At its meeting the Reserve Bank Board announced it was leaving the cash rate unchanged at 3.0%.

Whilst the official rate is unchanged, we're watching closely what the banks do with their rates, as some of Australia's biggest lenders have decided to make changes to their rates regardless of official interest rate moves by the RBA.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss recent rate movements and if you have time, let's conduct a quick review of your finance options.

Regards, Danny Luu Liquidity Finance Pty Ltd Mailing address Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

Contact details
Tel: 02 9290 2777 | Mob: 0414 717 398| Fax: 02 9262 5788
Email: danny.luu@liquidityfinance.com.au
Web: www.liquidityfinance.com.au

Last chance to fix at 4.99%!!

If you are looking to fix your interest rates on your home loan or investment property, now might be the time with one major bank already announcing they will not be offering 4.99% from Wednesday.

Feel free to contact Liquidity to find out more about your options and if fixing is suitable for you now.

Ark Informer January 13

Welcome to the first Ark Informer of 2013. The Ark Team are holding a really useful 30 minute webinar on the "top 5 Wealth Tips for 2013" on Wed 23rd Jan @ 6pm and Thurs 24th Jan @ 12:30pm. See below for more details. (Click on dates to register). Join Me on LinkedIn  http://au.linkedin.com/in/ivankayebsi ( I have over 3,500 contacts that I would gladly connect you with!)

January 2013 - A Webinar to kickstart 2013 Welcome to the first of our education webinars for 2013. In this webinar we unveil 5 effective strategies to help you manage and build your wealth in 2013.  In 30 minutes, we will cover the following; 1. Simple tips to help reduce your individual tax 2. A review of Home Loan Structures and a look at what interest rate you should be paying 3. An analysis of where you should invest your super and a look at some of the best funds from 2012 4. Where to put your excess savings? Looking at alternatives to cash.  5. How to organise and manage your finances easily These top 5 tips sound very generic and simple... and they are. They are not designed to be high risk or complex but to help you along your wealth journey.  At the end of the webinar, all participants will receive a copy of our new e-book 'Wealth Planning for Young Accumulators'.  If you can't make the allocated times, just 'click for an advisor' on the right and we can send you the relevant information. Regards, The ARK Total Wealth Team  www.arktotalwealth.com.au | info@arktotalwealth.com.au Webinars Top 5 Wealth tips for 2013 Wed 23rd Jan @ 6pm Thurs 24th Jan @ 12:30pm Duration: 30mins

10 Lessons From Black Monday

Tom Stevenson is an investment director at Fidelity Worldwide Investment. article from morningstar 

1. Keep calm and carry on. The FTSE 100 ended 1987 higher than it started and within two years the index had surpassed its pre-crash peak. By the time you have recovered your equilibrium, the moment to sell has very likely passed and by panicking at this stage you will simply miss out on the subsequent recovery.

2. Look through the market gyrations to what is happening in the real world. The 1987 crash was triggered by over-exuberance (the market had risen by nearly 40 per cent in the first nine months of 1987) and was then compounded by automated computer trading. The underlying economy was sound at the time - hence the quick recovery.

3. Take a long-term view. The 1987 crash looks insignificant on a long-term chart today even though, at the time, it felt like the end of the world.

4. Be prepared for the worst and don't put all your eggs in one basket. I was in Hong Kong at the time of the 1987 crash - the market there shut for a week, emphasising the point that emerging markets can sometimes be markets from which it is difficult to emerge in an emergency.

5. Don't try and time the market. When your emotions are running high you will make the wrong investment decisions because our brains are hard-wired to run from danger. The best investors do the reverse - they walk towards danger, albeit with their eyes wide open.

    

6. Invest regularly, a little at a time. This way, you will take advantage of market falls like the 1987 crash, picking up a few shares or units in a fund when they are cheap and even though your mind is telling you to put your money under the mattress.

