Articles & Questions

Every week I publish a fun new article on a money topic I think you’ll find interesting. I also answer a handful of reader questions. Subscribers to my newsletter get to see everything first — but you can browse some of my past articles & questions on this page.


My Best Articles

Not sure where to start? Below I’ve handpicked a few of my favourites. And if you like what you see, don’t forget to subscribe to my free newsletter to get new issues before anyone else!

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How to Get a Big Tax Refund

Hi Scott, I had my tax done this week and found out that I have (finally) paid off my HECS debt! This is great news, but my accountant advised me that I cannot let my workplace know that this is the case, so I can ensure a decent refund next year.

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Fight Club

Hi Scott, My partner and are currently having a massive argument: I am pro renting and she is against it. We do not have any debts, and have about $80,000 in cash and shares.

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Wedding Bills

Hi Scott,I’ve never owned a credit card in my life but with my wedding coming up in 4 weeks I’m looking into one for a few expenses I can't pay upfront. I’m looking at a NAB low rate credit card, how does this one fare?

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The Booby Prize

Hi Scott About 10 years ago I won $2,000 in a competition. Part of the prize was a financial planning session with AMP.

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Risky, Stupid -- or Both?

Hi Scott, Thanks for the great advice -- we read your column out loud each week! Our current situation is this: we live in Geelong, have a home loan of $7k on a property valued at $500k, and have no other debts.

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It’s the End of the World As We Know It

Scott, I am 43 with $240,000 in my SMSF, and I have liquidated my portfolio after reading up on the coming financial crisis. The US Federal Reserve will lift interest rates, which will cause a tsunami of defaults around a world that is addicted to cheap money.

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The Prodigal Son

Scott, My son is 45 years old. He earns in excess of $200,000 but loves spending borrowed money.

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Who’d Work for Below the Minimum Wage?

Barefoot, My husband owns a small CBD café which he purchased two years ago. After a lot of hard work, it nearly pays him a minimum hourly wage, while employing four staff.

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Go Pies!

Hi Barefoot, La Trobe Financial offers amazing rates on term deposits -- 5.2 per cent for 12 months and up to 7 per cent for 24 months.

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Buying Bricks

Hi Scott Just read about a company called BRICKX which lets you buy a ‘brick’ in a property investment with very small amounts of money. (They split a house into 10,000 bricks you can invest in.

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Can I Afford to Keep the House?

Hi Scott, I am currently going through a separation and want to know if I am in a financial position to keep the house. The mortgage is $506k; the house was bought for $665k 18 months ago and is valued at $730k.

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The Financial Fitness Trainer

Hi Scott, My partner and I are looking at using a budgeting advisor like MyBudget to help us create a plan and stick to it. We earn $90k combined but have $7k on a car loan, $17k on a personal loan and $13k on a credit card.

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Terrified

Hi Scott, By husband and I have $130k owing on our home, which is worth about $500k. We are in our mid-40s and only have around $300k combined in super.

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