If you are in a relationship where finances are shared then it is your responsibility to know what you own, where it is held and the names or entity it is held in. If you allow your partner to manage your affairs, at least get regular updates on your financial position – monthly when the statements come in is a good time. Ask questions. Keep a list of all accounts, assets etc in a safety deposit box or safe, including how to access these if something should happen to your partner.

Fifty percent of Queensland woman who have retired or are retiring in the next 10 years “have less than $20,000 in superannuation and their superannuation will have to last 20 – 30 years”. It is never too late to start saving for your retirement, however the earlier, the better. Talk to your accountant about the best way to manage your superannuation. It is worth paying for quality advice – there are a lot of tax benefits to investing in super, however you must ensure that your super fund is set up correctly to gain these benefits.

If you would like to take control of your financial future there are a number of steps you can take. Firstly, it is a good idea to become financially literate. The book to read is The Woman’s Money Book by Vivienne James. Written in down-to-earth, plain English, Vivienne talks you through the process of setting a budget, simple saving strategies, the importance of insurance and quality investment advice.

Consider a longer term investment strategy, such as the methods outlined in Nick Radge’s Unholy Grails.

“I am disappointed that so many Mum and Dad investors were hurt so badly during the GFC. The financial planners and fund managers they were relying on to give them advice gave them no advice: just the same old ‘buy and hold’ strategy that simply does not work in a collapsing market. In Unholy Grails I outline and discuss specific strategies for investors, allowing them to choose a simple plan that suits their investing style,” said the author, Nick Radge.

Choose a simple investment strategy, such as one outlined in Unholy Grails, and stick with it.

Having seen the difference between people dying with a will and without a will, I would strongly recommend having a will drawn up by your solicitor. Your loved ones will have enough grief to deal with on your passing, without worrying about the complications that occur when a person dies without a valid will. Check your will annually. Is it still relevant? Does it need updating as your family gets older and your situation changes?

Life Insurance is another important consideration. Will your loved ones be able to manage when you die? Again there are a lot of factors to consider. Here is a simple guide to help you decide if you need life insurance. Again, it is worth chatting to your accountant to decide if, and how much, life insurance you might need.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is!

There are too many sharks out there waiting to get their hands on your hard earned money. It is important, before you invest or seek advice from a company or individual, to check the Australian Government Money Smart website to see if any complaints have been made about your provider. Whilst this is not foolproof, it is a great start.

Trish Radge is the Head Publisher at Radge Publishing as well as being a Director and Head of Client Services at The Chartist. The Chartist is a boutique stock market advisory service (AFSL 288200). Nick Radge is a Director and Head of Research and Trading at The Chartist is author or several books including Unholy Grails – A New Road to Wealth.

The small family settled into the village quite well but money was tight. Patricia had left her husband with only forty five pounds in her pocket and the Post Office pay was poor. In her spare time Patricia decided to write a book. At school she was good at writing, but struggled with spelling. She is dyslexic. An unfamiliar condition at the time, she received no help. So, taking up pad and pen Patricia wrote the first 3 chapters of ‘Martha’ in 1978. Life gradually took over and Martha was forgotten, until years later when living in Australia, Patricia joined a Creative Writer’s Group and Martha was resurrected.

‘Martha’ is the story of two sisters. Mary, spiteful, selfish and beautiful and Martha, lonely, unloved and plain. The setting is a country house in Victorian England. Martha is fifteen and Mary seventeen. A new curate comes into their lives for whom Martha feels an immediate infatuation. An infatuation that leads to dreadful consequences.

The story is told at a cracking pace and is filled with suppressed sensuality. The characters are vividly portrayed. The cook and two maids are kind to Martha and help her through her isolated life. She has to cope with a strict and disapproving father and a disappointed and sick mother. To cap it all she has a debilitating stutter. Her one solace is her cat, Gypsy.

Sensitive Martha endures Mary’s sneers until she is finally pushed too far.

