The totally off-topic thread

[Flying mermaid]

My niece recently refinanced for renovations. Her broker worked a miracle. I’d be cosying up to one tbh.

yes if anything goes wrong with this loan she has the name f a good broker. Hopefully the bank will just give her an extension!

 

[RB]

i am a bit worried about this. Ms FM managed to get an approval in principle (after jumping through a lot of hoops), for a rebuild of her house. However she has to provide approved plans etc by the end of May and there is no way that is going to happen. Hopefully she can get an extension, as applying again under the more rigorous rules might prove problematic. She is going directly to the bank, not through a mortgage broker, so I don’t know if that makes it better or worse!

I get a little confused by these sort of situations. Obviously there are more details but aren't more rigorous rules protecting the consumer?

 

[TomVexille]

I get a little confused by these sort of situations. Obviously there are more details but aren't more rigorous rules protecting the consumer?

Not in our experience. The offer of a loan seems to be quite conditional.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I get a little confused by these sort of situations. Obviously there are more details but aren't more rigorous rules protecting the consumer?

Yes and no. Banks can be very inflexible....

Clearly there have been cases where banks have lent absurd amounts to people and they need to be protected from their own stupidity.

In our daughter’s case we are standing behind her and helping her. I was astounded actually at how much money they were prepared to lend her and her husband on their salaries. I guess they could manage the repayments and they have secure jobs, but if anything went wrong they would be under a fair bit of stress. We are not concerned as we plan to help them with repayments and at some point give them a lump sum to reduce the loan to a more manageable amount.

I suspect if the loan had to be reapplied for under the new regime they probably wouldn’t get as much and we have already seen the bank totally incapable of understanding our financial situation now we are retired!

 

[Pushka]

i am a bit worried about this. Ms FM managed to get an approval in principle (after jumping through a lot of hoops), for a rebuild of her house. However she has to provide approved plans etc by the end of May and there is no way that is going to happen. Hopefully she can get an extension, as applying again under the more rigorous rules might prove problematic. She is going directly to the bank, not through a mortgage broker, so I don’t know if that makes it better or worse!

Um, your accountant is, presumably, not a registered financial advisor. So, a) he should not have suggested it, and b) you should not have accepted it.

Check if when you die he doesn’t keep charging you!

He wasn’t charging. He is actually a registered financial advisor. But I ignored him

 

[Denali]

Am I suppose to tip in Glasgow because the staff are amazingly super attentive and the room cleaner lady left me a full page hand written note welcoming me.

 

[RooFlyer]

Am I suppose to tip in Glasgow because the staff are amazingly super attentive and the room cleaner lady left me a full page hand written note welcoming me.

I would. Happy to encourage above average service.

 

[RooFlyer]

I wonder where she saw the Oroton bag. That I really like.

Oh, I think it will be pretty readily available as soon as the Chinese sweat shops can copy it soon

 

[Denali]

I would. Happy to encourage above average service.

Problem is they dont have 1 or 2 pound notes anymore, just coins. 5 pounds is too much but coins is weird to tip with.

Brad the valet guy is pretty good - would it be really bad of me to explain that I cant exchange my old 10 pound notes but he can mail them locally to exchange and give him 40 pounds? Because at this point, they have zero value to me and I cant use them

 

[RooFlyer]

but coins is weird to tip with.

You mean tip hand-to-hand? Yes, I agree. Most tippable nations still have low denom paper!

But otherwise in jar, on table etc.

 

[Denali]

The lounge is serving haggis shepherd pie

And their vegetables fritatas taste like Indian chicken (but it's yummy).

 

[Deleted member]

I like and agree. Totally. Social Media. The best and the worst. I live in Adelaide so Rugby league doesn’t really get much AirPlay. I think we were watching national SBS.

It’s only a small point. But it’s rugby union. Not league. .

 

[Deleted member]

If what you are saying discriminates against a group of people (ie gay people in this case), then it shouldnt be said. He's entitled to his belief, he is not entitled to discriminate against others because they don't live the same way he does.

He is just as offended by the Gay Community existing, as we are offended by his speech.
I disagree with his premise, and the fact that he feels the need to say anything at all.

 

[Deleted member]

No such thing as freedom of speech in Australia.

And we are the poorer for it

 

[Deleted member]

I don't see many cartoons in our newspapers criticising or making fun of Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam.

Or planes piloted by Hindu, Buddhist, Christians flying into tall buildings ...... oh that’s right. Only Islam believes by not believing we are blasphemers and infidels

 

[Deleted member]

So is expressing a basic Muslim tenet in itself Offensive or Discriminatory?

You mean like “the penalty for apostasy is death”?

 

[Deleted member]

If only people could love their neighbors as the major religions all seem to teach the world would be a nicer place. Unfortunately they seemed to be used to incite hate against anyone who is different

I don’t need to “love” anybody. I do however need to let them (and they me) live in peace

 

[Deleted member]

He wasn’t charging. He is actually a registered financial advisor. But I ignored him

Registered means little or nothing. It is the qualifications within that registration which dictate what advice he can and can’t provide. Eg. SMSF. Direct Shares.
More importantly, what documentation did he provide? Statement of advice? What investigations did he make? Fact find? Investment risk profile? Or has he just said in conversation, Oroton look good, you should buy some. That’s advice and there are rigorous rules around that. ......... i am a licenced financial adviser. But NOT for direct shares .

 

[GarrettM]

Actually GarrettM I would have preferred a 3 second answer.
We waited 4 months for an answer while we were building 16 apartments for social housing. Times have changed in the last year.
Interest only loans are getting switched to principal and interest so many borrowers monthly payments are going up between 20% and 40%. So that is a big ouch.

Well I would have like the three second answer as well, except I was honestly expecting it to be a more positive one.
I could have perhaps been a little more "flexible" in my provision of salary information. For example I only supplied my base annual income, and not the full figure including penatlies etc.

Blah.

 

[somebol]

Well I would have like the three second answer as well, except I was honestly expecting it to be a more positive one.
I could have perhaps been a little more "flexible" in my provision of salary information. For example I only supplied my base annual income, and not the full figure including penatlies etc.

Blah.

is using interest free credit card balance transfers an option? westpac have a good one with 0% interest for 24 months.