Brad

About Brad Lonergan

Brad Lonergan is a Financial Planner in the Newcastle and Hinter region in NSW, Australia. His company is BMK Financial Services.

Should You Lend Money to Family?

What you should consider before handing over your hard earned savings
You’re probably fairly used to helping your family out with a little extra cash here and there. Whether it’s pocket money for doing chores, or money to pay phone bills, go see a movie or buy clothes, for example.

But what happens when they put […]

How to Cope With Losing Independence

If you or a loved one is experiencing a fear of losing independence, you may be able to maintain a sense of control.

Few, if any of us, look forward to losing independence. In fact, research reveals that 75% of older people feared losing independence while only 29% feared dying. It also revealed that 44% […]

Money Mistakes People Make in Their 50s and 60s

When you’re in your 50s and 60s, you know you’ve worked long and hard for what you’ve achieved in life and probably have a fair idea of how you want to live in your future retirement. But it’s important not to become complacent and ignore the warning signs of not having enough money for […]

Why It Pays To Contribute To Your Partner’s Superannuation

If your spouse is a stay-at-home parent, working part-time or out of work, adding to their super could benefit you both financially.

If your spouse (husband, wife, de facto or same-sex partner) is a low-income earner or not working at the moment, chances are they’re accumulating little or no super at all to fund their […]

9 Tips To Break Social Media Addiction and Improve Time Management

Do you catch yourself logging onto Facebook when you’re supposed to be working online, or refreshing the Twitter feed in your smartphone every 5 minutes?

Perhaps you even feel unsettled when you can’t get online to update your status? Don’t be alarmed at your insufficient self-control!
A recently available study by the University of Chicago suggests […]

Beware Tax Scams This Financial Year – Financial Advice Newcastle

Tax time is approaching and that means a juicy refund may be just around the corner. It’s a busy time for scammers too, and last year alone 48,000 Australians fell prey to tax scams between July and October.

Already this year, the Tax Office has registered over 17,067 scam reports with victims collectively losing […]

Selfie Obsessions – Is It Healthy Or Narcissistic?

Mirror mirror on the selfie obsession wall
In 2013, “selfie” was officially added to the Oxford Dictionary. It refers to a person taking a photo of themselves with their own phone or camera.

The idea of taking a self-portrait isn’t really new. It seems since the beginning of time we’ve felt the need to capture ourselves […]

Divorce Financial Settlement Advice Newcastle NSW

Divorce: A time of change
Whether it comes as a sudden shock or more gradually, divorce and separation brings emotional upheaval to people, and challenging issues with finances and property. Whatever the circumstances, you will need divorce financial settlement advice as the divorce proceedings go forward.

With an expected one in three marriages ending in divorce […]

Safeguard Your Ability to Pay Off Your Home Loan – Newcastle Finance

It’s not unusual that life can be smooth sailing one minute and throw you a curveball the next.

You might be hit with an injury or illness, a reduction in income or redundancy, a separation from your partner, or even a death in the family—all of which can be difficult, emotionally as well as financially.

If […]

The 2017-18 Australian Federal Budget – Newcastle Financial Advice

Pragmatism and fairness rule
The 2017-18 Australian Federal Budget has much to make it popular. In fact, the goodies make it almost feel like a pre-election rather than a post-election budget. The transformation from the austerity to end “the age of entitlement” of the 2014 budget to the “fairness, security and opportunity” of this Budget […]