Martha is available from Radge Publishing $24.95

Hard cover available now.
Kindle version available now.

Nick Radge stopped following the pack many years ago. As a futures trader, stock trader, futures broker, stock broker and fund manager, Nick learnt to recognise what the pack were doing and how they react to financial information. He also realised that it made no sense.

Are you one of the pack? Here’s a test:

Question: If a stock’s price is falling do you think it represents good value, i.e. it’s cheap?
Answer: OneTel and HIH were not cheap when they eventually delisted in 2001. ABC Learning was not cheap when it delisted in 2008.

A stock price in motion tends to stay in motion; Unholy Grails will show you how to be on the positive side of this statement.

Nick Radge is focused on momentum investing; purchasing stocks that are trending up. Nick shows you how to hitch a ride on stocks in an uptrend or protect your capital during sustained bear markets.

Unholy Grails goes against almost everything your stock broker, financial planner, accountant and your fund manager will ever tell you. It will detail a road less travelled; a compilation of practical strategies for the active investor who is looking for long term gains with minimum daily effort.

“I am disappointed that so many Mum and Dad investors were hurt so badly during the GFC. The financial planners and fund managers they were relying on to give them advice gave them no advice: just the same old ‘buy and hold’ strategy that simply does not work in a collapsing market. In Unholy Grails I outline and discuss specific strategies for investors, allowing them to choose a simple plan that suits their investing style,” said the author, Nick Radge.

Whether investing for a SMSF or using an active investment strategy to manage your personal wealth, Nick Radge examines and tests numerous investment strategies to help determine the right one for you.

Nick Radge has over 25 years’ experience in the financial markets. He has worked for global investment banks, from the trading floor of the Sydney Futures Exchange to international dealing desks in Sydney, London and Singapore, and he ran a commodity hedge fund. He is a published author and specializes in technical trading and systematic strategies. He authors The Chartist (www.thechartist.com.au), manages money using active management strategies and consults to various financial planning, stock broking and accountancy firms.

For further information:

Media Enquiries: Trish Radge
Phone: 07 5473 5743 or 0412 30 30 55
Email: trish@radgepublishing.com

Frustrated when compilers would not reveal how they arrived at their answers, she decided to compile crosswords herself. Thus Finnegan’s Cryptic Crosswords was born. Finnegan’s Cryptic Crosswords solver was the first cryptic crossword book to contain all solutions fully explained. Barbara released 10 volumes in magazine format throughout newsagents in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

In 2005 Barbara released two books entitled Cryptics Made Easy, a blue and a purple edition (now out of print).

Barbara continues her love of crossword compiling in Cryptic Crossword Secrets – Where Every Answer is Fully Explained.

Testimonials

I used to be wary, even scared of trying a Cryptic. Not now – I’m an avid fan of Barbara’s books. These books show me the many tricks that are used. I can read the Straight clues and then successfully tackle the devious Cryptics. I wouldn’t have been able to learn without the precise explanations of each solution.
Jim Whitlam – Sydney

I don’t do Crosswords, but after giving Cryptic Crossword Secrets to my seventy-one year old mother she barely has time to speak to me. She talks about hidden clues, reversals, anagrams etc. and now has me reading the instruction pages which explain how clues may be set. For both of us it’s the full and unique explanation of the answer that teaches us most.
Kelly McDonald – Canada

Straight crosswords I managed OK. Barbara’s books ‘Cryptic Crossword Secrets’ taught me the simple tools to crack the code of Cryptics. The Introduction pages conditioned a novice like me to take on the cryptic challenge. Now I can spot word reversals, alternate letters and anagrams and other compiler’s tricks. Yes – I still smack my head after reading the solution and wonder why I didn’t see that!
Les Nelson – N. Ireland

Thanks Barbara. I applaud your C.C.S. books. Still pithy and I don’t have to remember my Latin roots or Greek mythology or dive into dictionaries for long-lost archaic words. Logical clues with every aspect of the answer broken down and fully explained. Your ‘how to’ section provides a great kick-start to any novice.
Susan Slaughter – New Zealand

Barbara Gettinby resides on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. She writes cryptic crossword clues whilst on holiday adventures with her husband Des Gettinby, travel author. Barbara is more than happy to share her knowledge of cryptic crosswords and has therefore put together a FREE e-book titled How to do Cryptic Crosswords. Download your free copy here.