7. Reinvest your dividends. The chart below shows the performance of the UK stockmarket since the 1987 crash - the lower line reflects just the capital growth while the second includes the compounded benefit of putting dividend income back to work in the market.

8. Keep some of your powder dry. Crashes happen, and when they do you want to have some ammunition ready to take advantage of them. It may be frustrating to have even a small proportion of your savings earning next to nothing in cash when shares are rising, but so too is being unable to capitalise on bargain basement prices when periodically they appear.

9. Beware of buying high and selling low. Remember that the stockmarket is the only market in the world in which we prefer to buy when prices are high and are put off by low prices. Think about how you would buy fruit and veg at a street market. You would behave in exactly the opposite way.

                                    

10. Watch costs but worry more about value. The difference between the charges on an actively managed fund and a tracker might be 1 per cent a year. If you back the right manager, however, that might be the best 1 per cent you ever invested.

NOW COULD BE THE TIME TO CHANGE LENDER!

This is a summary of an article that Paul Clitheroe wrote in the North Shore Times today  - Paul is the chief commentator of Money Magazine

The RBA's official rate is now 3.35% - a 3 year low - have your interest rates on your mortgage reduced?

3 years ago, the average rate was 5.7%, it is now 6.35% (hmmmm) -  with a little bit of shopping around, you may be able to secure a lower rate.

Ratecity - the online comparison site shows a difference between the lowest and highest rate as 1.8%. On a $300,000 loan, this could mean an extra $355 per month (money that I would rather have in my pocket , thank you very much!)

With so much variation, it makes sense to see how your loan shapes up. Bear in mind that refinancing might come with additional costs. These additional costs might offset potential savings.

That's where a Liquidity Broker comes in handy!!

Fill out the attached form, and we will do the numbers and work out whether you have a great deal, or you could do better.

 

Sandra Crossland talking about

Our own Sandra Crossland from Liquidity Finance talking about the opportunity for Women in the Workplace as mortgage brokers! "http://liquidityfinance.com.au/about/team.html">http://liquidityfinance.com.au/about/team.html


As seen on Brokernews.com.au
 

Perth and Brisbane leading Population Boom is expected to fuel the next Property Boom

They say "buy in gloom and sell in boom."  With a reduction in interest rates, and an increased demand for property, it seems as if it is a good time to start investing in strategic growth areas in Australia.

Property Boom in Perth Expected

I have just read an article in Australian Property Investor which points to an opportunity of investing in Perth and Brisbane.


The ABS’s population projection  estimates Perth and Brisbane’s population over the next 50 years to grow by over 110% .

Over the last 10 years, Perth and Brisbane boosted population figures by 25.2%, Darwin 20.8% growth, Melbourne 18.3%, Canberra 15.2%, Sydney 11.6%, Hobart 9% and Adelaide 8.8%.

In Perth, major planning and transport reforms under way to support the projected population boom as a result of the massive influx of workers servicing the resources sector. It is expected that Perth’s population will grow from 2 million to 4 million and house prices will rebound to reflect this.

An aging population, a new generation of homebuyers who want to be close to the city and an influx of immigrants who are more accustomed to high density living, will drive demand for units that are near public transport and  within easy reach of the CBD or places of employment, and where available property is in limited supply.

This will result in increased property prices.

Just as Sydneys Inner West (Newtown, Petersham and Dulwich Hill have gentrified into trendy and highly sought after suburbs, many Perth suburbs will have the potential to do the same. Growth areas being gentrified  include Victoria Park,  Belmont, Redcliffe and Cloverdale, Bayswater, Bedford, Dianella and Yokine

In Brisbane, the winning suburbs will be the transport hubs where rezoning has either already occurred or is under way. Growth areas include  Indooroopilly, Toowong, Carindale and Mount Gravatt, and more affluent suburbs expecting growth include  Brisbane’s leafy west and northwest, including suburbs like Ashgrove, Bardon and Toowong.

