Motor Vehicle Finance
Understanding the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) in Australia
As a business owner, staying ahead of the curve means not just adapting to changes in the market, but also to new regulations that could...
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Blogs
Invoice Finance
How to use invoice financing to protect your cashflow
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. However, challenges often arise, such as delayed client payments, seasonal fluctuations, or unexpected expenses. Enter invoice financing...
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Equipment Finance
The Importance of Checking Your Credit Score
Securing finance for essential equipment is vital for business growth, regardless of company size. The right financing can enhance operations and productivity, but your...
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Business Finance
Private Sales
Private sales typically involve direct interactions between individuals rather than businesses. These transactions can include the sale of used items, vehicles, equipment, yellow goods and...
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Business Finance
Navigating the World of Asset Finance: A Guide to Smart Business Investments
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern business, the pursuit of growth and innovation is a constant endeavour. While the concept of acquiring new assets to...
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Business Finance
The Advantages of Invoice Financing
Invoice Financing is an increasingly popular way for business owners to fund daily operations and growth. There are many Lenders in the market who provide...
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Home Finance
Investment Property Tips – What you need to know
While increasing interest rates and softening property values are challenging for many, they provide an opportunity for lowly geared borrowers looking to buy an investment...
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Equipment Finance
Salary Packaging an Electric Vehicle
It is now far more affordable to salary package an electric vehicle. The cost difference between electric and petrol/diesel vehicles has been a major factor...
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Home Finance
Mortgage Offset Accounts Explained
Mortgage Offset Accounts are a popular tool that many borrowers use to reduce the interest they pay on their home loans and to pay them...
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Business Finance
5 Business Loans that don’t need property security
Business finance has changed significantly over the past decade. There is now a wider range of Specialist Lenders who provide finance solutions to business...
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Business Finance
Should I refinance my borrowings?
Many businesses and homeowners are asking the question, "should I refinance to get a better deal"? (This is not surprising given the recent...
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Home Finance
First Home Buyer Home Guarantee Scheme
The federal government first home buyer Home Guarantee Scheme is designed to help eligible applicants purchase their first home. According to the National Housing...
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Business Finance
The difference between Invoice Finance and Factoring
A question I am often asked by clients is “What is the difference between Invoice Finance and Factoring”. While both invoice a Lender...
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Home Finance
Should I fix my home loan interest rate?
With interest rates rising, a question I am regularly asked by clients is, “should I fix my home loan interest rate, or is it...
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Business Finance
Commercial Investment Property Finance
Commercial Property has traditionally proven a sound investment for investors in Australia for over a long period. However, while things appeared relatively positive...
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Equipment Finance
The Pros and Cons of Equipment Financing in 2022
With interest rates rising, and uncertainty around the near- term outlook, it can be tempting to put off Equipment Financing decisions. Supply chains...
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Business Finance
Invoice Finance for Small Business
Have you ever considered how much better your cash flow would be if everyone paid what they owed you? One option that is...
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Uncategorized
The Property Investment Handbook
The Property Investment Handbook was launched today. The Handbook is a guide for both new and experienced property investors. If you are thinking about...
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Equipment Finance
Sale and Lease Back of Equipment
Sale and leaseback of equipment is a financial option available to businesses that is something of a hidden secret! It provides businesses with the...
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Equipment Finance
What is a Credit Score and Why is it Important?
When you seek to borrow money your credit score is important! Your credit score is one of the key considerations used by Lenders to...
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Fitout Finance
Business Premises Fitout – What You Need to Know
Before working in finance my eyes were opened to the complexity involved with business premises fitout when I worked for a major retail...
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Home Finance
Negative Gearing Explained
Many people in Australia use negative gearing to build long-term wealth. It is, however, not without risks, and it is critical to understand how...
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Home Finance
Key Property Investment Risks
It is easy to overlook important investment property risks in an environment where values have been steadily increasing They may not be immediately apparent,...
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Equipment Finance
The Advantages of Leasing Equipment
Leasing equipment is a great strategy many business owners use to increase productivity and maintain their competitive advantage. In the past, upgrading equipment or...
