Your path through the guides
each step builds on the last
- step 1Know your payStart with the money coming in. 4 guides.
- step 2Build your superThe money for later, and what shapes it. 4 guides.
- step 3Handle what you oweCards, loans and the charges that add up. 4 guides.
- step 4Everyday moneyWhere your money sits, where it goes, and whose it is. 4 guides.
- step 5Get help, look aheadWho to ask, and the bigger picture. 2 guides.
New to all this? Start with step 1. Most of us were handed a payslip and never shown how to read it.
Start with your payslipKnow your pay
Start with the money coming in.
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Your pay
What’s on my payslip?
What you earned, what came out, what reached your bank, and where your super went.
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Your pay
Where did my pay rise go?
An example $10,000 pay rise, followed line by line to the bank.
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Your pay
What does “including super” mean?
Two job offers that look the same and aren't. The maths, and what to ask before you accept.
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Your pay
How do I ask for a pay rise?
A prepared conversation, not an apology. Five steps, word for word.
Build your super
The money for later, and what shapes it.
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Super
How do I read my super statement?
Read what moved during the year, not only the final balance.
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Super
Why is there a super gap?
Why women's super balances are lower, told as history rather than blame.
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Super
What if I start later?
An honest example, not a catch-up promise. The maths, what it leaves out, and what sits alongside super.
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Super
What happens to super when I take time out?
if you’re planning time outSix moving parts, made visible, without turning caring into a personal failing.
Handle what you owe
Cards, loans and the charges that add up.
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What you owe
Why is the minimum payment so small?
It's the required payment, not a plan to clear the balance. An example month, line by line.
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What you owe
How does interest work?
The rate matters. So do time, compounding and fees.
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What you owe
How does buy now, pay later make money?
Who pays what, what changed when it became credit, and five questions to answer before checkout.
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What you owe
How does HECS-HELP work?
if you have a HECS-HELP debtYour balance and your repayments run on different clocks. Here's how both work.
Everyday money
Where your money sits, where it goes, and whose it is.
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Everyday money
What does my bank do with my money?
What a deposit really is, how banks earn, and one question worth asking.
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Everyday money
What am I paying for without noticing?
Find one recurring charge. Understand it. Then decide.
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Everyday money
Whose name is it in?
Access, debt and ownership are three different questions. Five roles, side by side.
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Everyday money
Could my home loan rate be lower?
if you have a home loanYou can ask your lender to review the rate on your existing loan. It's an ordinary call.
Get help, look ahead
Who to ask, and the bigger picture.