Skip to main content

$500 in 5 minutes (here's how)

A 5m 19s phone call to my bank earnt me an extra $497.73

A 5m 19s phone call to my bank earnt me an extra $497.73

Term deposits can be a good way to save. They often pay more than saving accounts if you are able, and willing, to lock away money for a fixed amount of time.

Specials

Most banks will have a 'special offer' on one of their term deposit rates. For example the 7-month term deposit might have a far better rate than most other lengths. Seems like a good deal.

The Catch

At the end of 7 months the default option is to re-invest for another 7 months. But hang on - what if the 7 months rate is now terrible and the 9 months rate is really good? Doesn't matter. The default will be to invest for 7 months at the new terrible rate.

It's a bit like the lazy tax I mentioned before.

Big money for little work

When your term deposit comes due, take notice. Check out the interest rates for different term lengths - if term deposits are still your preferred option. A branch visit or a phone call is enough to switch you to the term deposit length that now has the best deal.

At the moment the difference can be as much as 0.65% - even just between a 5 and 7 month term. If you've got $40,000 saved, that's an easy $260 difference each year.

After my phone call I'll now make an extra $497.73 this year.

Why I'm talking finance

Money is the key to living a simpler more meaningful life. Working part-time I've had so many people say they wish they could do the same but can't afford it.

Smarter spending and investing wisely can give you freedom and options. You can choose a job you love rather be forced into one for money. You can find yourself out of work for a while and still be OK. If you want to retire earlier than the government pension age you can do so. If you want to work part-time or have time off between jobs you can do that too.

That's why I'm doing a few finance-related posts this year. Subscribe at the top of the page to be alerted to new posts.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Simple phone

I get my fair share of teasing for still using a Nokia phone. So I feel quite vindicated that someone has now invented a new non-smartphone . It's pitched for those who want a decluttered life. Instead of features, its selling points are things like "reclaim a little quietude from the constant intrusions of technology", "no internet connection, no app store and definitely no camera for taking selfies". One quote from the article said "as smartphones get bigger and bulkier, there is a place for something small and simplified, without all the functions." That kind of statement resonates with me. Not just for phones, but for so many areas of life - including the houses we live in.

Why own a car, when you can go get?

That's the slogan of one company providing an alternative to car ownership. Here's our experience with them. Why not just have our own car? Another time I'll write a full post about that, but suffice to say that car ownership is a pain in the neck. The servicing, the maintenance, the repairs, the parking, the traffic, the registration, the insurance, the cleaning... For my wife and I, about 98% of our transport needs can be done on foot, by bike, by train, bus or ferry. Maybe 99% if you include rideshare. So we choose to avoid the pain (and cost) of car ownership. However, car use (I think of it separately from car ownership) can be handy in certain situations. We had one of those situations last weekend. Here's how it went. Booking a car My wife signed up for GoGet , and booked the car online for the time window she needed it. As a first-timer, she received her little membership card in the mail. On the day of the booking, GoGet sent her a reminder email about 20 minut...

Too Much Stuff

"Why is it so hard to resist new things even when we know we already have too much. Can we find an alternative to the more, more, more mentality?" That promo got me hooked into the half-hour doco "Too Much Stuff". Australian viewers can see it online . Otherwise, here are some of my highlights. Host Sarah Wilson sums up the problem right at the start. "At every turn we're urged to possess the next thing that will make us feel smarter and more desirable. Anything we want is available with just one click. We're filling up our lives with stuff; yet ultimately, many of us feel empty, guilty and stressed out by our consumption." She sets out to explore an alternative. To see if "radically reducing our consumption" can lead to a better life. (Spoiler alert: Yes) Sarah says many people call her a minimalist but she's not so much about getting rid of things, more about not buying stuff. What's wrong with the Marie Kondo approach? Each ep...