Brendan Burgess
Founder
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The following items seem to appear frequently:
1) You should not have savings and expensive borrowings at the same time. If you have money on deposit or other investments consider using it to pay expensive debt such as credit cards, car loans, credit union loans, etc.
2) In particular, it is a bad idea to have shares in a credit union earning interest of 3% while you have a loan with them costing you 9% or more.
3) If you have a repayment mortgage, consider extending the term or switching it to interest only if you cannot meet your monthly outgoings.
4) Have you got a competitive mortgage? Do you know what rate you are paying? Switch your mortgage, especially if you have a low loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. The savings can be very significant. Consider posting your mortgage details in the switcher thread (in the format shown in the first post). You'll get an estimate of the savings you would make from switching to different lenders (or to a different rate with your current lender, which is usually very simple and quick to do).
5) If you are simply spending too much for your current level of income, rearranging your finances won't solve the problem. You need to cut down your spending. You will find some useful tips here. Check out the MABS website for advice or visit them. It's a free service.
6) In particular, you should not be borrowing for luxuries, e.g., a large car or a second holiday if you are overborrowed already.
7) Most people find themselves struggling in the first few years after buying a house. Don't let this worry you unduly. Don't worry that you are not making pension contributions. After a few years, salary inflation will hopefully make the repayments easier to manage.
8) Review your house insurance, motor insurance, mortgage protection policy and travel insurance requirements on an annual basis (or more often if necessary) to ensure the premia are competitive. It's very easy now to get quotes for insurance online and this can help you to judge whether you are getting value for money or not.
9) Are you claiming all the tax reliefs due?
1) You should not have savings and expensive borrowings at the same time. If you have money on deposit or other investments consider using it to pay expensive debt such as credit cards, car loans, credit union loans, etc.
2) In particular, it is a bad idea to have shares in a credit union earning interest of 3% while you have a loan with them costing you 9% or more.
3) If you have a repayment mortgage, consider extending the term or switching it to interest only if you cannot meet your monthly outgoings.
4) Have you got a competitive mortgage? Do you know what rate you are paying? Switch your mortgage, especially if you have a low loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. The savings can be very significant. Consider posting your mortgage details in the switcher thread (in the format shown in the first post). You'll get an estimate of the savings you would make from switching to different lenders (or to a different rate with your current lender, which is usually very simple and quick to do).
5) If you are simply spending too much for your current level of income, rearranging your finances won't solve the problem. You need to cut down your spending. You will find some useful tips here. Check out the MABS website for advice or visit them. It's a free service.
6) In particular, you should not be borrowing for luxuries, e.g., a large car or a second holiday if you are overborrowed already.
7) Most people find themselves struggling in the first few years after buying a house. Don't let this worry you unduly. Don't worry that you are not making pension contributions. After a few years, salary inflation will hopefully make the repayments easier to manage.
8) Review your house insurance, motor insurance, mortgage protection policy and travel insurance requirements on an annual basis (or more often if necessary) to ensure the premia are competitive. It's very easy now to get quotes for insurance online and this can help you to judge whether you are getting value for money or not.
9) Are you claiming all the tax reliefs due?
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