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Home Finance
Property Investment – What You Need to Know
Over the past decade, we have seen an increasing number of individuals turning to property investment to create wealth and secure their future. As...
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Equipment Finance
Why you should use an Equipment Finance Broker
A question I am often asked is why should I use an Equipment Finance Broker? What are the advantages and how will I benefit?...
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Business Best Practice
Best Practice for Business Owners – Real Time Accounting
Real time accounting offers many benefits for business owners! It is something we implemented at The 500 Group and advocate to our clients. From...
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Home Finance
Loan Assessment Rates
When you apply for finance to purchase a home or investment property, Lenders will assess your application both on the actual interest rate and...
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Fitout Finance
Home Loan Eligibility Criteria – Monthly Expenses!
A key element of Home Loan eligibility that often confuses and frustrates borrowers is the degree to which Lenders now review an applicant’s monthly...
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Home Finance
Why use a Mortgage Broker?
Many people wonder why they should use a Mortgage Broker instead of dealing with a Bank direct. Even though there are thousands of Mortgage...
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Equipment Finance
Equipment Broker Advantage Infographic
As outlined in the Equipment Finance Broker Advantage Infographic, there are five critical reasons to consider using a Specialist for Equipment...
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Equipment Finance
Financing Equipment – What You Need to Know!
Financing equipment can be a great way to get the equipment you need to stay productive and maintain your competitive...
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Home Finance
Applying for a Home Loan – Planning Pays Off!
It pays to plan ahead to avoid disappointment, delays, and a lot of frustration when applying for a home loan! This is even more...
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Equipment Finance
Finance Equipment or Pay Cash
A question business owners often ask, is it better to finance equipment or pay cash? While it may appear on the surface that paying...
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Business Finance
Finance Break Costs
A fixed interest rate protects borrowers against potential rate increases for the term the rate is fixed. This can make budgeting easier and provide...
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Home Finance
Self-Employed Home Loans
Many seasoned business owners are perplexed by how difficult it can be to obtain Self-Employed Home Loans. Historically, one of the easiest types of...
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Equipment Finance
Personal Property Securities Register – Avoid Financial Disaster!
The Personal Property Security Register (PPSR) is a powerful tool that both individuals and businesses can use to protect their interests when buying: Motor...
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Home Finance
Home Loan Reviews – Don’t Set & Forget
Until the impact of COVID-19, in our experience, too few borrowers regularly took the time to undertake a full Home Loan Review. With more...
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Good Customer Outcomes
Advanced Leadership Program for Female Leaders
During the past 12 months, I was fortunate to be able to complete the Advanced Leadership Program run by Women & Leadership Australia. The...
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Home Finance
Experienced Property Investors – Accessing the Finance You Need
For many years experienced property investors have used finance to take advantage of opportunities and build their wealth. However, over recent years for a...
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Equipment Finance
What are my Balloon Payment Options?
The Balloon Payment (or Residual) is the final payment needed to finalise an equipment or motor vehicle finance contract. Business owners and individuals often...
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Home Finance
The First Home Super Saver Scheme
The First Home Super Saver Scheme was originally introduced in 2017, updated in 2019 and then extended further in the 2021 Federal Government Budget....
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Equipment Finance
Leasing Business Equipment – Tips for Success
If you are thinking about leasing business equipment, it is important to understand the options available. To help you make an informed decision I’ve...
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Home Finance
Interest Only Loans and Debt Servicing
Interest Only Loans have been favoured by homebuyers and property investors for many years as way of preserving cash flow. (If you are...
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Home Finance
What is a Comparison Interest Rate?
If you are borrowing money for a new home, renovations, investment, or a car, it is important to understand what the true cost of...
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Home Finance
Two Finance Traps to Avoid When Applying for a Home Loan!
With Lenders rigorously assessing Home Finance applications, two common finance traps to be mindful of that may impact the amount you...
