The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has sent out a note giving ‘inactive’ brokers two weeks’ notice for the revocation of their accreditation.

Brokers were deemed inactive if they had not written a CBA home loan in the past year or if they had only written a single mortgage. The letter provided recipients with 14 days’ notice, starting from the date the letter was sent, in which the bank would revoke the broker’s authority to act. By freezing loan applications, new loans cannot be written by brokers about to lose their accreditation so that customer would not face issues.

Yesterday the Fair Work Commission decided to cut Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy sectors, however Sunday wages will not drop to the same level as Saturday rates.

After months of deliberation and several delays, the Commission handed down its ruling on whether Sunday pay rates should be brought in line with Saturdays this morning.

The changes to Sunday rates in workplace awards in each of the sectors are:

Did you know, the Australian government is trialing a new way of delivering welfare payments using a cashless debit card in the suburb of Bankstown, NSW starting soon in 2017.

It has been successfully trialed in Ceduna, South Australia and it has brought down drunken violence by 41% and gambling as poker machines profits have dipped 15%.

With the entrepreneurial spirit taking off over the last few years, more and more people are setting up shop from home. If you’re after the flexibility of a career from home but don’t know where to start, check out some of the great ideas below.

1. Rent a Room

If you have the space, a great way to make money from home is to let it be someone else’s home too—not permanently of course! Airbnb has caused a tourism revolution- with people all over the world opening their homes and spare bedrooms as affordable accommodation. If you’re going to do it though, do it properly. The best way to do this is by achieving glowing references from guests.

     2. Get Writing

Great content is always in high demand, and as content is often not needed 9–5, five days a week, many companies prefer to hire freelancers specifically during their high-demand periods. If you have a strong interest or expertise in a specific subject though, another avenue you could try is blogging. Look for blogging or freelancer sites to find out what the contract or hourly rates are.

    3. Cooking & Baking

Yes, that’s right; you can cater to specific tastes and cuisines. With more and more couples working longer hours, the demand for home cooked food is on the rise. Home cooked food is perceived as a healthier alternative to eating out.

    4. Marketing

Being a telemarketer or being a part of an MLM, is actually an extremely flexible career option that will allow you to work from virtually anywhere. If you have a pleasant phone manner and are confident in sales and small talk, this could be the ideal career option, as many companies choose to out-source their telemarketing campaigns. Do a basic internet search to discover which companies are hiring home-based workers, and compare their hourly rates.

    5. Travel Consultant

Do you love to travel and want to share your knowledge? Then become a personal consultant and trip planner for other budding travelers. Trip planning is an enormous task, and can be very overwhelming for someone who has never traveled before. Providing a personalised travel service including booking and planning everything, as well as offering your own personal insights, could be a big income maker that is separate to the franchised travel companies.

There is very little investment required and you just need to be organised. So you can start small and work towards a larger goal. Contact us at loans@financeandmortgage.com.au to discuss more options and to crunch the numbes.

In today’s society, earning money doesn’t have to be restricted to large office building; technology now means money can be earnt anywhere. All you need is confidence, a great idea and dedication to a flexible schedule and environment—your at-home career will take off in no time!

Building Costs Vary City to City

The cost of building the exact same home can vary substantially between regions and capital cities, says BMT Tax Depreciation. The most expensive places in which to build a house or townhouse are Cairns and Darwin.

This is not because of transportation costs for materials, but generally because of a shortage of tradies.
The cost of a four-bedroom brick veneer home built to a medium level of finish would cost between $2018/m² and $2385/m 2  in Cairns and Darwin.
Building the same house in Hobart would only cost between $1652/m² and $2110/m². The cost in Sydney: $1835/ m², Melbourne: $1743-$2018/ m² and Brisbane: $1743-$2110/ m².

You can plan your finances using an App these days.

Technology has eroded the reasons for people to seek the help of a financial advisor, it has also created new opportunities for advisors to reach more people through social media.

Firms have embraced technology but have failed to see significant rewards because

1.Their website brings in visitors but converts few clients

2.They use social media but see little engagement

For advisors to get the most from their online social profile they need to focus on

1. Their predefined target client type

2. Focus on providing value

3. Develop a re-marketing process
Discuss your views at loans@financeandmortgage.com.au.

Granny flats are flexible and can cater to myriad uses. Some of these include:

Home offices
Save rent money and travel expenses by building your office at home and enjoy a better life/work balance.

Rental income
As an investment, a granny flat is neutrally or positively geared even before any tax benefits.

Hobby space
Build a perfect space to carry out these passions without interfering with any house space.

An actual Granny/ Grandpa Flat
This home will allow you to care for your elderly relatives without losing independence.

To learn more about financing a granny flat or its tax benefits, call us on 0425341086 or email us at loans@financeandmortgage.com.au.