Sarah Megginson

3 days ago | finder.com.au | Alison Banney |Sarah Megginson

Women have, on average, 20% less superannuation than men. The main reasons for this include the gender pay gap and the fact women take more time out of paid work for caring responsibilities. It’s important to ensure you’re in a low-fee fund, and to make extra contributions if you can. The average super balance for women over 15 is $150,922, while for men it’s $189,892, according to ASFA data. That’s a superannuation gap of 20.5%.

1 week ago | finder.com.au | Alison Banney |Sarah Megginson

Savings accounts and term deposits are both safe, low-risk deposit products that offer a small return on your cash in the bank. Savings accounts offer 24/7 access to your funds and potentially higher interest rates, but with conditions to meet. Term deposits offer fixed interest rates with no ongoing conditions, but your money is locked away. A savings account is a type of bank account that offers interest on your balance to help it grow.

1 month ago | finder.com.au | Sarah Megginson

Your health insurance premiums went up on April 1. Was your policy one of the biggest increases? When I got my letter explaining my health insurance hike, I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was only increasing by $8 per month. Not everyone received such welcome news. My friend's policy went up from $355 to $395, and someone else I know shared their family policy is now $800 a month – and they receive the full 24.6% health insurance rebate.

Feb 26, 2025 | finder.com.au | Sarah Megginson

Health Minister Mark Butler has approved an average increase of 3.73% to health insurance premiums as of April 1 – the biggest increase in 7 years. The increase is well above inflation, which was 2.5% in January this year, and will impact the 15 million or so Australians who pay for private health insurance. In announcing the increase, The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care said that after asking insurers to resubmit their claims 3 times.

Feb 12, 2025 | finder.com.au | Sarah Megginson

You can now wipe any mention of your HELP student debt from your mortgage application – but one expert argues it's not going to help first homebuyers get into the market. Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced "commonsense changes" to the way banks assess your home loan application, giving you the freedom to remove any mention of your HELP student debt from your file.