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Business Best Practice
Information Required by Lenders to Process Loan Requests
The biggest issue which results in a frustrating, lengthy and time-consuming loan approval process, is information required by Lenders to process loan requests not...
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Business Finance
Why a business can be profitable and not have enough cash
The experience for many business owners is that it is possible to be profitable but not have enough cash. Logic says that if you...
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Business Finance
The Right Business Finance Structure
While the cost of finance is important, ensuring you have the right business finance structure is even more critical. When a finance structure is...
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Business Finance
Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Out a Business Loan
When applying for a business loan, there are steps you can take to avoid unnecessary delays and frustration. Whilst economists are painting an optimistic...
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Business Finance
Good Customer Outcomes – Refinancing Not the Best Solution
Providing Lenders and Brokers work together, the Broker involvement should not necessarily result in refinancing to another institution. With the right mindset on the...
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Business Finance
Accessing Finance – a Challenge for Small Business
During the past week the Small Business Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, highlighted the issues facing small business when seeking loans. In an interview in the...
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Business Finance
Green Shoots of Recovery?
As Melbourne gradually opens for business, are we starting to see the green shoots of recovery as business owners shift their focus from survival,...
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Equipment Finance
The Changing World of Business Equipment Finance
Business equipment finance has evolved considerably over the past decade. A few years ago, if you were seeking equipment finance, most businesses would...
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News
Commercial Finance Broker of the Year 2020 – Greg Pierlot
The 500 Group was delighted to learn this week that, Greg Pierlot was selected as the Commercial Finance Broker of the Year...
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Equipment Finance
Equipment Finance Process – Avoiding Frustration and Delays
For many business owners, the equipment finance process can seem a bit overwhelming and frustrating. This has been compounded further by COVID-19. Lenders are...
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Good Customer Outcomes
Good Customer Outcomes – Financing Specialised Equipment
From time to time as an Asset Finance Broker, I am approached to assist with financing specialised equipment that challenges the norm and is...
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Business Finance
Obtaining Business Finance During COVID-19
Many businesses are finding it challenging to obtain business finance during COVID-19. Shutdowns and uncertainty as to when, and how long a recovery will...
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Equipment Finance
Buy New or Used Equipment – The Pros & Cons!
An issue business owners often face is whether to buy new or used equipment. On one hand used equipment can be less expensive, but...
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Equipment Finance
Difference between an Equipment Rental and a Chattel Mortgage
A question I am often asked by clients is, “what is the difference between and an Equipment Rental and a Chattel Mortgage?”. Whilst both...
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Greg Pierlot
MFAA Excellence Awards 2020 – Equipment Finance Broker
We are delighted to announce our team member, Sharon Piening has been selected as the Victorian...
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Equipment Finance
Understanding Your Asset Finance Options
With the new financial year fast approaching, many businesses are turning their mind to their plans for next year and recovery from COVID-19. If...
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Equipment Finance
Instant Asset Write Off – Extended!
The Federal Government has today announced that Instant Asset Write-Off which was due to expire on 30th June, has been extended to 31st...
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Equipment Finance
Equipment Finance Traps to Avoid!
If you are thinking about investing in new equipment, there are five critical Equipment Finance Traps to avoid! Increasingly, business owners need to...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
Avoid Disaster When Buying a Second-Hand Car!
There is a simple, low-cost, step that will help avoid...
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Equipment Finance
The Equipment Finance Handbook
To assist businesses thinking about investing in new equipment, I have launched a comprehensive...
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News
ANZ Commercial Broker of the Year 2019 Business Banking
The 500 Group are delighted that two of our Directors, Eamonn Keogh & Greg Pierlot were awarded the ANZ Commercial Broker of the...
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Business Best Practice
A Time For Reflection!
Reflection is a powerful but vastly under utilised tool that we can use to solve problems and achieve the outcomes we seek. Whether you...
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Business Best Practice
How to Set Goals You Will Achieve!
The new year is a time when we often reflect and set goals for the coming year. These can be both business and personal...