The course was comprehensive covering the creation of a book from conception to editing, production to publicity and sales. There were 10 topics, each presented by a specialist from the big publishing houses.

So, what did I learn? Well, I learnt that I fair knowledge when it comes to the creation of books. I was the only attendee from a small publishing company. Most were employed by the big publishing houses and their roles were specialised, e.g. Production Assistant, Assistant Editor, sales and marketing. As a result they often knew their roles very well, but not that of the rest of the staff or the importants of each role in the book creation process. On the other hand, I had been involved in the entire process. I had:

~ Chosen a manuscriptFresh off the press.
~ Edited the manuscript, working directly with the author
~ Outsourced proofreading of the manuscript
~ Typeset and layout of text
~ Purchase of ISBN and barcode
~ Cover design (outsourcing my ideas to a graphic designer for creation)
~ PDF creation for submission to printer
~ Liasing with the printer
~ Liasing with Australian Book Group for distribution
~ Publicity
~ Sales and Marketing

I am not extraordinary. This is the role of the small publisher. We provide a different role and service to the big publishers. As a result we release (a lot) less books but each book is a joy and nothing beats the thrill of hosting a book launch or seeing your book/s on the shelf in a book store.

Trish Radge
Radge Publishing

By Des Gettinby

Recipe for budget travel

Take:
6 kilos of clothes
1 small onboard size backpack
$25 a day
Return air ticket

Add a good mate
Mix with a healthy dose of humour
Bake for 4 months in SE Asia

Des Gettinby is not your average retiree. In fact his life is upside down! At 70 he set off backpacking through SE Asia for 4 months with his wife, Barb. Budget Travel Secrets – SE Asia is a humorous rendition of their adventures. Filled with tips and tricks to save you money, whilst still enjoying accommodation with ensuite bathroom, the book is an inspiration to travellers, both young and old.

“This trip was either going to break up my 25 year marriage with Barbara, or make it stronger”, says author, Des Gettinby. “We decided to step right out of our comfort zones and the results were amazing. In fact the trip could have been sponsored by the health department. We came back leaner and healthier and with a stronger relationship than before we left.”

Des Gettinby has a wonderful sense of humour, seeing the fun in everyday Asian life. His descriptions of people and places are tantalizing, including tales of both turmoil and treasured moments. Des is often referred to as “Australia’s answer to Bill Bryson”.

Des will encourage you to face your fears; simply pack (light) and go.

“I could not put this book down,” said Wally Cook, a retiree from Lindfield, NSW. “I doubt I will get the chance to travel overseas again at my age, but I loved the book so much that I am giving copies to all my family for Christmas.”

A humourous travelogue with budget tips and tricks: a perfect recipe.

Budget Travel Secrets – SE Asia is available from Radge Publishing or in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon.com.

Bangkok You must have an onward ticket before you enter Thailand. Thirty day visas are issued at no charge on arrival. Extensions are available or just cross a border and reenter Thailand to get another thirty day visa.

Most popular areas for budget travellers to stay in Bangkok are either Siam Square (close to the Sky Rail) or the even less expensive Banglamphu (Khao San Road), which is further out of the city centre.

Hua Hin is a relaxing beach town and most of the night life centres on the colourful Chatchai night markets, held in the centre of the town.

Phuket and Patong Thailand’s largest island at fifty kilometres long and twenty-one kilometres wide and connected to the mainland by the Sarasin bridge, which was built in 1967.

