What are financial counsellors and what do they do? According to Financial Counselling Australia, financial counsellors are qualified professionals who provide information, advice and advocacy to people in financial difficulty. Their services are non-judgmental, free, independent and confidential. Financial counsellors are based in community organisations throughout Australia, from large charities to smaller community centres, as…
Google is not clamping down hard enough on scam adverts appearing in their searches, according to a new investigation. Consumer group Which? claimed it had found fake adverts for debt help charities and financial firms. The group says it found search results for common saving terms such as “top Isa”, “best bonds” and “best fixed…
The government said it was putting the final touches to the “complex” task of developing a support package for such a large and diverse sector. The new state spending includes $1.1 billion in cash grants for small and medium-sized businesses and a $251 million Licensed Venue Fund targeted at the hospitality sector offering grants of…
In 2014, Todd Kunsman, founder of personal finance blog Invested Wallet, was $29,000 in debt and working a job that paid less than $36,000 per year. Kunsman decided to take the reins of his finances and improve his situation, educating himself on topics like investing and money at large. “I decided to dedicate an hour…
Tasmania’s only water and sewage utility has not ruled out raising future residential bills to help manage rapidly rising debt associated with coronavirus. Key points: Tasmania’s solo water and sewage utility is largely owned by the state’s 29 councils They have been told the entity is in financial trouble and has applied for a loan…
When Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor) finally gained independence and peace in 2002 it had paid a heavy price of huge casualties and destruction, and they needed help. Key points: A Bega Valley advocacy group has supported Timor-Leste since 2004 after the country gained independence The NGO fostered people-to-people relationships and assisted a sub-region…
London In Kenya, the coronavirus pandemic has dried up ecotourism, cutting off sources of funding that help protect wildlife and pay an income to communities working to preserve nature. But forgiving a share of Kenyas hefty foreign debt, in exchange for the government devoting those resources to fighting climate change threats and biodiversity loss, could…
With many Australians now out of work, financial stress is no doubt on the rise. Over 40% reported feeling nervous, restless or exhausted in the past month, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Your financial health can have a huge impact on your mental health. Thats why this R U OK? Day, its important…
Video PlayerClose BANGKOK, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — Thailand’s central bank said on Tuesday that in the face of the pandemic fallout, 85 percent of retail debtors are still struggling in a grim economy and have applied for the second-phase of debt relief. “Many businesses in Thailand have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, especially…
A Moody’s sign on the 7 World Trade Center tower is photographed in New York August 2, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Segar Institutional investors and global lenders are digging in their heels as the COVID-19 pandemic tightens its grip on Africa. A call from the Group of Twenty (G20) way back in April for private sector forbearance,…