If this is your first time using Raiz to invest and save, we wanted to assure you that Raiz takes your security seriously (being an ASX publicly listed company and ASIC regulated).

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By George Lucas, Managing Director & CEO of Raiz Invest

The revelations unfolding at the Royal Commission into banking and financial services would make a mafia don blush. The pillars of banking and wealth management have been exposed for overcharging or charging for no service, poor and often conflicted advice, misleading regulators, and contravening trust laws, and that’s just to name but a few miscreant deeds. Reputations of regulators, corporates and individuals, are being trashed.

It’s good that we are having a root-and-branch inquiry into our financial services system. Those who said an inquiry wasn’t necessary, from politicians to analysts to senior journalists, haven’t got egg on their faces. They have omelettes.

But once it’s over and the media circus has moved on, where’s it going to leave most consumers. In my opinion, certainly not better off, and possibly worse off. Let me explain.

It seems to me that there are three certainties coming out of this inquiry; tighter regulations, higher professional standards demanded of those offering advice, and stricter enforcement by the regulatory bodies. All good outcomes in themselves, but they do have one obvious consequence – higher fees – especially as they will have higher levels of education. In addition, there are suggestions that many advisers will chose to exit the industry (some suggest up to 50%).

It means that advice could very much become the preserve of the well-heeled; the very people it could be argued least need advice. But for many Australians, getting good advice will be beyond their financial means, and this in a country where financial literacy is nothing short of a national disgrace.  As the Royal Commission was told, a 2006 survey showed 46 per cent of people aged between 15 and 74 struggle to understand simple financial services documents, and it’s my guess this situation hasn’t improved.

So, the very consumers who have been shown to be the most vulnerable could now find themselves unable to afford any advice, although, it should be added, no advice is better than the bad advice many have been getting.

So, what to do? It seems to me there are three viable options. First, there needs to be a focus on financial literacy – and it needs to start at an early age. Via social media it is possible to reach young people on matters financial, but they still need to have the basic financial literacy skills to distil this information. Governments, state and federal, need to make this priority, and not keep paying lip service to it.  This is one of the benefits of the Raiz App which increases financial literacy from the hands-on experience of participating in financial markets.

Second, governments (Liberal and Labor) and regulators who have spent the past 30 years creating and cultivating an oligopoly in Australia in financial services need to seriously reconsider.  Barriers need to be imposed on large financial institutions to reduce their ability to user their existing market power to compete.  This may include allowing international institutions into the market and creating an “un-level” playing field so new FinTech players such as Raiz, which can fill some of the gaps left as advisors leave the market.  I am talking my own book here.

Thirdly, in certain areas of the financial system, people must participate; banking, insurance and superannuation are three of the most obvious. These institutions have guaranteed markets, especially superannuation, where every working Australian is a conscript, not a volunteer.

Any institution that compulsorily gets nearly 10% of your weekly wage needs to operate to an ethical standard that’s the polar opposite of a mafia don. There can be no excuses. People who hand over part of their salaries to an industry/retail/public sector/corporate super fund, supposedly to give them some financial security in retirement, should not have to wonder whether that money is being invested in a fiducial manner that considers their best interests. It should be holy writ, and institutions who fail to do should feel the full force of the law. If the Royal Commission at least achieves that end, then it will have been worthwhile.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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What is the Raiz Philosophy? (Dollar Cost Averaging)

The Raiz Philosophy is to invest small amounts regularly. While this can’t eliminate market uncertainty, the Raiz Philosophy can help manage it, and at the same time help you learn about the markets, build financial confidence or just save and invest in the background of life.

This is the well-known investment strategy, Dollar Cost Averaging. Raiz automates the strategy and does it more frequently, with the average Raiz customer investing at least once a week. By investing small amounts regularly, the Raiz philosophy protects your investments from emotion. If prices go up, you buy fewer of the now more expensive shares and, if they go down, you buy more of the now cheaper shares. It’s an automated, disciplined approach to investing for the long term. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

Studies suggest that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains, leading this type of investment mindset to be more likely to make the mistake of needlessly selling holdings and switching to cash in a down market. By avoiding the media hype or fear in picking the ‘right time’ through regular contributions, investors can avoid both the euphoric and depressive investment traps.