If you would like to invest in residential property, its best to chat with Alex, Miles, Chris or Dylan at Ark Total Wealth

Pay off your Mortgage in 6 years and save $300k + in interest repayments!

Mike and Jenny Jones (DINK’s) (Double Income no Kids) came to Liquidity Finance to see how they could pay off their home loan sooner.  They both worked hard, had relatively high disposable incomes, but for some reason always barely came out, without much to show at the end of each month!
“It seems that the more we earn, the more we spend!” said Jenny.

Sandra (Australia’s premier mortgage broker at Liquidity Finance) , together with Myles (a financial planner with Ark Total Wealth), went through a planning exercise with them, developed a strategy enabling them to pay off their home loan in 6 years, saving 19 years off their home loan payments and $306,241.26 in interest payments (non-deductable or “bad- debt”) without taking any risks.

A few key strategies enabled this to happen:-
1. A mortgage refinance from $400k to $430k paying off the credit card debt and car loans.
2. Interest rate reduction from 6.75% to 5.82%
3. On refinancing, the first repayment was made as soon as the loan was settled (saving $9,000 interest and 4 months off the loan)
4. Paying fortnightly instead of monthly… making 2 extra payments per annum, saving $86,000 and 4 years off the mortgage.
5. Expenses being paid by credit card (getting frequent flyer points for holidays) and your salary going to an offset account (reducing your loan balance when it comes to calculating your interest owed.) A direct debit facility was set up to pay their credit cards in full at the end of each month.
6. A budgeting exercise making Mike and Jenny aware on their day to day expenditure. A little “tightening of the belt” resulted in them being debt frree in 6 years!!

Mike and Jenny now have substantial equity in their home. “This has come in handy, and we are now focussing on building our wealth with a strong capital base.” Thanks Sandra and Myles!

Click  to see Liquidity's loan calculators

Interest rates 3.5% - what can you do to take advantage?

Reserve Bank lowers interest rates by 0.25% to 3.50%.
Following the recent falls in our share market as a result of continued worries in the Eurozone coupled with weaker than expected employment figures in the United States, and a slowing growth in China, the Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to reduce interest rates by 0.25%.
This decision will give mortgage holders some relief, after many have seen their investment portfolio falling by over 5% in recent days.
 The next question now is how much of this will the banks pass on.

 When was the last time you have review your mortgage? Are you paying too much?



To find out more how we can help you save money click here, or call Danny Luu or Sandra Crossland at Liquidity Finance on 02 9290 2777.

Get a Quote from Liquidity Finance

LIQUIDITY FINANCE NEWS FLASH!!!!

LIQUIDITY FINANCE NEWS FLASH!!!!

St George has just reduced its 1, 2 and 3 year fixed interest rate to 5.99% (after discounts).

This is for a very limited time only! 

Please call our office now on 02 9290 2777 or CLICK HERE  to take advantage of thisgreat offer.

This may be a perfect opportunity to refinance and consolidate your existing loans.

World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes

Click here for a hilarious explanation - It would be great to like the liquidity page -  feel free to "get a Quote" or check out our various loan calculators.

What Does Bill Evans, chief economist of Westpac say about Reserve Banks decision to hold interest rates?

• Reserve bank has decided to hold interest rates as they believe GFC is now past and the Australian Economy is on an average level.However, not for construction, manufacturing and retail - mining is holding up the fort!
• Unemployment rate is increasing (4.8% - 5.2% and estimated to go to 5.3%)
• Consumer sentiment not great
• A$1.08 - Bill Evans forecasts parity in next 6 months 

Conclusion, Bill thinks that there will be another cut in interest rates in next 6 months

FOr more information about finance, see www.liquidityfinance.com.au or
like its facebook page

Interest Rates on Hold - What is your next step?

With the financial turmoil, Europe's debts and current credit squeeze, you need to  hope for the best, but prepare for the worst!

