Need to transfer funds to the US?

/in , , /by

One of the certain aspects of Global Investing is going to be the need for Foreign Exchange to transfer funds to other currencies and countries. It is absolutely something you need to consider and ensure to allow for costs and charges when doing so.

The banks are generally the most expensive options and I certainly would not recommend this.

We’ve partnered up with award-winning Australian based currency brokers SendFX to enable our Star Dynamic family to make significant savings against the banks, and I have found the process to be one of the most streamlined I have used from all FX companies:

  • Exchange rates up to 8x cheaper than the banks
  • No transaction fees or charges
  • Personal account manager
  • Forward contracts to secure USD rates
  • Free consulting on USD transactions
  • 5 Star Reviews on Trust Pilot
  • ASIC & AUSTRAC regulated

If you need to send funds, here is a link to get a quote, compare and see what you think. Another massive advantage is the ability to lock in rates when they are high, have a chat with them today, can save you thousands on your next transaction!

Linz’s Friday Musings – December 6th 2019

/in , , /by

G’day all

Happy Friday!  Here we go…decent into the Christmas madness!  Christmas parties, catch ups with friends & family… don’t get me wrong, I do love this time of year!

Haven’t had a peek of summer yet here in Victoria, but still hopefully he will show his face soon 🙂

The US on the other hand is descending into Winter and, particularly in the northern states, it’s starting to get mighty cold.  Just coming off their Thanksgiving break, and with Christmas looming, the US also have the added stress of coming into their end of financial year.

I was chatting to our legal team in the US yesterday, they handle all the LLC creation etc, and she was saying that it is just the craziest time of the year.  Once Thanksgiving hits, everyone suddenly realises all the things they need to get done by the end of the financial year, for tax purposes and the pressure hits!

I guess it is hard enough here, with only Christmas to worry about, kinda thankful we have our financial year end, in June!  Whew!

Having said that, I was lucky enough to be in the States last year at this time, and over Thanksgiving was a magical time to be in the US – come to think of it, I wonder who won the Annual Thanksgiving NFL match this year, Chicago Bears or the Detroit Lions? Must remember to google it…

Thanksgiving is a fabulous holiday (not so keen on the whole ‘Black Friday’ theme though) and as the snow starts to fall with Christmas decorations going it, can be quite beautiful.  Check out the very quick video I took last year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving – ill link it below.

Anyway, enough from me…I’ll let you all get back to the Christmas party, ours is next week!

Have a great weekend all and Happy Investing…!!

Cheers,

Lindsay

Linz’s Friday Musings – November 29th 2019

/in , , /by

G’day all

So, here we go…last couple of days of Spring before we launch ourselves into our Aussie Summer!  Wow!  What an awesome time of year.  I love this time of year! 

December is crazy, Christmas lead in – did I tell you I used to work in hospitality? Man, that’s the definition of crazy. Shout out to all those in hospitality over this period, and for the rest of us, let’s be patient J

Once we hit Christmas though, I find the period between Christmas and New Year, such a relaxing time… Boxing day test on the telly, BBQ’s, summer weather, beach, a lot of us on holidays (seriously not trying to have a dig at the hospitality workers here!), family time…I feel its magical.

But, although we are also now, on the lead up to Christmas, let’s not take our foot off the pedal here.  We still have a good 3-4 weeks of time we can achieve so much!

At this time of year, we can often start drifting into Christmas mode – parties, catch ups etc.  Time can also go so quickly (relatively speaking) as we are always just so ‘busy’ that the Christmas lead up takes over everything

What I invite you to do, for the next 3-4 weeks up to Christmas, is to walk slower…

Now I know that might sound crazy, but hang with me a moment.  I recently did a retreat in Sydney and we did an exercise where we literally walked around the property for almost 30 minutes at different speeds.  We would almost power walk, seeing how that felt, what we noticed.  We did this a various speeds over the thirty minutes and what I noticed when walking much slower, is that I was really able to notice so much more, take in the surroundings, see more, recognise more, enjoy more.  It really works…

During this hectic period, in our lead up to Christmas, try walking slower.  Take in your surroundings, enjoy the Christmas spirit as you walk around the city maybe.  Watch as people scurry to their next meeting, or party, not seeing or noticing their surrounds.  Take all this in, and you will find that you will also feel calmer, less stressed –  the hospitality crew will LOVE you! 