The island has seventeen sandy beaches. The most familiar of these is Patong, which is recognised as one of the world’s top ten diving sites. Patong is maybe more famous for its nightlife than the beautiful two kilometre stretch of sand.

Krabi is a popular rock-climbing centre and is the port servicing the nearby Andaman Islands. Nearby Ko Phi Phi has attracted the title of most popular island in Thailand.

Ko Lanta Island 30 km long and 6 km wide, with nine white sandy beaches along the sunset coast on the Andaman Sea.

The coastline has more that seventy small islands with forests, coral reefs and abundant under-water life. A glorious tropical island not overdeveloped – yet.

Hat Yai Hat Yai’s major claim to fame, and perhaps reason for existence, is the railway yard where the east and west lines from Malaysia join to form a single track to Bangkok. Commercial interests have developed because of this.

Penang The second smallest state in Malaysia but the eighth most populous.

Penang State encompasses the island itself plus part of the mainland.

Butterworth (the military centre) is the major port on the mainland, across from Georgetown. Georgetown has Chinatown as its traditional ‘Old Quarter’ and Little India squeezes itself amongst the streets of Chinatown and offers Indian cuisine at its best.

Batu Ferringhi Renowned for its status as a resort town with the Hotel Rasa Sayang being voted, in 1985, ‘Best hotel in the world’ by the British Tourism Organisation.

The beach location sports hotels such as Holiday Inn, Golden Sands, Park Royal, etc.

Hanoi Home to more than three million people, located on the Red River and speckled with soothing lakes. Vietnamese dong and American dollars are accepted everywhere.

The area around Hanoi has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years and the people are overwhelmingly honest and good-natured. Hanoians tend to be forward-looking, down-to-earth and very hard-working, particularly the women.

Ha Long Bay This body of water covers 1,500 square kilometres and has 1,969 limestone islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation. 989 of these islands have been given names.

Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, and two of the bigger islands have permanent inhabitants along with tourist facilities including hotels and beaches.

Hue is recognised as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 and has become a big and invaluable museum.

This city is an important centre of Buddhism with pagodas built 300 years ago still in existence.

Hoi An Thirty kilometres from Danang – Originally known as Faifo, this antique town is bordered on its southern side by the Thu Bon River. Despite the fact that it is now a tourist haven, the artistic atmosphere and friendly local people make Hoi An special.

Nha Trang This coastal city has 300,000 inhabitants and retains its small town atmosphere.

The town is flanked by 10 km of beautiful beaches and the average temperature is 26 degrees centigrade.

A great place to have a beach break, and offshore islands offer some of the best diving in Vietnam.

Mui Ne Famed for its enormous sand dunes, these visits need to be made away from the midday sun. Sledding down on sand boards is a thrill not to be missed.

Home of the famous Nuoc Mam, the fish sauce sold all over Vietnam to add spice to dishes. It ferments in huge terracotta jars along the sides of the road.

Thirty kilometres out of Mui Ne is the longest reclining Buddha in Vietnam, with a height of 11 metres and a length of 49 metres. The Buddha is on a hilltop 100 metres above Mountain Pagoda, and if climbing is too much like hard work, visitors can take a gondola ride through the beautiful rainforest to reach the site.

Saigon Ho Chi Min city, of which Saigon is the centre, is the largest city in Vietnam and is close to the Mekong River delta.

The large city area is called Ho Chi Min City, but the urban centre is called Saigon. A little bit confusing, but the central train station is marked Saigon and ‘Ho Chi Min City’ doesn’t seem to be used very much at all. Even airport signs show ‘Saigon’.

Phnom Penh in Cambodia has a population of 1.4 million, principally Buddhist.

Siem Reip – very hospitable. The people are kindly and gentle, and less forward and pushy during our usual night-time walk around shops and cafes. Here we see some splendid state-of-the-art hotels with rooms up to $2,000 a night. Plenty of budget accommodation available at $12 per night.

