from a lending institution.
With that in mind, you can see why finding the right mortgage is so important. It’s just as important as finding the house of your dreams. You don’t have to live in your …

Polonius in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet said that mixing loans and relations was damaging because “for loan oft loses both itself and friend.”  But how dangerous is it to loan/borrow from friends and family?
Let’s look at some advantages and disadvantages of borrowing from family and friends:
Pros:

Low interest rates, if any
Instant access to money
Banks are tight, only means to obtain funds

Cons:

Relationship is jeopardized if loan is not paid
Financial situation is no longer private
No protection due to not being formal

Financial transactions between people with personal ties tend to …

Australians pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming. That philosophy extends to our health care system as well. A public, government-funded health care system, called Medicare, provides basic care for every citizen.
Medicare typically pays for:

100 % of in-hospital costs at public hospitals
75 – 85% of General Practitioner and specialist services

Additionally, the public system covers:

most immunizations
100% of prescription medicine costs
30 to 40% of the premiums for private health insurance cover

Treatment under the public health care system does not extend to Australian citizens traveling outside the country, so travel insurance is …