Sometimes we all need a little more help with money management – and these links will take you to a great range of government, educational and financial websites that will give you all of the extra information, tools and resources you need.

Latest rates and comparisons when it comes to loans, mortgages, credit cards

CANSTAR/CANNEX at www.canstar.com.au compares credit cards and a range of other financial products and its Rewards Star Ratings Reports (a consumer-friendly benchmark) for products can be downloaded for free.

Bankchoice at www.infochoice.com.au lists all the mortgages and credit cards available with comparisons of annual fees and interest rates, as well as providing tips for obtaining and using credit cards.

RateCity at www.ratecity.com.au compares credit cards as well as a range of other products and services.

Credit Card Finder at www.creditcardfinder.com.au providing a comparison of Australian credit cards with a comprehensive range of articles and tips.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Home Loan scenario calculators

MyFinance at http://www.myfinance.com.au/ allows you to work out how much you can afford to borrow, helps you compare loan options by varying payments and interest costs and has a handy stamp duty calculator

St George at http://www.stgeorge.com.au/promos/yourhome/home-loans-tools-resources.htm has a few handy calculators to help you run loan scenarios when making additional repayments.

CANSTAR/CANNEX at http://www.canstar.com.au/aapr-calculator-cannex/ helps you calculate the comparison rate for a home loan taking into account the setup and ongoing fees.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bankruptcy and financial counselling

The Financial Counsellors Association at www.financialcounsellors.asn.au gives you helpful information of the services offered by financial counsellors and you will find the contact details for the counsellors across Australia.

Salvation Army –Money Care at www.salvos.org.au/need-help/financial-troubles/financial-counselling gives you helpful information of the local programs offered by financial counsellors

Insolvency and Trustee Services Australia at www.itsa.gov.au is the government agency responsible for the administration and regulation of the personal insolvency. You will find more information on the bankruptcy process and contact details for ITSA office. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Access your Credit Reference Report

VEDA Advantage at www.mycreditfile.com.au .The information contained in a credit file can be used in determining a person’s credit-worthiness. Therefore, it is important for borrowers to regularly keep a watching brief on their file. You can also register for their alert service so you can track whether your identity details have been stolen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glossary of Financial Terms – Looking for a financial dictionary?

Investorwords at www.investorwords.com is a comprehensive online dictionary of all investing terms and concepts.

Superannuation Association at www.superannuation.asn.au Under the tab titled Dictionary you will find an alphabetical listing of all terms relating to superannuation

Investopedia at www.investopedia.com  an online investment dictionary

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maximise your interest, minimise your fees when building up your savings

CANSTAR/CANNEX at www.canstar.com.au compares interest rates and fees for savings accounts, transactional accounts and term deposits

RateCity at www.ratecity.com.au compares rates and fees of  savings accounts with various financial institution

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superannuation & Retirement

Super Seeker at www.ato.gov.au it’s a tool to help you look for lost supers in real time. You can make your search 24 hours, 7 days a week and the service is free to use

Westpac ASFA Retirement Standard at https://info.westpac.com.au/rlscalculator will take you through the calculation of working out a modest or comfortable retirement lifestyle

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Learn about investing

FIDO at www.asic.gov.au you will find very useful calculators to help you work out compound interest, calculate the impact of management fees on investments and offers loads of useful financial information.

Financial literacy at www.asic.gov.au is a comprehensive government sponsored website offering great financial information and handy tips

Sharecafe at www.sharecafe.com.au brings you daily updates on financial markets, company information in written, audio and video format.

Smartinvestor at www.afrsmartinvestor.com.au brings you up to date financial information on the investment markets

Morningstar at www.morningstar.com.au is a rating agency which reviews managed funds. It also offers daily updates on financial market information.

Etrade at https://invest.etrade.com.au/ is an online broker where you can buy and sell shares and managed funds.

Commsec at www.commsec.com.au is an online broker where you can buy and sell shares online or over the phone.