On average a Raiz customer saves $150 a month with the average balance of a customer is $1,250.

Warren Buffet recognises the strength of simple investing.

Even Warren Buffet, who is often referred to as the world’s greatest investor, recognises the strength of simple investing with ETFs:

“Both large and small investors should stick with low-cost index funds.”

In 2007, Buffett bet a New York hedge fund $1 million that his simple, low-cost investing strategy would outperform the hedge fund industry over 10 years. And he won.

Stick to your savings plan and invest small amounts regularly, no matter the market condition. By protecting your investments from emotion, the Raiz Philosophy is one of the keys to helping you and our community to better reach your financial goals and enable a healthier balance over the long term.

Remember: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Any returns shown or implied in this email are not forecasts and are not reliable guides of future performance.

Video – How Raiz Protects your investments from Emotion

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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Raiz Kids is a simple way to save and invest small amounts regularly for your children/grandchildren.

We understand that life gets busy, life gets messy, especially when you have little ones. For the parents and grandparents in our Raiz community, we know it is not simple to get started on a savings fund for your kids.

What is Raiz Kids?

Raiz Kids is a simple way to save and invest for your children and/or dependents who are under the age of 18.

Just like your main Raiz balance, you can invest your spare change from everyday purchases, set up a recurring or lump sum deposit towards you and your chosen Raiz Kid(s).

You can control the access your Raiz Kids have

Raiz Kids can have direct access to their own investment portfolio, with your permission. This can be an immersive way to help your kids understand how financial markets works and start developing savings and investing habits that they can take with them into their adult lives.

But don’t worry, you get to choose how much access your Raiz Kid has. If you give permission in the settings, your Raiz Kids can choose their own portfolio, or can make changes to recurring investments as an example. You can also choose to get notified any time a Raiz Kids account makes changes to these settings.

You can have multiple Raiz Kids accounts, each with different settings and permissions

Each Raiz Kids account can have different permission and controls, tailored to suit the age of the child and what control you would like to give. Each Raiz Kids account can have a different portfolio selection. You can have different one-off and recurring investments for each Raiz Kid, which could be great for different investment pocket money or does different chores around the house that are done 😊

How to setup a Raiz Kids account within your Raiz Invest account?

1. Head to “Invest” on the home page of the Raiz App or website and scroll down to “Automatic Savings for your Child”
2. Enter the personal information of your child, such as their name and D.O.B. (this may be prefilled if you already have been using Raiz Kids).
3. Choose what level of control your child can have over the investments
4. Choose if you would like to create a recurring investment, whether its daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
5. Select from one of seven Raiz Portfolios to suit your risk tolerance, or build your own using Custom Portfolio
6. Determine what notifications you would like to receive when your Raiz Kid makes any changes to their account.

Give your kids the gift of investing

We want to give you the chance to see firsthand and free of charge how these new features can help you invest for the next generation.

We will email you a minimum of 30 days before the Raiz Kids feature will start incurring a fee. The PDS outlines what the new fee structure is.

It is important to note that just like Raiz Invest accounts, Raiz Kids accounts carry investment risk.

To see Raiz fees, click here.

To see if Raiz is a suitable investment product for you, please read the PDS.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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Versive, Inc., an award-winning AI-based cybersecurity company, today announced that Raiz Invest Limited (Raiz), a mobile first micro-investment platform based in Australia, is using the Versive Security Engine (VSE) to help protect sensitive customer data and comply with financial regulations.