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Business Best Practice
Ten Powerful Tips to Improve Productivity
Whether you are a business owner or employee, the need to do what we can to improve our personal productivity has never been...
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Business Finance
Cashflow Management – Practical Ways to Avoid a Crisis!
The challenge of cashflow management is nothing new to most business owners! It is a reality they face every day! That said, a...
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Business Finance
ATO Payment Plans – The Pro’s and Con’s!
Recently we have noticed an increasing number of business owners either entering ATO Payment Plans or considered it in consultation with their accountants. It...
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News
Sharon Piening joins the CAFBA Board
I was delighted and honoured last week to be invited to join the board of CAFBA, (the Commercial and Asset Finance Brokers Association of...
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Business Finance
The Value of Commercial Finance Brokers to Banks!
Banks pay Commercial Finance Brokers an upfront commission and, in most cases, trail for business they introduce. In the main, the relationship between...
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Fitout Finance
Fitout Finance Traps to Avoid!
When arranging finance for the fitout of your business premises there are several Fitout Finance traps to avoid. Fitout Finance...
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Fitout Finance
Premises Fitout – Five Critical Steps
I love assisting my clients with their business premises fitout. There is nothing better than seeing a well thought-out...
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Home Finance
Buying a Home that is Subject to a Lease
I was recently involved with arranging finance for a client who was buying a home that is "subject to lease". That is; the...
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Home Finance
The Household Expenditure Measure
During the Banking Royal Commission there was a heavy focus given to the Banks' use of the Household Expenditure Measure when assessing Home...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
The Motor Vehicle Finance Handbook – Free eBook
If you use your motor vehicle primarily for business purposes and are thinking about changing or upgrading, download our free eBook -...
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Home Finance
Home Loan Pre-Approvals – What you need to know!
If a client of The 500 Group is thinking of purchasing a property, we encourage them to get a Home Loan Pre-Approval. This...
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Business Finance
Business Finance – Why does the Bank want security?
One question we are often asked by clients is why does the Bank want security when I am seeking finance for my business?...
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Greg Pierlot
Finalist Australian Broking Awards 2019 – Customer Service!
The 500 Group is delighted to announce we have been named as a Finalist in the Australian Broking Awards 2019 for Customer Service. The...
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Business Best Practice
Debt Restructuring – Business Best Practice
Over recent months, we have seen more businesses starting to look at Debt Restructuring as a way to: More efficiently use their assets...
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Fitout Finance
Good Customer Outcome – Fitout Finance for a new Retail Outlet
I was able to achieve a good customer outcome for a client seeking Fitout Finance for a new retail outlet. Whilst the client was...
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Fitout Finance
Free eBook – The Fitout Finance Handbook for Restaurants and Cafes
Are you planning the fitout of your restaurant or cafe, but have questions about what you need to consider - if so, download our...
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News
St Mary’s House of Welcome
The team from The 500 Group were delighted to spend time at St Mary’s House of Welcome this week cooking and serving meals...
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Greg Pierlot
The Banking Royal Commission
It is now 6 weeks since the Banking Royal Commission Report was delivered to the Government. With all the emotion, media and public interest in...
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Home Finance
How Parents can Help their Children Buy a Home
Over the past few years, in Australia we have seen an increasing number of parents helping their children to buy a home. Initially, this...
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Equipment Finance
Good Customer Outcomes – Specialised Equipment
Financing Specialised Equipment can be a challenge particularly where a business does “not tick all the boxes” from a clinical credit perspective. Business...
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Fitout Finance
Business Premises Fitout – Critical Mistakes to Avoid
In my days before finance, I worked for a major retail corporate and responsible for the display of merchandise throughout their new retail...
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Greg Pierlot
Five Myths about Finance Broker Commissions
There has been a lot of speculation flowing from the Banking Royal Commission about Finance Broker commissions and in particular whether trail commission should...
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Greg Pierlot
Banking Royal Commission – Beware unintended consequences!
The past year for the finance industry has been one of massive change and turbulence, being driven by the revelations of the Banking...
