It's that thing that sustains... Hope!

"...Another year over; And a new one just begun..."

Christmas 2009 in our house has now been and gone. In our case, the joy expressed its presence in many ways, including, of course, amongst our children and their cousins. It was especially a happy occasion to witness my now 12 year old to play along, without being asked, and maintain the enchanting attraction that is Santa Claus for his younger siblings and cousins. We even saw Rudolph's shining red nose high in the sky at 1.30am Christmas morning!

Now, facing the New Year, I've pondered about why and what it means. I mean, it's just another 1st of the month, really. Sure, there's the celebratory Champagne (or three!), resolutions for may others, and the real beginning of the summer holidays.

It’s a hard one! I suppose its really many things – mostly positive - the promises of new beginnings, the chance to recommit to old goals, the pledge to extend ourselves, to be thankful for the things we do have.

To some degree at least, the one explanation I think that captures all about what the New Year means, is Hope! Hope we can do better - financially, spiritually, emotionally, and materially - for ourselves, our friends, loved ones and our communities.

Wishing you a very Happy, success in your pursuits, and a safe New Year!

"...Let's hope it's a good one; Without any fear..."

NSW Stamp Duty Concession Extended!

Following lobbying by the building industry, the NSW government announced an extension of the concession available in NSW under the Housing Construction Acceleration Plan, to 30 June 2010. Before the extension, this benefit was due to end tomorrow, 31 December, 2009.

The scheme, originally announced as part of the government's economic stimulus plan, applies to contracts entered from 1 July 2009, is not for first home buyers; it's for eligible buyers of newly built homes up to $600,000.00. Eligible applicants are entitled to a 50% discount on stamp duty. Contracts now must be entered on or before 1 July 2010, and construction must be completed by 31 December 2011.

What could this mean to you? If you're not a first home buyer but you're thinking of building a new home in New South Wales, if you enter such a contract after 1 July 2009 and before 1 July 2010, you could save up to just over $11,000.00 in stamp duty.

There's more detailed information in an updated factsheet on the Office of State Revenue's website.

On a different note, the federal government's $7,000.00 grant to new home buyers as well as the grant of $3,000.00 to buyers of existing homes does however end on 31 December, 2009.

More reasons to think about making a will

About a week ago, I began gathering some thoughts for my intended next post concerning making wills, especially given that anecdotally I've noticed an upward trend in matters I'm involved in. As it happens, day to day work took priority and then, when I happened to find 20 minutes to read last Wednesday's Sydney Morning Herald, I read a decent article by Lesley Parker on this very topic addressing many of the issues I too wanted to address.

Paker draws on various sources and comments on a range of matters, such as if you die without a will the law decides who gets what of your assets, which may not be what you intended. And, whether you like it or not, you do have a responsibility to provide for family. There's much more, of course, and it's definitely a worthwhile read.