Credit card debt can be crippling. With many institutions offering debt consolidation, it is tempting to rid yourself of the high credit card interest rates in return for a lower, long term rate that comes, for example, with a personal or home loan. Here’s our take: It depends on why you have so ...

Many financial professionals recommend paying off your mortgage as quickly as possible. If you can afford it, the wisdom goes, you should choose a 10 or 15 year mortgage term and pay off your debts well before retirement while saving a considerable amount of interest. Borrowers who select a shorter ...

This month sees the introduction of the Comprehensive Credit Reporting system (CCR) – a new, process for keeping track of credit worthiness. Lenders will be able to review more information about the credit history of borrowers before they make lending decisions. What will the new credit scores mean ...

What is LVR? LVR is the Loan to Value Ratio. It is the loan amount (how much you are borrowing) divided by the value of the property (how much you are putting up as security against the loan). If you borrow, for example, $800,000 against a $1,000,000 property, your LVR is 80%. Why is it ...