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Business Finance
The Pathway to Good Customer Outcomes
No business can survive long term if it does not deliver good customer outcomes! The key word here is outcomes – every business does,...
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Greg Pierlot
Seasons Greetings from The 500 Group
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Home Finance
How to pay off your Home Loan faster!
With wages plateauing, it can be hard to find the extra cash to pay off your home loan faster! With interest rates at record...
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Home Finance
Track Your Spending with Pocketbook
Pocketbook is a free App developed in Australia that people can use to understand and monitor their spending patterns. Recently,...
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Business Finance
Good Customer Outcome – Achieving Debt Amortisation
In finance a good customer outcome is not necessarily always borrowing more or indeed reducing amortisation. Often a good customer outcome and the right...
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Business Finance
Good Customer Outcomes – Leveraging the Market!
In an environment where there has been a lot of negative press, it is easy to lose sight of the good customer outcomes most...
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News
It’s in the Bag – Helping women and girls experiencing poverty!
The 500 Group are delighted to be donating to the “It’s in the Bag” Christmas Charity campaign, being coordinated by the Share with...
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Business Best Practice
Business Best Practice – Your Business Vision
A key to success is a clear Business Vision - knowing in advance the type of business you are trying to create. This...
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Business Best Practice
Business Best Practice – Your Business Purpose!
At The The 500 Group Group, we learned that one of the most powerful actions a business can take is to clearly define its...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
Understanding Novated Leasing
Novated Leasing is a popular, and often a financially attractive way employees can lease a car from their pre-tax income....
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Business Best Practice
Best Practice for Business Owners – Real Time Accounting
Real time accounting offers many benefits for business owners! It is something we implemented at The 500 Group some 12 months ago and advocate...
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Equipment Finance
Chattel Mortgage or Finance Lease?
A question I am often asked by clients is, "What is a Chattel Mortgage and how is it different from a Finance Lease?"...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
Home Loan or Car loan – Avoiding the Pitfalls!
Low interest rates on home loans make it appealing to roll a car loan into your mortgage. At face value...
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Business Best Practice
How to prepare a cashflow forecast
Often when seeking finance from a Bank, clients are asked to prepare a cashflow forecast. Whilst most business owners will rightly seek assistance of...
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Home Finance
Saving for a Home Deposit
With property prices rapidly increasing over the past few years, many people wonder whether it is still worth saving for a home deposit. For...
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Business Best Practice
Three Way Financial Forecasts – a valuable tool for business!
Increasingly when businesses look for funding from a Bank they will be asked to provide three way Financial Forecasts. In the past, often a...
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Business Finance
Financial Covenants – A Practical Tool to Protect Your Business!
Often when lending against a business, a condition of approval set by the Banks will be that the business operate within and/or meet certain...
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Business Best Practice
Business Success – Four Critical Questions!
To enjoy business success there are four critical questions that need to be answered: Who - are our ideal customers or major customer groups?...
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Business Finance
Borrowing Against a Business – More Than Numbers!
When borrowing against a business, whilst the financial elements are clearly important, they are only part of the picture! In our last post we outlined...
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Business Finance
Lending Against a Business!
A question regularly asked by business owners is what do Banks need to lend against a business? Another common question is – what key...
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Equipment Finance
Understanding Import Finance
When importing equipment for your business, it’s important to understand the steps involved, particularly if import finance is required. Import...
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Business Finance
Critical Finance Risks Business Owners Must Know!
Assessing and managing risk is a crucial part of managing a business, but finance risks are a critical risk that is often overlooked! When...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
Car Buying Service – A better way to buy your new car!
Buying a car can be an exciting time, however you can make the process a lot easier and far more...
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Motor Vehicle Finance
Why You Should use a Broker for Car Finance!
You have found the motor vehicle you want and can’t wait get behind the wheel, now comes the question of...
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News
Prospa Groundbreakers | Sharon Piening
We are delighted that one of our team, Sharon Piening, features in this month MFAA Prospa Groundbreakers Series Sharon worked for many years in...
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