Remeber the adage - buy in gloom and sell in boom!

To weather the potential storm or take advantage of potential opportunities, you need money or available money.

If you have equity in your property, consider of taking a line of credit. Cash is king. Loans will become harder, and what you are able to get now, you may not be able to get later.

Is it the right time to lock in interest rates over the next 3 - 5 years? I am going to!.

Interest rates may get cheaper. The risk, in my view, isn't the interest rate, but the ability to get cash due to a potential credit squeeze!

Those with lines of Credit or available funds will have a competitive edge!

Click here for Michael Luca's commentary on the RBA's interest rate decision. 

Join Liquidity's facebook page by clicking here , and receive a complementary, comprehensive property report on your property. (Valued at $49.95!) See below for more details.

There is no harm in getting a complementarty health check - call Liquidity to get one or 

contact them by clicking here  

Liquidity Finance - Helping you with your Loans and Mortgages

Welcome to 2012!

We are back for another exciting year, with a fresh new look website and a recharged team ready to help you out with all your finance needs.

On our website, you will find:

• Useful tools such as calculators for borrowing capacity and loan comparisons
• Hot tips to reducing your home loan
• Fact Finders and checklists
• Details on our affiliate partners
• News and updates on the home loan and finance industry

We are open to your feedback in regards to items that you would like included on the website. Please click here Liquidity Finance

It looks as though 2012 is going to be a year for opportunity. An opportunity to restructure and acquire.

Restructure your loan and take advantage of lower interest rates. Consolidation of loans with higher interest rates to those with lower interest rates can save thousands and assist with cash flow.

Acquire property to take advantage of low fixed and variable rates which will increase your borrowing capacity and reduce your cost to hold the new asset.

Whether you are continuing or starting your financial journey, Liquidity Finance and our partners at Ark Total Wealth remain committed to helping you achieve your financial goals.

We wish you a safe and prosperous 2012 and look forward to speaking with you soon.

For your free property report, 
follow us on twitter  https://twitter.com/#!/liqfin  
and we will contact you to get the address of the property you want valued!  

http://liquidityfinance.com.au/

Michael Luca Mortgage Broker - Manager Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000 GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001 P: 02 9290 2777 D: 02 9003 1519 M: 0405 113 543 F: 02 9262 5788 E: michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Launching our Liquidity Site in Jan 12 - feedback please

we will be launching our new site for liquidity financehttp://liquidityfinance.com.au in January..... please look with a critical eye and give your feedback..... thanks
Ivan

Got Equity in your Property? What is the risk and the opportunity?

The world is in financial turmoil, Europe is debt ridden, a credit squeeze is looming!!
My mantra is to buy in Gloom and sell in Boom.....
My view is that we are in GLOOM and that there will be great buying opportunities that will present itself over the next 12 months!
Hope for the best, but ensure you are prepared for the worsed!!

So what is the opportunity?

Whether we are in for a storm, or there is potential to take advantage of potential opportunities..... you need money, or access to money.

At the moment, those with Equity in their property are in the pound seats, but not for long. If you have equity in your home, consider of obtaining a line of credit.

Cash is king, and you want to be in a position to take advantage of bargains that are available, or have enough resources to weather a potential storm.

Those with lines of credit will definitely have a competitive edge. Loans will become harder to get as the credit squeeze unfolds, and what you will be able to get now, you may not be able to get then.

Interest rates are at a low, and it is a great time to borrow, but the risk at the moment isn't wjhether interest rates will go up or down - but the ability to get cash due to a potential credit squeeze!!

Holiday Cheer from Reserve Bank as it cuts rates by 0.25% to 4.25% - but what does it mean to you?

In today’s Reserve Bank Meeting the RBA has reduced the cash rate by 0.25% to 4.25%.

We now must all sit and wait for the banks to pass on the full rate reduction, after much speculation in the press that they were not going to pass on the full rate cut and therefore not giving home owners the relief they are seeking.