Kampot The provincial capital of Kampot Province, located near the base of the Elephant Mountains on the Prek Kampong River.

Quiet streets, few tourists and with smatterings of French Colonial and Chinese architecture.

Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand, was founded in 1964 to be the only deep-water port in Cambodia and its beaches are popular as tourist destinations.

This place is the Mecca for the young. Accommodation can be had for free when one drinks or eats at the attached bar. Very tempting to the young backpacker, and parties on the beach to dawn are often of the ‘drink till you drop’ variety.

Adventurers will gauge their own comfort level of balanced, fair barter. A street seller starts at, let’s say, $20. I say ‘No, too much.’ (Often I don’t even want it!)

They say ‘OK, $15.’

I say, ‘It’s quite cute but it’s too much.’ (I still don’t want it.)

‘OK. How much you give?’

I say something stupid like ‘$5’.

‘Oh, Oh cannot do.’

I say ‘Thanks, see ya’, and as I walk off they say, ‘OK you give me $8.’

At $7, I am usually suckered into some object I never really wanted to start with – jumble sale stuff.
Desmond: zero points. Street Seller: 10 points.

Shopkeepers have a healthy tourist margin built in and will always aim high, taking full advantage of a good profit from the unsuspecting. I try to say no gently but firmly and laugh with them. An acceptable get-out is ‘maybe later’.

My examples of buying trousers in a tailoring shop are:

1. Start price of $24 and an eventual price of $14 for Italian cloth.

2. Start price of $14 and eventual price of $8 (non-crush cloth).

I feel, each time, a need to bargain but also to test the level at which they still make a profit for their efforts.

By Des Gettinby, author of Budget Travel Secrets – S.E. Asia and India – Footloose and Almost Free

1. Buy a good quality travel Guide Book . Everything you need to know in one compact book. Find a bed, a feed, a train, plane or bus – it’s all there

2. Be brave. Book your flights and go. Budget travelling can be easily achieved. Apart from your return air ticket, all tour bookings, sightseeing, accommodation and ongoing transport can be easily and less expensively organised when you arrive at your destination. Keep your eye out for discount air fares.

3. Travel lightly. Buy an airline carry-on sized backpack – this will stop you from packing the kitchen sink. This link will take you to the backpack that I use. It is light and the perfect size for onboard luggage.

4. Dress comfortably in lightweight, wrinkle-free, quick dry fabrics. Travel clothing is available at most camping and adventure stores. Buy more clothes as you travel, if needed, and continually post home extra purchases and unwanted gear.

5. Shoes? What shoes? One pair of top quality comfortable walking sandals will take you everywhere. In winter, take one pair of boots that look good day or night, are comfortable and are snow-proof with good grip.

6. Bargaining – apart from the savings, it becomes a fun pastime. Almost every purchase can be bargained down and can drop by 20% or more (including accommodation). Read our How to Bargain Guide

7. Money. Use ATM’s to draw money in local currency. Available almost everywhere except in remote villages. Choose the best travel credit card with low fees. Best to have two credit cards – not linked. For emergencies, carry some US dollars.

8. Security. It’s smart to leave all valuables at home and wear a next-to-skin money belt for passport and big money. Theft happens mostly because of carelessness – if you value it, carry it with you and don’t leave it unattended anywhere. Most accommodation provides security lockers – use them.

9. Precautions. Scan all documents into an email and send to yourself (we use Hotmail). If ever needed, simply login to your email account and you will have passports, visas, home contacts, tickets, insurances, vaccination details, drivers licences etc. all available to be printed out. Alternatively, carry all these documents on a memory stick. Other travel precautions include registering with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade incase you need to be contacted in an emergency.

10. Travel Traps. Don’t run up accommodation tabs. Pay as you go or at least every day – this way you stand some chance of checking the amounts.

For more tips, purchase Budget Travel Secrets – S.E. Asia or India – Footloose and Almost Free.