ANZ Bank

Have you ever thought about what $50 will buy you over the course of the month? It isn't likely to cover your petrol, parking or even the cumulative cost of your daily skim milk latte, yet it can make a huge difference to your long term finances.

Did you know that just $50 extra per month towards your ANZ home loan could save you thousands of dollars in interest charges, as well as reduce the term of your home loan by years?

As long as you let ANZ know that the extra is to be used towards paying off the principal of your home loan debt rather than making advance payments on the next month's interest you could chip away at your home loan debt with less effort than you thought possible.

Is it time to consider renovating your home? Whether you need to add a new room or simply update your kitchen, taking on a renovation project is a big commitment, but one that can increase the value of your home and therefore help to build your wealth in the long term.

When considering your renovation options, bear in mind there are a number of financing solutions available from various banks and lenders. One solution is a Supplementary Loan from ANZ.

With an ANZ Supplementary Loan, you can use the equity in your home to fund a number of projects, including home renovations. You can borrow up to 95% of the value of your home, with Lenders Mortgage Insurance required if you borrow more than 80% of your property's value.

Life is often a matter of routine. You wake, you eat, you work, you drive, you make your home loan repayments, you sleep. Sometimes, you may like to spice things up a bit by making changes to your routine for example, by take a different route to work, choose something new on the menu or even take a break from your home loan repayments.

Before you get too excited about the prospect of a home loan repayment holiday, arm yourself with the facts in order to evaluate whether this option suits your financial situation.

Shopping is fun. Whether you're looking at the latest iPod, browsing through aisles of nuts, bolts and hardware or searching for the perfect shoes to go with a certain outfit, there is a form of shopping to keep everyone happy. Credit card debt, however, is not much fun at all, and that sick feeling you get when you read your monthly bill from ANZ can easily outweigh the joys of any bargains you may have found throughout the month.

Credit card debt is not a life sentence, however; as there are some simple ways you can work towards clearing your ANZ credit card debt and free your cash flow for investments that can build your overall wealth rather than deplete it.

Short of a windfall from a lottery win, an inheritance from a long lost uncle or a visit from a magical genie, you may feel that there is no way you will ever be able to pay off your ANZ home loan any sooner. Did you know that there is a simple way to clear your debt sooner that doesn't require much effort from you at all?

It's not complicated and it doesn't mean you have to live off a grocery budget of $4.20 per week. The key to paying off your home loan from ANZ or another bank or lender is this: simply make the switch from monthly to fortnightly repayments.

DIY strategies may work for wall-papering your lounge room or making a garden bench, but when it comes to your finances, professional advice can make all the difference to your financial future.

Most banks and lenders offer financial planning services, such as the ANZ Financial Planners who are available to ANZ customers and members of the public. The team of ANZ Financial Planners can help in a range of areas, from planning for your retirement and rolling over your superannuation, to helping you with a plan to invest and build on your wealth.

The average Australian owes over $2,500 on each of their credit cards and generally spends 10% more than what they earn. We're a country in debt and for this we owe a lot of thanks to the banks.

Need proof that the big banks love us to stay in debt? Here it is.

ANZ have introduced a product called ANZ Assured, which is an overdraft facility. They have been contacting their customers to advise that they are automatically approved to use an overdraft facility and need only make a phone call to activate this feature on their transaction account.

An investment property that costs more to sustain than it generates as income that can't be a good thing, can it? With the right strategy and professional advice, you could learn how to use negative gearing to your advantage.

If the term negative gearing sounds a bit like going backwards, it is not too far from the truth.

Negative gearing is when you borrow a large percentage of the value of an investment property from your lender, for example ANZ, and the amount of rental income paid by your tenants is less than the investment home loan repayments you are making to ANZ. This difference is tax deductible.

The house-hunting game is largely a matter of timing. You need to buy when the right opportunity arises, and sell your existing property in order to finance your new home. When time is not on your side, you may need a helping hand in the form of bridging finance.

Just as the name suggests, bridging finance is used to bridge the gap between the sale of your existing home and the purchase of your new home. Bridging finance is offered by many banks and lenders, including ANZ.

ANZ offer a variety of bridging finance solutions that can be adapted to your situation. For example, if you are already an ANZ home loan customer, ANZ may be able to help you to finance your new home by increasing the amount of your existing loan. This would enable you to finance the new property before the sale of your existing home is settled.