Articles & guides

In-depth, Australian-focused articles on money, tax, business and AI — newest first.

• ATO Rental Property Deductions 2026: What You Can and Can’t Claim — The ATO is cracking down on overclaimed rental expenses in 2025-26. Here’s exactly what you can deduct—and what will get you flagged. (2026-06-22)
• Using AI to Write Your Resume and Cover Letter (the Safe, Effective Way) — AI can draft your resume in minutes — here's how to do it without inventing qualifications or leaking your personal data. (2026-06-21)
• AI Tools for Australian Tradies and Small Business Owners in 2026: What Actually Saves You Money — The AI jobs worth handing over first — quoting, invoice chasing, review replies — and the ones that'll get you in trouble. (2026-06-18)
• ATO Share Trading Tax Rules 2026: Investor vs Trader vs Super Investor — If you buy and sell shares, the ATO cares whether you're an investor, a trader, or a super investor — and it changes your tax bill by thousands. (2026-06-15)
• ATO Work From Home Claims 2026: Fixed Rate vs Actual Cost Method — The ATO's 67-cent fixed rate method for work-from-home claims is simpler, but the actual cost method might save you more if you have big expenses. (2026-06-13)
• How to Build an Emergency Fund and Budget That Actually Works in Australia — The boring buffer that stops one bad week from becoming a debt spiral — sized, parked and automated for Australians. (2026-06-12)
• Comparing Australian crypto exchanges in 2026: fees, safety, and how to choose — We compare the top Australian crypto exchanges for 2026, analysing fees, security, and regulation to help you navigate the risks. (2026-06-11)
• How to actually read your super statement (and what to fix) — Stop ignoring your annual super statement. We explain how to read the fine print, spot high fees, check your insurance and fix common mistakes. (2026-06-11)
• Side-hustle tax in Australia: ABN or hobby, and what the ATO expects — From Uber to Etsy, extra income attracts tax. Learn the difference between a hobby and a business, when to get an ABN, and how to stay on the right side of the ATO. (2026-06-11)
• Cyber security basics every Australian small business can do this week — Cyber attacks are rising, but you don't need a big budget to fight back. Here is your plain-English guide to securing your small business this week. (2026-06-11)
• Novated leases and the EV FBT exemption: how Australians save thousands — Salary packaging an electric vehicle can save thousands in tax, but high interest rates and balloon payments can erode those gains. Here is how the maths really works. (2026-06-11)
• Buy Now Pay Later in Australia: the real cost and the 2026 credit rules — "Four easy payments" isn't free money, and from 2025-26 BNPL is regulated credit that can hit your credit file. (2026-06-04)
• Private Health Insurance and the Medicare Levy Surcharge: Do You Actually Need Cover? (2026) — Whether a basic hospital policy beats the surcharge comes down to two numbers — your income and the premium. Here's the maths. (2026-05-29)
• BAS and GST for small business: a plain-English quarterly guide — The quarterly tax form most small businesses dread, explained with real dollar figures and the traps that catch people. (2026-05-22)
• The 12 best AI tools every Australian small business should know in 2026 — Struggling to keep up? We break down the 12 essential AI tools that can save you time and money, from ChatGPT for marketing to Xero for automated BAS. (2026-05-15)
• Capital gains tax on shares and property in Australia: the 50% discount and main residence exemption — Sell an asset for more than you paid and the ATO usually wants a cut. Here's how to legally pay less of it. (2026-05-15)
• Franking Credits and Dividend Imputation Explained for Australian Investors — The same $700 fully franked dividend can hand one investor $300 cash and cost another $150 — here's exactly why. (2026-05-08)
• Australian superannuation explained: a plain-English 2026 guide — Super is the most tax-effective long-term wealth vehicle in Australia — but the rules are easy to misunderstand. Here's a plain-English breakdown of how it actually works in 2026. (2026-05-02)
• Buying your first home in Australia: the complete cost breakdown for 2026 — On a $700,000 first home, you'll need around $90,000 in cash before stamp duty even hits. Here's every cost broken down, plus the schemes that can dramatically reduce them. (2026-05-02)
• Australian income tax brackets 2025–26 explained simply — The 2024 Stage 3 amendments dropped tax rates across every bracket. Here's exactly what you owe at common Australian salaries, plus how Medicare, HECS and offsets stack on top. (2026-05-02)
• HECS-HELP changes in 2025: what every Australian graduate needs to know — The HECS-HELP rules changed dramatically on 1 July 2025 — the old "cliff edge" repayment system is gone. Most graduates pay less, indexation is fairer, and the strategy for paying it off has shifted. (2026-05-02)
• Stamp duty in Australia explained: every state, plain English (2026 update) — Stamp duty rules differ in every Australian state, and the concessions for first home buyers have changed dramatically in the last two years. This is the complete plain-English guide for 2026. (2026-05-02)
• Beginner's guide to ChatGPT for Australians: what to use it for and what to avoid — ChatGPT is genuinely useful — and confidently wrong about plenty of things. Here's how to use it safely as an Australian beginner, the tasks it's great at, and the situations where it can mislead you. (2026-05-02)
• How to spot AI-powered scams in 2026: an Australian guide — AI scams cost Australians more than $390 million in 2024 and are growing fast. Here are the eight new attack patterns to watch for, and the simple verification steps that defeat most of them. (2026-05-02)
• First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS): how to save your deposit in super — Super is taxed lighter than a savings account. Used right, FHSSS gets you to your deposit faster. (2026-04-30)
• Salary sacrificing into super: how it works and the 2025-26 caps — Trade your top tax rate for a flat 15% — here's exactly what salary sacrificing into super saves you, and the 2025-26 caps that limit it. (2026-04-23)
• Negative Gearing Explained for Australian Property Investors (2026) — Negative gearing is not a tax trick — it is a loss you fund hoping growth pays you back. Here is the maths, bracket by bracket. (2026-04-16)
• Sole Trader vs Pty Ltd Company: Choosing a Business Structure in Australia — A company is not automatically a tax win — here is how the four main Australian structures really compare. (2026-04-09)