Raiz provides customers an easy way to regularly invest either small or large amounts in one of six portfolios of varying risk levels. The company has 164,000 active customers in Australia, and approximately $200 million in funds under management, growing at over 20 percent each quarter. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

As a fast-growing financial company, Raiz wanted to increase its level of security. The company already offers bank-level security to consumers through the app to ensure customer data is held securely. In addition, Raiz recently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and VSE is a critical component of their compliance with financial regulations. Partnering with Versive was a key step in achieving these goals.

The Versive Security Engine is built on a proprietary machine-learning platform that enables it to identify subtle patterns across massive volumes of data. VSE automatically exposes the activities that all adversaries must engage in to accomplish their mission: internal reconnaissance, collection and exfiltration. This strategic framework significantly reduces false positives so that VSE delivers only a handful of high-fidelity ThreatCases per week so that Raiz’s cybersecurity team can focus on defeating the most serious threats before damage is done.

• Continuous situational awareness: Raiz’s highest priority is protecting its customers’ information, data and money. VSE provides continuous situational awareness inside customer network and detects internal and external adversaries regardless of what new tools, tactics or exploits they use.
• The power of AI: VSE uses AI to automatically uncover the required chain of potential threat activity that separates the signal—the real risks to Raiz’s business and customer information—from normal network noise.
• Increasing consumer confidence: With VSE running seamlessly behind the scenes, customers can invest securely with Raiz, knowing the company is proactively hunting for potential threats and shutting them down before damage is done.

Joe Polverari, CEO of Versive, said: “Hackers and other bad actors have the time and resources to successfully find an entry point into your network. Financial services companies like Raiz understand that securing their customer’s information is of utmost importance. That’s why VSE is the critical missing piece in a company’s security portfolio, delivering the most dangerous threats that are already within the network so that security teams know what to focus on to avoid breaches.”

George Lucas, CEO and managing director of Raiz, said: “As our company grows quickly, we are tasked with maintaining both our level of service and the sacred trust of safeguarding customers’ data and money. The Versive Security Engine ensures that we are on the cutting edge of cybersecurity because it is one the most sophisticated technologies to protect our customers and investors from data breaches.”

Learn more about Raiz Security on our website.

Articles in the Media:

Australian FinTech  – ‘Raiz chooses Versive’s AI-powered cybersecurity solution to strengthen financial security and compliance’

Finextra – ‘Raiz selects Versive AI to protect customer data’

Adviservoice – ‘Raiz chooses Versive’s AI-powered cybersecurity solution to strengthen financial security and compliance’

FinTech Business – ‘Raiz Invest shores up cybersecurity’

Security Brief – ‘Raiz chooses AI-powered cybersecurity solution for financial security and compliance’

Financial Standard – ‘Raiz beefs up security with AI’

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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How Australia’s #1 Investment App use insights and research into the millennial audience to inform strategy and grow tools for finance education

Raiz Invest Limited, the mobile-first micro investing platform, improving the financial confidence for over 164,000 Australians, is strategically using research and insights to continuously garner understanding and awareness of their customer needs, with the help of Dr. Jake An, Raiz Invest Research Phd and in conjunction with major Sydney Universities.

Dr. Jake An applies his PhD theories to Raiz customers to improve the user experience and is now the brains behind the continuing research program of Raiz. His role is to merge his two passions, academia and research applying them to real world of financial literacy and behaviour. Working with Raiz since 2016, Jake identifies business problems and works directly with academics around the world – including Australia, Israel and Oxford University in the UK – to help solve them.

In a true success story, Jake came to Australia from Korea at age 11 and taught himself English, via economic and business text books. Jake has since hard-wired his brain for analysis since arriving in Australia. This passion for business and research led him to Raiz where he now works to dissect consumer behaviours to inform product development helping Australians become more financially savvy and set themselves up for the future. He believes that the critical element in furthering the growth of the FinTech industry in Australia and beyond, is tapping into the power of online word-of-mouth content.

