The BiG Directory, resources and giveaways

The Australian Independent Media Network (AIMN) “is a platform for citizen journalists and bloggers to write and engage in an independent media environment.”

 

 

Mainstream media – TV/Internet/Newspapers

ABC News Business, The Business

The Australian – Business review

Financial Review

7 Yahoo Finance ‘Our experts‘ – Peter Switzer, David Koch, Michael Pascoe, Michael Yardney, Peter Boehm, Aaron Lynch, John Abernethy, Andrew Page, David Taylor, Karina May, Simon Boulton, Marcus Padley, Louise Bedford, Bruce Jackson, Magdy Marcos, Julia Lee, Dr John Demartini, Donna Brond, Ben Stein, Robert Kiyosaki, James Ramsay, Richard Quest, Kathy Lien

9 ninemsn (and Financial Review Sunday) Areas they cover:

• Property
• Share market investing
• Insurance
• Loans and credit
• Managing money and tax
• Super and planning
• Planning
• Finding
• Selling online
• Customer service
• Sales and marketing

News.com.au

Foxtel: Sky Business

• Your Money Your Call – property and shares
• Investing Property news; Business life; SME news; Media; Technology

Educated Investor Financial Bookshop. “Categories: Bargain Books; Trading; Technical; Psychology; Investment; Getting Started; Ebooks, Audio Books, DVD’s; Barefoot Investor Recommended Reading; CFD’s/ Contracts for Difference; Foreign Exchange/FX; Fundamentals; Options/Warrants; Superannuation; Software; Motivational Historical; Real Estate; Business/Management; Commodities; Financial Markets Futures; Leadership; Risk Management; Sales/Marketing; Newsletters”

MAGSHOP

The Adviser

Australian Broker

Australian Property Investor (API) (and see The Business Mall Property Investor’s Bookshop also has general investing, shares, superannuation, derivatives):

• Articles on specific regions, booming suburbs and potential hotspots
• Profiles of successful investors
  • Small property development projects
  • API Hot 100 – a list of the top 100 locations around the country hand-picked for their capital growth prospects
  • Retirement Strategies
  • Small Development Series
  • Young Guns
  • Roadmap to Wealth
  • The Interview Q and A
  • Case studies of specific projects

Austalian Quarterly

Australia’s Paydirt

Bloomberg Business Week

Business Acumen

The Economist

Forbes Asia

Fortune Asia

Gold Mining Journal

Harvard Business Review

Independent Financial Adviser

Marketing

Money “magazine helps you manage your finances by cutting through the jargon. Each month you’ll receive credible, independent and easy-to-understand financial advice from Australia’s most respected financial writers including Paul Clitheroe and Ross Greenwood.”

Mortgage Professionals Australia

SMSF Adviser

Success Business Magazine

Under the Radar Report – Small Caps

Your Investment Property “is the intelligent property owner’s choice when it comes to learning about Australia’s property market. [it] provides you with the most complete set of property data, independent commentary and thoroughly-researched articles about all aspects of investing in property in Australia and abroad. Every issue features in-depth analyses of the market trends that affect your investment. Practical tips and advice on how to manage and finance your investments are also featured regularly to help you make the best decisions. [it] carries the most comprehensive data section of any Australian property magazine, with extensive and exclusive data about every suburb in Australia to help you decide where to put your money. You also get independent expert advice on the best investment strategies for you as well as market analysis from Australia’s most trusted and experienced property experts. Plus, every month Your Investment Property carries exclusive information about Australia’s up-and-coming property hot spots; real-life success stories of ordinary, hardworking Australians who have achieved financial independence through property; and the latest and most practical legal, tax and financial advice to help you invest safely.” Free suburb reports: Newsletter.

