Money – Still As Life

Comprehensive Raiz Review – Micro-Investing App

March 11, 2021December 13, 2020 by Matt

What is Raiz? With bank interest rates so low, is there another option that can make your money work harder for you? What is micro-investing? Is it worth doing? Is Raiz good? I’ve talked briefly about Raiz a number of times in the past, but I have never done a proper Raiz review and really … Read more

How to use Wise (formerly TransferWise) Borderless foreign currency accounts to save money

March 14, 2021May 6, 2020 by Matt

If you’ve followed me on Twitter or Facebook for a while, or have read a few of my blog posts, you might be aware that I am a big fan of Wise (formerly TransferWise) for international transfers and payments. Wise keeps foreign exchange fees extremely low and gives customers a better exchange rate than most … Read more

How much money should you budget for each day on a cruise

May 14, 2020September 23, 2019 by Matt

Voyager of the Seas docked at Circular Quay Sydney

So, you’ve booked yourself a cruise on a big, beautiful cruise ship. Hopefully, you got yourself an awesome deal (if you haven’t booked one yet, read this blog post for the places I check for cruise deals) and you’ve budgeted out paying off the cost of the cruise, but, how much should you allocate for … Read more

Maximise point earning with the Bankwest Qantas transaction account

February 10, 2020June 9, 2019 by Matt

The Bankwest Qantas transaction account is one of a very small number of Qantas Frequent Flyer Point earning cards that is not a credit card. So if you can’t or don’t want to get a credit card, it presents a way to earn points on all eligible card transactions as well as your balance. Now, … Read more

Using an Australian Bartercard in New Zealand: What no one tells you

December 16, 2018 by Matt

One of the big things we utilise our Bartercard membership for is travel. Bartercard is only available in a limited number of countries, and outside of Australia, New Zealand is one of the bigger ones. This makes it perfect for use when travelling. There are, however, a few caveats that Bartercard won’t tell you. Ironically … Read more

ING Australia Everyday Round Up – Helping you save your spare change

September 9, 2018November 5, 2017 by Matt

ING Australia has recently informed customers of a new savings service called Everyday Round Up, which is nearly identical to the Acorns investment model. It’s a great offering that I think will help customers get saving. Is it worthwhile though?

New Found Money Merchants on Raiz (Previously Acorns Australia)

September 9, 2018September 17, 2017 by Matt

I’ve just been skimming through the Found Money participating merchants on Raiz (previously Acorns Australia) and have noticed a few new ones have joined the ranks over the last couple of months. This is great news, especially as more and more retailers that I buy from on a regular basis have become available. Sadly, a few of the previous merchants are no longer participating, but they were not ones I shop with anyway so not a big deal to me.

What the F is an ETF?!?!

September 9, 2018July 16, 2017 by Matt

I’ve blogged about Raiz (previously Acorns Australia) a few times now, and in some of those blogs, I make mention of ETF’s. Now, if I’m completely honest, I had to go and look it up myself to find out what ETF stands for and what an ETF actually is. It’s something that gets thrown around a lot on investment platforms like Acorns and within investment circles in general. Acorns and similar platforms make share-trading, bonds and the money market accessible for the everyday low-budget investor. Within the investment portfolio’s of these platforms, there are often ETF’s. In fact, Acorns portfolios are made up exclusively of ETF’s. For someone new to investments though, the question becomes, what exactly is an ETF?

New Socially Responsible Investment Portfolio Option from Raiz (previously Acorns Australia)

September 9, 2018June 25, 2017 by Matt

(previously Acorns Australia) have introduced a new investment portfolio called “The Emerald Portfolio”. I thought I’d share this one with you because it is exciting to see a platform like Raiz recognising the demand for socially responsible investments. Not only that though, but it also enables you, as an investor, to encourage the growth and … Read more

How much does it cost to withdraw cash from the ATM onboard Royal Caribbean ships?

June 4, 2017 by Matt

Let’s just say, it isn’t cheap, and you can only withdraw USD.

If you think ATM fees in Australia are bad, think again. The ATM’s on board Royal Caribbean ships (or at least all the ones I’ve been on) charge a fee of USD$6.50. As far as I am aware, this fee applies to all cards. So you are immediately paying a hefty premium just to get cash out. Then, of course, there are additional fees that vary depending on your card and bank.