Swish Money Boyd Heather Finance Broker and Financial Adviser

03/11/2026

Another rate rise!

Cash rate now at 4.85%. As always, if it's been a while since you've reviewed your existing home loan, feel free to reach out for a no obligation chat to see what you could potentially save by switching.

At its meeting today, the Board decided to increase the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.85 per cent.

27/10/2026

Income Protection Insurance

What is it? Income Protection Insurance is designed to cover a portion of your salary for a set period of time if you are sick or injured, and unable to work.

What does it actually cover? It can cover up to 70% of your gross annual salary in the event you are sick or injured and unable to work and medical professionals confirm this.

How long does it pay me for? You can usually choose a level of cover ranging from a 2 year period, right through to cover that will make the insured monthly repayment up till you turn 70 years old.

How do I pay for it? You have options to use your superannuation to pay the premiums, or pay outside superannuation from your bank account. There are pros and cons to each option.

I already have some insurance in my superannuation, do I need income protection? It depends. Most super funds offer some basic default covers like Life and Total and Permanent Disablement insurance, which are lump sum amounts paid to you (or your beneficiaries) in the event of a claim under those conditions. Generally speaking, while these covers are usually 'better than nothing' they are rarely appropriate on their own.

For most people, the key question to ask yourself is what would happen to myself, my family (spouse/children) and my mortgage if I was unable to work for an extended period of time due to illness or injury? If the answers to this question aren't positive - insurance should be considered!

25/10/2026

Latest Home Loan Interest Rates - please reach out for a no obligation chat if you'd like to know more.

19/10/2026

💸 Personal Loans 💸

Along with helping our clients with Home Loans at Swish Money we are also able to assist with Personal Loans.

If you're looking at funding a vehicle purchase, holiday, renovations or any other worthwhile purpose a personal loan may be a good option for your circumstances.

As with anything, there are pros and cons:

Pros:

🔍Quick turnaround - most applications are approved/funded within a couple of days (home loans are usually 3-4 weeks at best).
🔍Short Term - most loans are done over a 3-5 year repayment period meaning to debt is paid off quickly (as opposed to adding to your home loan where there is generally a 30 year loan term).
🔍Lower interest rates for secured car loans - if you are purchasing a car.

Cons:

🔍Higher interest rates than home loans.
🔍Shorter loan term means higher monthly repayments compared to a 30 year home loan.
🔍Lower Loan amounts - while this comes down to affordability and your credit score, most lenders will stop at a $50k loan limit.

If you need help deciding whether a personal loan is right for your situation, please reach out for a no obligation discussion.

15/10/2026

A nation of investors!

This is, for a change, a positive article about saving and investing.

Turns out more of us are doing our best to put a little extra away for the future than even before!

I've always been a big believer in trying to do a little bit of everything when it comes to investing - and I tell my clients the same. Aim for home ownership and making above minimum mortgage repayments, put a little bit extra into superannuation when you can, and if there is something left over consider shares, ETFs or investment properties.

The old saying around saving and investing 10% of your income over your working life (beyond paying off a house and your employer super contributions) still holds true!

More Aussies than ever are investing, with Australia pulling ahead of the United Kingdom and Germany when it comes to the number of adults holding shares, ETFs and other listed investments.

13/10/2026

Keep saving!

Saving for your first home is not easy. With houses across the country at a median value of $860,000, this is over 8 times the median household income of of $104,000.

It'll take a level of perseverance, doing everything you can to maximise your income and minimise your expenses, and for most people will be a multi-year saving journey.

So how much does it cost and what deposit do you need? With the help of the Federal Government's First Home Guarantee Scheme, the numbers will look something like:

$700,000 Purchase Price
$26,748 in Stamp Duty (One off State Govt Tax!)
$4,000 allowance for bank fees and conveyancing/legal costs
$730,748 is your total cost.

How much will the bank lend you? Best case, 95% of the property value/purchase price:

$665,000 Loan

Which means you need the difference between the $730,748 total cost and the $665,000 bank loan = $65,748.

If you'd like to know more about how saving for a deposit works and some of the tips and tricks to make your savings grow please reach out!

10/10/2026

08/10/2026

⚒⚒⚒Renovate or Sell??🏡🏡🏡

I have many conversations with clients about borrowing to renovate their existing home, versus selling and upsizing into another property.

If you're selling, do you sell first, and buy another property later (with a gap renting/boarding in between)⁉

If you decide to renovate, are you planning structural renovations (adding levels or rooms), or are they more cosmetic in nature⁉

Selling can let you upsize your property to something you feel is more suitable to your future lifestyle needs. The downside is the selling costs (real estate, legal, bank fees), and then buying costs (moving house, stamp duty, legal, bank fees). It all adds up!

Renovating removes the various selling costs. But can you renovate your property to accommodate your changing requirements? Does the cost make sense? Will the bank lend you the money⁉

If all this is something you've been pondering, often the easiest place to start is having a conversation around how finance will work under each scenario.

🔢🔢If you'd like to run the numbers🔢🔢, please reach out!

07/10/2026

Capital Gains Tax Changes - investing inside versus outside superannuation.

This is one of the better explanations I've seen of the capital gains tax changes, and how they ultimately make the superannuation environment an even more compelling place to invest (despite the pesky issue of not being accessible till age 60!)

Definitely worth a watch for those with investments outside super.

Want us to look at how your vehicles are set up before the ATO does...

22/09/2026

Superannuation is increasingly becoming a more compelling option for your investing goals. Aside from accessibility issues (ie having to wait till age 60 or 65 to access), superannuation earnings are taxed at 15%, with capital gains within the fund taxed at 15% - reduced to 10% for assets held for greater than 12 months.

Compared to the average workers personal income tax rate of 32%, and the new base level tax on Capital Gains on investments of 30%....the difference over the longer term is significant.

If you haven't reviewed your superannuation and would like to know more about how it can work for you in the long run, please reach out.

Australia’s major super funds have revealed a surge in members making extra contributions as the government’s negative gearing and capital gains tax overhaul pushes more people to the tax-effective retirement structure.