Your Trading Edge

Major Street Publishing (MSP) “is an independently-owned publishing company that specialises in personal investment and business books, eBooks, newsletters and other publications.  Founded in October 2009, the aim is to educate readers to save, make, manage and invest their money. Experts are commissioned to write on all aspects of personal finance – from property and share market investing to taxation, superannuation and money management, as well as other business-related topics…categories:

Property & Wealth Creation

Books for Business

Super & Shares “

Fishpond “Absolutely Australia’s Lowest Prices. We won’t be beaten by anyone. Guaranteed … an online store selling books, music, movies, beauty products, toys, sporting and outdoor product, jewellery, kitchen products and homewares.”

Every time you Google, search, subscribe to webinars, podcasts, newsletters, blogs … your personal details are collected and used in some way. Mostly your email address so marketing and other material can be sent to you.

These eBooks, blueprints, videos, CDs, DVDs, webinars, subscriptions and trials, may contain useful tips and information, often they’re teasers to a more substantial purchase. 

Be wary of giving credit card details. Often it’s almost impossible to cancel your subscription or you just forget – good luck getting a refund!

Throughout BiG, wherever I’ve found useful free products and special deals, I’ve include direct links to them. This saves you the hassle of overfilling your own inbox.

creditcard.com.au

Scott Pape Barefoot Investor – Steal My Wallet “I’ve spent hundreds of hours finding the best credit cards, savings accounts, mortgages and super.”

Money Buddy: “Based in Sydney, Money Buddy is an independent team of people interested in presenting personal finance information in a useful, easily-digested format. [It] covers home loans, credit cards, car loans, personal loans, bank accounts, tax, accounting, financial planning and calculators [and] features a local business directory for finding local business experts near you … we don’t endorse particular products or provide personal advice … We source our product data directly from institutions/providers and we keep this data as current as possible … [with our] search tool you can: Locate loan brokers or financial advisors in your area. Contact specific local businesses or allow us to match you with the best match. Search for local businesses specialising in home loans, car loans, personal loans, tax, accounting and financial planning.”

Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia – MFAA

Better Bills – Health (inc, Overseas Visitors) Insurance; Electricity and Gas  providers “founded by Tim Andrew and David Ingram to provide Australian consumers with a proper ‘fair go’ at getting the best prices from the widest range of providers, all in one place.”

Canstar “are the research company behind the ‘Money Magazine’ Bank of the Year awards … [they] provide research to comparison sites such as RateCity and Government bodies such as ASIC and the Reserve Bank … [they] see consumer education as a key goal.”

Choice

Compare the Market Compares: car, travel, health, life, home and contents insurance; roadside assistance; energy

finder.com.au Compares: Money; Utilities, Tech, Shopping and Travel

Flying Solo micro business directory – a huge list of small businesses.

iSelect – Compares: Health, Car, and Life Insurance; Home Loans; Electricity; Gas and Broadband

Moneyhound, Yahoo – Compare credit cards; mobile phones; home loans; bank accounts; broadband plans; saving accounts; term deposits; personal loans; tablet plans; car loans; electricity; gas; life insurance; and car insurance

“… helps you save money on your monthly bills … compare what you’re paying for all your monthly services against plans and prices from other providers to help you switch and save … Moneyhound will show you a comprehensive range of plans and products available in the Australian market based on your search criteria … search, compare, and fetch a better deal.”

Mozo “Over 300,000 Australians use our comparison tools each month to cut through the marketing noise and save themselves both time and money. Our award-winning website exists to help Australians easily compare banking, insurance and energy products to find the best deals for their needs.?”

Product review “is Australia’s first and most comprehensive consumer opinion site, online since May 2003. We provide a platform where people can rate and review services and products and the shops that sell them. It is consumer response – satisfied or not! On this site you will find real-life experiences and opinions voiced by Australians. We provide our users with the tools to easily find the items they are interested in, read what others have said about them and share their own experiences.”

Rate City (see their commissions/benefits from advertisers)

MoneySmart (ASIC) Scott’s Pape’s protect your finances money challenge (Video)

Compare the market

Health: Private Health “a wealth of background material on private health insurance in Australia, a list of every registered health fund in Australia, the ability to search for health insurance policies and compare what is covered in each policy you have chosen.”

