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AI Productivity Tools Come with Strings

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Mortgage Stress Dropped – Building a Buffer Still Matter
More businesses use AI tools to boost productivity, but they come with strings. These AI tools can expose sensitive data if used without controls. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned that cloud-based AI systems introduce specific cyber security risks for small businesses, particularly when sensitive data is uploaded without safeguards. The biggest exposure points ...
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Smart investing Trends in 2026

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
The Investing Shifts that Matter Most in 2026
  Smart investing trends in 2026 may be less about pushing limits and more about keeping your lending options flexible. A few trends are already shaping how investors approach the year ahead: Tighter lending for bigger loans. From February, banks must limit how many higher debt-to-income loans they write, which may reduce borrowing power for some investors and make outcomes var...
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RBA Reviewing Card Fees

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Card Payment Costs Under Review
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is reviewing card fees – and many businesses don’t realise how much they’re leaking. The RBA’s Payments System Board is progressing its review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging, including whether interchange caps should be reduced and how commercial cards are treated. One concern is that without further action, any fee reductions may not f...
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Inflation Easing but Not Defeated

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Inflation Easing, but Rate Certainty Still Shaky
Inflation is easing, but not defeated – which keeps borrowing conditions in play for 2026. ABS data shows headline inflation fell from 3.8% in October to 3.4% in November. That’s progress – but it’s not the clean victory many hoped for mid-2025. Back in June, when inflation dipped to 1.9%, it felt like the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had done its job. Since then, price pressures have...
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Competition Tougher for Affordable Homes

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Affordable Homes Pull Ahead on Price Growth
If you’re shopping in the ‘affordable homes’ bracket, competition may be getting tougher, not easier. Since the federal government expanded the 5% Deposit Scheme in October 2025, Cotality analysis shows homes under the scheme’s price caps have generally outperformed homes above them. In the December quarter, median prices rose 3.6% under the cap versus 2.4% above the cap. Why would t...
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Investors Claim Biggest Lending Share Since 2016

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Investors Claim Biggest Lending Share Since 2016
Investors claim the biggest lending share since 2016 as more investors are stepping back into the market. This data shows that it’s a big shift. The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the value of investor loan commitments jumped 17.6% in the September 2025 quarter, and was 18.7% higher than a year earlier. Investors now account for 40.6% of the value of all new...
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How SMEs are Upgrading Without Cash Strain

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
How SMEs are Upgrading Without Cash Strain
Despite the soft economy, many SMEs are upgrading vehicles, machinery and technology – but doing it in a way without cash strain. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that loans for plant and equipment were 9.4% higher in the September quarter than the year before and 36.9% above the 10-year average. That’s not a business sector pulling back – that’s a sector investing, carefully ...
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5% Deposit Scheme Expansion for First Home Buyers

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
5% Deposit Scheme Expanded for First Home Buyers
The 5% Deposit Scheme has quietly become one of the most powerful tools for first home buyers – and the latest expansion is a genuine game-changer. From 1 October, the scheme now offers unlimited places and no longer has income caps. Eligible buyers can purchase with just a 5% deposit and avoid the large cost of lenders’ mortgage insurance (LMI). Provided the property sits under your locati...
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Prime Commercial Spaces Set to Outperform in 2026

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Commercial demand reshapes as quality assets lead
Commercial property isn’t moving in a straight line, and Knight Frank’s 2026 outlook highlights the spaces set to outperform in 2026 as the next phase of the cycle looks very different from the past decade. After years of ‘beds and sheds’ outperformance, the gap between sectors is narrowing. Office and retail assets are now positioned to deliver stronger income returns in 2026. Driven by gr...
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New Lending Caps: Impact on Borrowers

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
How new lending caps could change your budget
An impending change could reduce how much some borrowers can borrow – but the impact will vary widely between authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) that issue home loans. From 1 February 2026, ADIs must ensure no more than 20% of their new home loans go to borrowers whose loan size is six times their income or more. For context, that would mean a loan of more than $600,000 for someo...
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