“Brick Oven Special Pizza” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Mike Saechang

Enjoying a delicious freshly-cooked takeaway meal at home is one of life’s simple pleasures. It’s a moment in time when you can relax and unwind with family or friends and sample some of your favourite foods without even having to lift a finger in the kitchen yourself. Unfortunately, for people who need to tighten their financial belts to save money for a house deposit or to pay off that loan, takeaways tend to be one of the first things binned from the luxuries list. That’s without even attempting to find other ways of cutting back and keeping enough cash for a couple of takeaway treats each month. ... (read more)

As the cost of living rises, more Australians are teetering close to the financial abyss. Our consumer driven society has generated tremendous financial rewards for a minority of the population at the expense of everyone else, and the gap between rich and poor is wider than ever. We can’t all be rich, but nobody enjoys being poor, and while opting out of capitalist society is a dream worth considering, it isn’t possible for people with ongoing expenses, obligations, or a family to feed. ... (read more)

There are features unique to both financial saving and investing, and understanding their different attributes is important. Saving preserves and protects money, while also accruing compound interest, whereas investing allows money to grow within share market fluctuations. Both saving and investing are used as short and long-term strategies for financial gain.

Investing entails greater risk and is usually undertaken with astute financial guidance. On the other hand, saving money and accumulating capital is less complex and more familiar to most people. Saving with a bank is considered a safe alternative to rolling the dice on shares, especially if finances aren’t fluid enough to cover any losses. It’s possible to get rich quickly, but most fail trying, while the get-rich-slowly savings method will work for anyone with patience and foresight. ... (read more)

Surviving on a low income isn’t easy in times when the cost of everything is rising faster than the average wage. Financial obligations can be frustrating and fraught with uncertainty even with proper money management, while saving money can seem almost impossible during lean times. People who want to budget and save money on a low income do have options, but creative thinking is required and diligence is essential. ... (read more)

Compensation for this post was provided by inkl. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Front page news used to be important. However, in the rush to position themselves as viable online services, many news publishers diverted resources toward gossip journalism, in-your-face advertising and even clickbait articles. The concept of newsworthy journalism and commentary has become clouded. Serious readers are often left out in the cold or diverted to pulpy headline articles about funny cats, dogs and babies at the expense of major world events. The time is right to introduce inkl, the noise-free news service that delivers only important news and information provided by the world’s leading news publishers. ... (read more)