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Why did my score decrease?

Have you noticed a dip in your credit score? This could mean many different things. The amount of credit you have, the age of your credit or any altered credit limits could all make your score go down. Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) changes in Australia made earlier this year could impact your credit score as well. While there are many possible reasons why your report changed, let’s look at these common factors. Comprehensive Credit Reporting changes As of July 2018,…

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Four saving strategies for spring and summer

As the winter months come to an end in Australia, you’re probably antsy to get out in the warmer weather. But getting out more could also mean increased spending. If you’re trying to figure out how to save this spring and summer, easy ways to get a boost include sticking to a budget, using credit card rewards, having social functions at home and saving on energy costs. 1. Stick to a budget Sticking to a budget is easier said than…

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5 sure-fire ways to get a juicy pay rise in Australia

Are your palms sweaty? Is your heart racing? Maybe there’s a deep sense of foreboding in the pit of your stomach? You may be on the verge of a parachute jump or other life-endangering feat, but you could also be about to do something equally terrifying: ask for a pay rise. Year-on-year wage growth was just 2.1 per cent in Australia over the March quarter 2018, which barely covers the 1.9 per cent inflation increase in the consumer price index…

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How long is information held on my credit file?

Following the introduction of comprehensive credit reporting, both positive and negative listings are recorded by credit providers. However, it is the negative listings such as bankruptcies and overdue accounts that will be listed on your file for longer and impact your ability to access credit. Use the following as a guide for how long listings will appear on your file: Type of listing Length of time it’s listed (years) Description Payment history information 2 Monthly repayment history information on active…

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Scared of your finances? 5 ways to get control over your money without looking through your fingers

Money management can be a terrifying thing. Especially if you’ve got debt – seeing large sums go in and out of your bank account is enough to give anyone the willies, even if it’s ‘good’ debt (such as a home loan). But there are strategies you can use to cope, and to not only manage your money but actually overcome those ghosts of spending past. Here’s five we’ve rounded up. Know where your money is going. Knowledge is power, and…

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How to milk those rewards points

People can be suckers for rewards points, going out of their way to get a few extra clicks. But you’ve got to be careful to get the most out of the rewards points in the best way. It’s not just rewards points credit cards to be careful with. We have wallets full of little plastic and cardboard cards for everything from coffee to Fly Buys. But customer loyalty doesn’t always add up. Here’s the rub: rewards points do work is if…

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What you need to know: Four questions to ask before you get your first mortgage

So you’re in the market for your first mortgage. It’s a lot of money, right? You’re about to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars, and no doubt you’ll want to know you’re not paying more than you need. We’ve put together a checklist for you. Have you shopped around as well as you could? Don’t forget this: the interest you’ll pay on your mortgage over the next 10, 20 or 30 years is worth a lot of money to someone.…

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How to make your mortgage work better (and harder) for you

For most of us, there’s nothing we spend more on each month than our mortgage. So there’s never a month where it’s not worth asking: “Could I be doing better? Could I be getting closer to paying it off? Could I be paying a bit less in interest?” Here are our top tips for making sure you’re putting the least in and getting the most out. Push your bank a bit harder It’s always worth bearing in mind that banks…

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Mortgage Help: How to refinance your home loan

A mortgage can easily end up costing you thousands more than it needs to, maybe tens of thousands, if you’re not always looking for the best deal. Sometimes you can do better by refinancing to a mortgage with a lower interest rate. But it’s not something you want to be doing without some careful preparation and homework. What do you need, and what will it cost you to change? Before you start refinancing, find out exactly how much you need…

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Help! Nothing has changed on my credit file, but my score has changed. Why?

So your credit score has changed, but you can’t see anything immediately obvious on your credit history to indicate why it’s different? There are a few reasons why your credit score can change, even though it doesn’t look like anything has changed on your credit history. Some of the reasons why your credit score may change are: Data is only held on your credit file for a certain amount of time, something that is decided by privacy laws. A default…

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