Reminds me of my favourite poem my dad gave me, by Rudyard Kipling – “If you can keep you head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming you…”  This is really a key.  Remaining calm is the sea of uncertainty, a rock against the storm.

Try it…let me know as Christmas looms how it felt for you?  I promise if you do this you will enjoy this period so much more J

Have a great weekend all and Happy Investing…!!

Cheers,

Lindsay

Linz’s Friday Musings – November 15th 2019

/in , , /by

G’day all

Happy Friday again!  Not sure if it is just me, but are these weeks going faster now that we are getting closer to Christmas?  Einstein did always say time was relative!

Speaking of relative, I was reading an article this week on the state of the AU market.  Some amazing stats regarding the number of properties listed being at a record low (well, at least since they started recording these figures some 25 odd years ago).

But with the property market in Australia so hot right now, why would there be so little inventory around?  Very tough to be a real estate agent in the cities right now, I would suspect.

Well, the article goes on to suggest that it could be the government, or policies causing this, but I have to agree with one of my property mentors, Dymphna Boholt, who is suggesting that it is more down to the fact that property IS such a great investment, that people are just not selling…

We all purchase properties to grow wealth, and generate income, and while these properties are doing this, why incur stamp duties, commissions, etc by selling?  With lending rates so low, and looking at going lower (did you see the unemployment figures for AU this week?) people can access the equity in the property through refinancing and line of credit rather than selling

What this means is a record low amount of inventory on the market, which will in turn drive the prices up again…it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy!  Supply vs Demand, and demand is high, but supply is at record lows…

So therefore, not only is it hard to be a real estate agent in Oz right now, it is hard for us investors!

This is where US property can also help to fill a void.  High cashflow, low entry costs (compared to AU properties anyway), very stable, very sound investments, when done right.  Plenty of inventory here! 

Maybe it’s a perfect time to start looking across Pacific to pick up some gems, while here in Australia, investors are fighting over available properties…

Reach out if you want help to get started…

Oh! Don’t forget if you are in Sydney, or two upcoming events below!

Have a great weekend all and Happy Investing…!!

Cheers,

Lindsay

Linz’s Friday Musings – November 8th 2019

/in , , /by

G’day all

What a strange week it’s been!  Hard to get into a solid rhythm here in Melbourne with a public holiday for a horse race in the middle…

I always find it strange how as a nation, we have no issue with spending thousands (notice I didn’t suggest ‘investing’) betting on horse races, Tattslotto results, pokies etc, but when someone at the local footy game, suggests they have just put a deposit down or purchased an investment property, we are all – “are you sure that’s a good idea? What if the market crashes?”

I feel our affinity with gambling and a ‘flutter’ on the horses could be a potential drawback or hindrance for us as Aussies, giving us a poor mindset around money. And believe me, our mindset around money, will make or break out bank balances, for sure and certain

It is what we ‘think’ about money that sets a tone in our subconscious that will then determine our wealth level.

If we feel money is bad, or only bad people have money, we will find ways to sabotage our success to make sure we only every have enough to ‘get by’.

If we feel money is a tool, a vehicle whereby we can grow business, employ people & create jobs, purchase things to stimulate the economy, then we will find opportunities to grow our wealth and succeed in our goals (which don’t have to be money focused by the way!)

It’s crazy how this works, but believe me, it does…

Don’t get me wrong, I lost my $10 on the cup like the best of us (think Constantinople is still running) … but we need to understand our mindset around the ‘flutter’.  If you’re at a cup BBQ, or at the races and want to put a few bucks down to have fun, and enjoy the day, then that’s great, knock yourself out!  It can be a lot of fun.

But just stop and think for a sec…what is my mindset around this?  Am I actually desperately ‘wanting’ that horse to come first?  Does it matter to me next week if it does or doesn’t?  Am I actually upset or disappointed, or more so, ashamed or guilty that I placed the bet in the first place and lost?

If these are the emotions your feeling, if you are genuinely upset or ashamed that you placed the bet and SPENT the money; or alternatively genuinely NEEDING the horse to win to help alleviate some finance issues next week, then I would recommend chatting to someone about this…

Mindset around money can often be one of the biggest hurdles investors need to overcome to start becoming successful at investing. 

What’s yours like?

Have a great weekend all and Happy Investing…!!

Cheers,

Lindsay