I’ve been thinking about minding the beeswax of business. It started when I was happily watching a period drama. You know the kind of thing – lovely clothes, beautiful houses and lush gardens. Cold relationships between the rich and aristocratic families, but much warmer with their domestic servants. So it came as a bit of…
House Deposit Holistic Spending Plan
We have this thing called “The Great Australian Dream,” which is basically to own a house on a quarter acre block. This dream has its roots in returning servicemen wanting to live the good life they fought to defend. It was part creating a comfy family nest, part preventing the land going to “undesirables”, and…
How to celebrate your 100th birthday
A few days ago, Mary Beard asked; “How do you celebrate your 100th birthday?” Like her, I don’t have a fond hope for reaching 100 years, though in my case it’s because my treatment options are likely to be few when my transplant fails (though hopefully, that’s a while away yet). But would you even…
How to Win in the Sales Season
It’s sales season again – that time of year when it seems everyone is trying to get their hands in your wallet. Preferably to empty it, leaving you (and their competitors) with nothing. But you can win the sales season, “all” it takes is a bit of research and planning. Know what you want, and…
How to do a Holistic Personal Finance Annual Review
Here in Australia, we’ve only got another three weeks to lodge our tax returns, so it seems like a good idea to talk a little about the kind of personal finance annual review you could be doing to improve your future. Annual Review The main reason I’m linking your annual review to the fiscal year…
Debt Reduction Holistic Spending Plan
Here in Australia, the major banks have increased their mortgage rates, and the “average” borrower (whoever that is) will be paying another $50 a month. I think that most people will actually be paying more. And when you add that to increasing credit card debt, it’s time to think seriously about debt reduction. Vision, Mission,…
Start a New Business Holistic Spending Plan
It’s tax time here in Australia, and when people see their numbers in black and white on their returns, many start wondering about going into business for themselves. That makes it a good time for a Start a New Business Holistic Spending Plan. The most important part of starting a new business is knowing why.…
Your Role as a Purchasing Agent
Have you ever thought about your role as a Purchasing Agent? Or are you like most people who just buy stuff? You might find it interesting to know that you need formal qualifications to buy things for a living. In Australia, the Diploma of Purchasing “qualifies you to apply integrated technical and theoretical concepts in a…
How to Create a Savings Plan
While I’ve talked about Spending Plans, and how to rearrange them to accommodate your goals, I’ve not mentioned creating a Savings Plan. And when I say Savings Plan, I don’t mean buying things at a discount; I mean not buying things and putting the money aside to use later. Maybe to buy a house or a…
How to Recognise and Take Advantage of Opportunities
I went into town the other day for my transplant checkup, and I noticed a lot of homeless people. It occurred to me that in the same way that you’re only a few steps from losing everything, you’re only a few steps from having it all. You just need the ability to recognise and take…
How to Make Good Purchasing Decisions
Here in Australia, the Banking Royal Commission is well underway. And you may wonder what this has to do with good purchasing decisions, but at some point, we all chose to buy their services, and some of us chose to invest in them, and all of our superannuation funds invest and bank with them. The Commission was…
Get Moving! Holistic Spending Plan
Around now, when life settles back into its usual rut, many of us cry out “I wish I could just get moving again.” It’s not about weight loss per se (I’ve written a spending plan for that), it’s more about dealing with stress, the desire for a shapely calf, or improving your health by getting…