Darren Titmus

Australia has a progressive income tax system. This simply means that higher income earners pay a greater proportion of their income in tax than low-income earners. It is achieved by applying a different rate of tax to each income band or “bracket”. The current tax brackets and relevant tax rates are as follows: Tax bracket Tax rate(excl Medicare) $0 – $18,200 0% $18,201 – $37,000 19% $37,001 – $87,000 32.5% $87,001 – $180,000 37% $180,001 and over 45% Here is…

Recent decades have seen huge gains made in the financial empowerment of women. However complete financial equality won’t happen soon and in some cases may be unattainable. So what are the areas where women lag financially, and when it comes to retirement planning, what can be done? 4 key issues Gender pay gap. On the full-time total remuneration salary across all industries, including those in which female workers outnumber males, men are, on average, paid 21.3% more than women. For…

Ask most 30 year olds in Brisbane who their financial advisor is and the typical response might be ‘huh?’ After all, financial advisors are for older people with plenty of money to invest, aren’t they? Well, yes, people nearing or in retirement will benefit from sound advice. But so will younger people. With the benefit of having time on their side, and with some help from an advisor, a 30-something can easily establish a wealth creation plan that can deliver…

There’s a little bit of magic involved in hopping on a plane in Australia today and disembarking in a far-off destination like Istanbul or London tomorrow. Even for seasoned travellers, we all need travelling tips. For most people their travels will be a safe and wonderful experience, but things can go wrong. While you can’t control everything, these 8 travelling tips and a little bit of preparation can help to create cheerful memories. Handy tip 1 Let’s start with something…

The kids have finally left home and now you’re rattling around in a house way bigger than you need. If it’s time to think about downsizing the home, there’s more to it than simply selling one house and buying another. Here are a few things to consider. Tax-free gain Selling a large house and buying a townhouse or unit, perhaps in a more affordable suburb, can free up a significant sum of money which you could use to help fund…