Big Tips: MoneySmart (ASIC) has got a handy Glossary to help you understand some basic and tricky money and investing concepts. BiG often links to the fab (your tax payer funded!) MoneySmart topics and resources. Their huge amount of material is well worth checking out. The site was developed after extensive research and consultation with collaboration between many experts and bodies, both private and government.

They say: “We’re committed to helping Australians of all ages, backgrounds and incomes to increase their financial wellbeing and build a better life.

Through the Moneysmart website we:

• encourage saving
• encourage informed use of financial products and services
• increase retirement preparedness
• provide specialist support for priority audiences”

Some of their extensive, topics, resources, spreadsheets, tools and calculators include:

BANKING and BUDGETING

Banking

• Savings accounts
• Joint accounts
• Direct debits
• Unauthorised and mistaken transactions
• Banking and credit scams
• Identity theft

Budgeting

• How to do a budget
• Track your spending
• Managing on a low income
• Tool Budget planner
• Tool Compound interest calculator
• Tool Simple money manager

Saving

• Start a savings habit
• Tool Savings goals calculator
• Save for an emergency fund ‘Be prepared for life’s surprises’
• Compound interest
• Simple ways to save money
• Term deposits
• Save for a house deposit

Income Tax

• Tool – GST calculator
• Tool – Income tax calculator
• Salary packaging
• Lodging a tax return

LOANS, CREDIT and DEBT
Loans

• Investor toolkit
• Going guarantor on a loan
• Loan rejection
• Payday loans
• No interest loans
• Tool-Personal loans
• Tool-Payday loan calculator
• Tool-APP Moneysmart cars app

Credit Cards

• Choosing a credit card
• T-Financial advisers register
• Pay off your credit card
• T-Credit card calculator
• Credit card balance transfers
• Cancel a credit card

Home Loans

• Choosing a home loan
• Switching home loans
• Tool-Mortgage switching calculator
• Using a mortgage broker
• Tool-Home Loan Calculator
• Pay off your mortgage faster ‘6 ways to pay your mortgage faster’
• Problems paying your mortgage
• Tool-Interest-only home loans Mortgage Calculator
• Keeping your mortgage on track

Managing Debt

• Get debt under control
• Repossessed car or goods
• Bankruptcy and debt agreements
• Free legal advice
• Tool-Net worth calculator
• Urgent help with money
• Financial counselling
• Financial hardship
• Problems paying your bills and fines
• Credit scores and credit reports
• Credit repair
• Debt consolidation and refinancing
• Dealing with debt collectors

INVESTING and PLANNING

How to invest:

• How to plan, choose and track your investments
• Golden rules of investing
• Investor toolkit [BiG Loves it!)
• Develop an investing plan
• Six steps to get ready to invest
• Choose your investments
• Diversification
• Investing and tax
• Borrowing to invest
• Keep track of your investments

Financial advice

• Financial advisers register
• Choosing a financial adviser
• Working with a financial adviser
• Financial advice costs
• Problems with a financial adviser

Shares

• Choosing shares to buy
• How to buy and sell shares
• Keeping track of your shares
• Employee share schemes

Managed funds and ETFs

• Managed funds fee calculator
• Choosing a managed fund
• Exchange traded funds (ETFs)
• Hedge funds
• Listed investment companies (LICs)
• Peer to peer lending

Property investment

• Property schemes
• Timeshares
• SMSFs and property

Investments paying interest

• Bonds
• Debentures, secured and unsecured notes
• Hybrid securities and notes

Investment warnings

• Investment scams
• Cryptocurrencies and ICOs
• Investment seminars
• Binary options
• Land banking
• Ponzi schemes
• Company director fraud
• Forex trading

Super and retirement

• How super works
• Choosing a super fund
• Types of super funds
• Self-managed super funds (SMSF)
• Getting your super
• Find lost super
• Consolidating super funds
• Tax and super
• Superannuation scams
• Superannuation calculator
• MySuper funds list
  
  

Grow your super

• Employer contributions calculator
• How much super you need
• Super contributions
• Super for self-employed people
• Super investment options
• Super contributions optimiser

Retirement income

• Age Pension and government benefits
• Super and pension age calculator
• Transition to retirement
• Retirement planner
• Account-based pensions
• Account-based pension calculator
• Annuities
• Super lump sum
• Retirement income and tax
• Downsizing in retirement
• Reverse mortgage and home equity release
• Reverse mortgage calculator

Insurance

• How life insurance works
• Life insurance calculator
• Income protection insurance
• Life cover
• Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance
• Insurance through super
• Life insurance claims comparison tool
• Trauma insurance
• Making a life insurance claim
• Car insurance
• Choosing car insurance
• Claiming on your car insurance
• No claim bonus on car insurance
• Add-on insurance
• Home insurance
• Choosing home insurance
• Contents insurance
• Storm, flood and fire insurance
• Health insurance
• Funeral insurance
• Pet insurance
• Mobile phone, tablet and laptop insurance
• Travel insurance
• Consumer credit insurance

Moneysmart for teachers

• About Moneysmart for teachers
• Teaching resources
• Professional development for teachers
• Moneysmart in schools