time to get more from life, money and investing

 AFCA The Australian Financial Complaints Authority  “considers complaints that previously would have been handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Credit and Investments Ombudsman and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal. We are the dispute resolution scheme for financial services. We consider complaints about:

credit, finance and loans; insurance;
banking deposits and payments;
investments and financial advice; superannuation.”

Check out MoneySmart’s (ASIC) list of companies not licensed to give financial advice, or their Online stockbroking scams list. This website “is for all Australians – young or old, rich or poor, investing or paying off debt. We offer free, independent guidance so you can make the best choices for your money. We are not selling you anything. And when life puts your finances under stress, MoneySmart is here to help you ride the storm. We have smart tips on dealing with the ups and downs of life: losing your job, having a baby, divorce or separation, buying a home, losing your partner and many more.”

At Scamwatch, from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), you’ll find useful tips and tricks on:

• Banking and online account scams
• Chain letters and pyramid scams
• Health and medical scams
• Identity theft scams
• Investments scams (get rich quick)
• Job and employment scams
• Lottery and competition scams (fake prizes)
• Mobile phone scams
• Money transfer requests (‘Nigerian scams’)
• Online scams
• Personalised scams
• Small business scams

Choice is ‘independent and transparent … [its] one clear mission: to ensure the consumer voice is heard loudly and clearly… [it] empowers consumers to get the most out of all their purchasing decisions by providing a mix of advocacy and advice… the people’s watchdog … constantly looking out for misleading or unhelpful practices that stop you from getting the best deal. The leading consumer advocacy group in Australia … [it]campaigns to protect and assist consumers through changes to laws and industry behaviour… completely self-funded [it] prides itself on delivering expert, unbiased information you can trust.”

Victoria’s Consumer Action Law Centre is a great resource.

Consumers’ Federation of Australia CFA is the peak body for consumer organisations in Australia. [It] represents a diverse range of consumer organisations, including most major national consumer organisations.

Specific industry consumer advocate organisations:

Health

Consumer Health Forum (CHF) they claim: “is the peak organisation providing leadership in representing the interests of Australian healthcare consumers. We work to achieve safe, good quality, timely healthcare for all Australians, supported by the best health information and systems the country can afford.”

Friends of Science in Medicine “was established in late 2011 by five founding members from a cross-section of concerned professionals, each with a long but different history of involvement in educational activities fostering good science in Medicine.

Australia has recently seen an increase in the use of ‘complementary and alternative medicines’ (CAMs), at considerable cost to the public who use these unproven interventions. In parallel, the teaching by our universities and colleges of many courses based on clearly non-scientific principles have alarmed academic and clinical researchers, health professionals and informed lay persons. In early 2011, the founding members publicly raised their concerns about a clinic for children operating in association with a Chiropractic course at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In September 2011, they and an initial 29 Friends protested to the Vice-Chancellor of the Central Queensland University when it announced its Chiropractic course for 2012.

Initial support from many colleagues prompted a larger campaign to attract more Friends of FSM. Overwhelming success within a few weeks led the founders to write to the Vice-Chancellors of all Australian universities, urging them to support the principle of good science in Medicine and to review their teaching of health courses not based on science … We welcome suggestions from Friends as to our future strategy. The initial members, with the recent addition of an ordinary member, now form our first executive.”

FSM has some natural friends and allies with websites that complement and add information relevant to the principles and commitments of FSM. We would appreciate further suggestions for appropriate links from critical thinking groups.

• Australian Skeptics Inc
• Bad Science
• Campaign for science-based health care
• DS’c Improbable Science
• Health Information
• Health Watch
• Institute for Science in Medicine
• Real Science
• Science-Based Medicine
• Sense about Science
• Skeptical Medicine
• Quackwatch
• The Canadian Association of Witchdoctors

Society for Neuroscience – Brain facts

Franchises (mediation services) from the accc.gov.au

Horticulture (mediation services) from the accc.gov.au

Privacy

Telecommunications from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network

• Energy and Gas | Oil/Petrol
  • Queensland
  • New South Wales
  • Australian Capital Territory
  • Victoria
  • South Australia
  • Tasmania

Have a read of an article by Trish Power of Super Guide, ‘Investment scams target males aged 50-plus’.

Other useful links include:

• gov, helping your find government information and services
• Australian Skeptics
• ACORN, The Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network, a national policing initiative that allows the public to securely report instances of cybercrime.
• The Checkout – ABC TVs consumer affair satirical show that has a list of resources for consumer complaints. If you’ve had a bad experience, you can email your gripe, or post a video there on U.Tube!
• Aussie Criminals

‘The Reporters’ Lab explores, and checks the facts of new journalism around the world. It empowers democracies and hold governments accounts, creating new forms of storytelling and beat reporting. Visit the Sanford School of Public Policy Reporters Lab Fact checking site.

Facecrooks provide you with news, educational resources and alerts on social media privacy, safety and scams. Make sure you pop on over and Like them to stay informed.

Australian Bankers’ Association – ABA

Australian Investors Association – AIA “Is a non-profit organisation which exists for one purpose: to help our members become more successful long-term investors. We protect and advance the interests of Australian investors across all types of investments and asset classes – including shares, cash, property, self-managed superannuation funds and managed funds.”

Australian Property Institute – API

CPAAustralia – CPA “Find a CPA (certified practising accountant) or financial planner”

Finance Broker’s Association of Australia – FBAA

Financial Ombudsman Service – FOS

Financial Planning Association of Australia FPA

Financial Services Institute of Australia – FINSIA

Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia – IFAAA

Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia – MFAA

Property Investment Professionals Australia  – PIPA

Real Estate Buyers Agents Association – REBAA

Real Estate Institute of Australia – REIA

• Wealth Within and Your Trading Mentor (shares)
• Neil Jenman (real estate)
• Margaret Lomas (real estate)
• Stephen Mayne (shareholders)
• Scott Pape (financial advisory)
• John T Reed (real estate artist BS checklist – USA)