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Key takeaways from the 2023 Intergenerational Report

The sixth intergenerational report (IGR) was released by the Treasurer last month, documenting key demographic and economic trends that will impact Australia’s growth potential, living standards, and fiscal position (debt and deficits) over the next four decades. These key trends are: •          population ageing •          technological and digital transformation •          climate change and the net zero transformation •          rising demand for care and support services •          geopolitical risk and fragmentation. The first IGR was commissioned by former Treasurer Peter Costello, …

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Four common Facebook Marketplace scams and how to avoid them

With the rising cost of living putting pressure on household budgets, Australians are looking to online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree to turn their unwanted items into cash. However cybercriminals are targeting these platforms with a range of scams that can leave unwary buyers and sellers out of pocket. Here we look at four common scams and how to protect yourself online.  Facebook Marketplace is great for buying and selling second hand items. It connects you with other …

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What is the new National Anti-Scam Centre?

The National Anti-Scam Centre is not a new facility or organisation, it is actually a taskforce working within the ACCC guided by an industry advisory board. The advisory board has representatives drawn from peak bodies representing the finance (First Option is represented by Michael Lawrence the CEO of COBA), digital platforms and telecommunications sectors as well as consumer advocates, victim support services and others with relevant expertise. In the words of the new NASC: “We work together with government, industry, other regulators, …

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Little Black Book of Scams

Freshly updated by the new National Anti-Scam Centre, the federal government’s excellent Little Black Book of Scams is an essential reference for anyone at risk of being scammed, hacked or defrauded: which pretty much means anyone with a mobile phone, bank account or email address! It’s free – download it – read it – keep it. Download now

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Handy reminders

Simple, sensible and straightforward tips for keeping your mobile phone safe, courtesy of the Australian government: cyber.gov.au Download the leaflet here

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 Telopea Downs, VIC

The Carbon Landscapes team had a busy July school holidays doing preparation work on the property for the next stages of its new life as a native wildlife sanctuary. They are replacing the old wire perimeter fences to keep out non-native wildlife and used a very big digger to keep open the firebreaks after a few years of damp Summers…. despite being semi-desert! There may have been a small incident with a Ford Territory but it looks like everyone was …

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Environmental Rewards Update

Our friends in the Carbon Landscapes team have been taking a roll-call of the native species living happily on the land at Talopea Downs, the biodiversity sanctuary First Option supports directly with our Environmental Rewards credit card program.  Some of the species at Talopea Downs are already gone from nearby Wyperfeld National Park. These include one recent discovery, Rosenbergs Goanna which is formally classified as ‘threatened’, as well as seriously cute critters like the Little Pygmy Possum and the one …

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Cheque out time

Cheques are being phased-out this year by many banks, including First Option. If you currently write cheques, now is a good time to look into how electronic tools like PayID, Osko and PayTo will replace cheques from 1 July, 2023.  Cheques (or checks if you’re American) have been a key part of how many people do their banking for a long time, in fact a VERY long time. But changes globally now look likely to bring about the end of cheques as …

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Slash Your Spending to Save

Experienced financial planner, James Gerrard, gives us his top tips on household budgeting.  Manage your cash better  Money left over each month which is not needed for an investment plan should be transferred from your everyday bank account into a bonus interest savings account so that it accrues a higher level of interest. This is particularly useful if you will still need to access the money again in the near future, such as to put together a deposit on a …

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