Info choice (includes stock brokers)

Funeral Cover:

Beware! Many funeral insurance policies play on your fear of death and guilt! Often prepaid funerals and funeral bonds are a much better alternative. Safer and cheaper and more regulated than insurance covers – suggests the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA). Their article Would you pay $140,000 for a funeral? has some great information.

Construction Site – Australian Construction Resource Market

eTradesman

Get Tradies

HomeOne – Home building and Renovation

Home Source

The Independent – Property Tradesmen (UK)

Quotify

Service

Trade Chaser

Trade Connect

TrueLocal

Word of mouth online

5 Tips for Outsourcing Every Online Entrepreneur Needs

Service Seeking

Best 6 Outsourcing Websites:

• Guru.com
• Elance.com
• fiverr
• Odesk.com (now UpWork)
• Solutioninn.com
• PeoplePerHour.com

Property investment professionals:

Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) “Our aim is to be the peak Property Investment Industry Association. Our members subscribe to a Code of Conduct which considers all consumers and commits to disclosure and a high standard of Best Practice. All of our members must work toward obtaining the Qualified Property Investment Adviser (QPIA®) qualification which will ensure that consumers can confidently deal with them, knowing that they have a minimum level of expertise and are continuing with regular professional development.”

Real estate agents:

In the BiG Shop (below) we only list real estate agents or other ancillary provides that we, or our members, have used, or who have paid for advertising (all are subject to comments and review).

We’re not a real estate agent ‘yellow pages’ as the internet already has many directories (e.g. in the various real estate institute member sites).

In many blogs and forums investors discuss their experiences with agents and real estate issues in general, such as commissions. Some are:

• investEd (investing generally)
• PropertyChat – previously Somersoft (property)
• Whirlpool (internet in general)

Tips and Sites to help you find a real estate agent:

How to Find the Best Real Estate Agent Scott Pape (The Barefoot Investor)

Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) Helping and protecting consumers with property investment

Real Estate Monitors “We help you choose and deal with an agent. You choose, we monitor”, 7 Questions to ask an agent when selling

The Good Agent Guide

Open Agent

Rate my Agent

Sell my castle – Local Agent Finder

Buyers agents:

Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) – Why investors should consider using a buyer’s agent

Rental Properties/Landlords:

Don’t Rent Me “Review & list bad landlords, bad property managers and bad rental properties.”

Analysis and Data: The Financial Standard and Morningstar

Shares:

Guidelines from ASIC MoneySmart

How to Buy and Sell Shares

On a share exchange

There are five public share exchanges in Australia. Four of them directly supervise the companies that issue the shares that trade on their markets. The fifth exchange, Chi-X, currently only provides the infrastructure for trading shares already quoted on the ASX.

The four exchanges:

1. Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) – the main securities exchange in Australia
2. Chi-X – an exchange that trades company shares already quoted on the ASX, but does not list or supervise the companies
3. National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSXA) – a securities exchange that lists about 70 small to medium sized companies
4. SIM Venture Securities Exchange (SIM VSE) – an exchange for innovative companies involved in the clean technology, renewable energy and bio science field

Using a broker:

Important considerations ASX

2 types of brokers:

• online or phone broking service or ‘discount’ or ‘execution only’ broker – make your own investment decisions, or
• full service broker – they provide advice and recommendations

Find a broker:

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) find a broker tool

Check if the broker uses dark pools or internalisation to execute trades, as this may impact on the price you pay for shares.

Managed Funds:

Choosing a managed fund MoneySmart (ASIC)

Picking a Funds Manager clearday

Superannuation:

SuperSavvy

SuperRatings

Choosing a Superfund MoneySmart (ASIC)

Choosing a Superfund ATO

Canstar Blue “Consumers for consumers”

Get price