News
Losing Your Mind
In the Beginning There Was Manufacturing Picture, if you will, an image of a modern-day car factory. Where once the production lines were dominated by people there are now complex machines doing most of the simple construction which requires speed, accuracy and...
The Perfect Relationship and Reality
They did almost everything together when James* wasn’t at work. They dined together every night in one of that island’s many wonderful eateries. The weekends were spent in blissful trips away. Business class trips were had either to London where James was from or Sydney where Lulu*, James’ partner, had family. You could say they had the perfect modern relationship.
The Value of Things and Tuscany
A couple of weeks ago and for the second time in 12 months I travelled back to Rome, Florence and Sienna. In between engorging myself with kilograms of pasta, gallons of wine and litres of gelato, I did a little research and lots of contemplation.
Road Rage, Bike Rage and Bank Rage
Anyone who drives from St Ives Chase to Terrey Hills on a sunny weekend morning is likely to encounter lycra-clad middle-aged men riding on their expensive bicycles. Some of these cyclists are quite serious. They’re the ones who take the ride down to Bobbin Head and do the 11km uphill climb to return. I find it difficult doing that hairpin laden stretch of road in a car much less a bike. I tried walking it once but hailed a taxi half way up.
Old People, Debt and Being Over It
Our local area in Sydney’s upper North Shore has a very large elderly demographic. I’m talking a disproportionate number of people over eighty. I’ve been known to refer to the suburb as Club-Med for the dead. Almost on a daily basis I encounter strange behaviour from this demographic.
The Never-Ending Property Bull Run
I was raised not to gloat when I was right particularly when most others knew that what I was predicting would come to pass and that it would cause pain to those who were not as right. And so, it is with the Sydney property market. For three years I, and quite a number of others, have been warning that the seemingly never-ending property bull run would have to end. History dictated that it did. Last week’s adjusted Auction Clearance Rate in Sydney was just a tad over 45%. Initial numbers for Saturday (7thJuly) are at 51%. This will probably be adjusted down.
Anxiety, Fake News and Property
There’s someone close to me who suffers from chronic anxiety. He displays one of the many symptoms when he receives bad news. In his mind it’s the worst news ever. As a mental health professional once told him “there are the first nine steps between one and ten that you have chosen to ignore”.
Damage Control and Back to the Future
Our review identified that competition in the home loan market is affected by ownership relationships between lenders and aggregators and the inability of smaller lenders to access or remunerate brokers in the same way as larger lenders.
Business Loan Requirements
You may have seen the ads for business loan providers highlighting the minimal requirements to qualify for one. These providers are usually non-banks. What they won't show in their advertising is their interest rates. The reason for this is simple. They know that...
Rate Cuts By Stealth
Now though, we’ve seen those rates – for investor loans – come right back in price. That’s right, some lenders have been cutting rates without shouting it from the rooftops. Rate cuts by stealth if you will.