Watch this space for any updates.

WHY?

The current crisis in Europe is deeper than what we are reading in the papers, this is the reason why the major central banks came together last week to put together a decisive action to provided liquidity in the bond market. By cutting rates, the Reserve Bank would be looking at staying ahead of the looming crisis.

Whilst the share market got a relief rally last week from the Central bank’s actions, it still does not remove the fact that domestically, a lot of Australian households are struggling to meet their day to day living costs. As a result, discretionary retail spending is still low. In its bid to resuscitate spending, the RBA has decided to give local retailers a bit of a helping hand by reducing interest rates.

What does this mean for you?

If banks pass this on

• On a $300k mortgage – savings of $60 per month!
• Housing more affordable
• Kick start the economy
• Interest on savings reduced

 Other effects

• Potential lower Aussie Dollar
• Increased Confidence
• More spending for Christmas trade (Potential win for retailers) and not having to hear the continual whine of the woes of retailers

Therefore, this rate cut would not only revive some retailers, but it could also reduce the interest costs for many numerous small businesses and households.

Lenders are still offering great fixed rates, well below the variable rates – some of these are very attractive.

Contact us today about your current home loan and see if you are on the most competitive package and product to suit your needs. Call us on 02 92902777 or click here to set up a complimentary financial health check.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

MICHAEL LUCA
Mortgage Broker

Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000
GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001
P: +61 2 9290 2777
D: +61 2 8203 0426
M: 0405 113 543
F: +61 2 9262 5788
E:Michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Read the RBA Statement here:http://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2011/mr-11-28.html

If you are a first home loan owner, you are in danger of missing out on benefits of up to $17,990. See below for more details.  Please feel free to phone Michael Luca of  Liquidity Finance on 02 92902777 or click here to set up a complimentary financial health check.

The NSW government has made changes to the First Home Benefits for First Home Buyers in the State Budge which was announced earlier in 2011.


Under the changes, any first home buyer who EXCHANGES on a property after 1st of January 2012, will NOT be eligible for the stamp duty concessions of up to $17,990, unless the property has never been occupied.

If you are thinking of purchasing your first home, now is the time to speak to us! Lenders have come to the party with higher LVR’s (Up to 95% in some cases) and lower interest rates. We have also seen discounts of 1% off the Standard Variable Rates for some lenders, which will hopefully make the dream of owning your home a real possibility.

If you are not a First Home Buyers, but know someone who is, it is important that you share this information with them.

Also, if you are not a First Home Buyer and have an existing home loan, following the Melbourne Cup Interest Rate decision by the RBA to reduce rates, we have seen lenders become more competitive for your business, through “Jumbo” discounts and heavily reduced fixed rates.

A 10 minutes phone call with us, could save you a considerable amount. When is the last time you had a “Home Loan Health Check”.

We are always available to take your call and talk to you about any enquiry regarding your new and existing lending needs.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Michael Luca
Mortgage Broker
Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000
GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001

P: +61 2 9290 2777
D: +61 2 8203 0426
M: 0405 113 543
F: +61 2 9262 5788

E:Michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Interest rates cut to boost retail spending for Christmas

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut interest rates By 25 basis points,the first cut since April 2009, handing borrowers a win on Melbourne Cup Day.

Michael Luca, the mortgage broker guru from Liquidity Finance, said that this is the breather that the Retail Sector have been asking for, that should provide a boost to retail spending going into Christmas.

"There has never been a more important time to talk to us about your home loan options to see what other offers may be out there for you." Luca said.

Bill Evans, senior economist for Westpac, predicted a further interest rate fall in the next 12 months.

The Australian dollar fell after the announcement. At 3:30pm (AEDT) it was buying 104.6 US cents.

For more information on your home loan, call Michael luca at Liquidity Finance on 0405 113 543 or 02 9290 2777 or email on michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au