Through his PHD, whilst at UNSW, Jake conducted research on the effectiveness of a company crafting the word-of-mouth message for a customer, rather than relying on customers to craft the message on their own. The research provides substantive marketing insights in terms of how FinTech companies can better design sharable word-of-mouth content, to generate greater customer referrals on digital platforms and create social benefits.

Managing director, George Lucas, said: “Jake needed a real-world test of his theories to complete his research and reached out to Raiz for assistance. He was instantly a hit and began working with Raiz to shift the company from a sale-oriented word-of-mouth (WOM) approach to a story-oriented WOM approach. Today, it’s an approach that’s borne great success for Raiz. From someone whose business career started when he requested his aunty to send him shoes from Korea which he could sell at Westfield Blacktown for a profit, to an expert in exploring the concept of word of mouth marketing to shape the Raiz brand, his story is one to call out in the finance industry.

The research is now a prime example of how data can empower customers by creating social benefits. The key benefit being that Raiz has now empowered customers to increase their personal influence and help others improve their financial confidence too. He is a motivation for millennials looking to educate themselves in finance.”

Jake is also informing Raiz’s business strategy and growing the brand through his application of concepts around pragmatic learning theories and how they can be applied to finance education through insights and research – a key element of the Raiz Invest platform today.

The work from Jake is a clear example of how education into the benefits of sound finance behaviours and the finance sector has contributed to building one of Australia’s most successful start-ups, who are using insights to understand the millennial audience to inform their strategy and continue to grow the brand as a tool for finance education.

The research conducted is currently under review with the Journal of Marketing, the leading international peer-reviewed academic journal in marketing and is also a finalist for Best Communications Campaign in the Australian FinTech Awards.

See our other blogs – ‘New research on money issues by Raiz‘

Media Coverage:

Adviser Voice – ‘Meet the brains behind Raiz Invest research and insights’

Australian FinTech – ‘Meet the brains behind Raiz Invest research and insights’

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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Set up Raiz Invest Super: 40 second walkthrough

Mobile is key in today’s world. The Raiz app is the leading investment app in Australia that is completely digital and mobile-first. We have introduced Raiz Invest Super which is fully integrated into the Raiz app.

Raiz Invest Super is designed for a mobile world and the app is all you need to sign up, rollover and view your Superannuation in the palm of your hand. For more information on Raiz fees, click here.

Below is a quick video on how Raiz Invest Super has made it a simple and easy process to sign up on your mobile phone.

40% of Australians don’t know how much money is in their own Super. Do you?

Raiz Invest Super will allow you to check and rollover your other existing funds, if you choose, in just a few minutes on your mobile phone. The more connected you feel to your future, the more stress-free you can feel today. Invest in yourself today and connect to your future with Raiz Invest Super.

How do I sign up?

Simply log into your Raiz App and from the Home Screen or Side Menu, go to ‘Super’.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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by John Liston – Nixer

For some, the tax season is a time people look forward to, having paid their taxes all year and are looking to get a nice refund to compensate for all the tax deductible expenses they have paid throughout the year.

There are a few new changes in legislation that can help the everyday Australian get some well-earned tax relief.

Deductible expenses depend on your industry; however, a general rule is that if your expenses have a direct correlation with earning your income, then you can claim it as a tax deduction.  Then there is also your contribution to superannuation marginal rate, however a tax of 15% will be applied in the superannuation fund on these contributions.

Mobile Phone – tax deductions

If you use your mobile phone to make work calls, text messages or use the data for work purposes, then you can make a claim. To substantiate the claim, you will need to have a record that justifies the work-related percentage of your mobile phone expenses that you intend to . Please note that you are not able to claim mobile phone expenses if your employer reimburses you or pays your bill.

Motor Vehicle – tax deductions

You can make a claim for work related travel (and vehicle expenses provided they meet the eligibility criteria, such as keeping a log book or a log of work related kms. An important point to note here is that you can’t claim travel from work to home or vice versa. Click here to refer to our help section for more information on this.

Ensure your health insurance is at the correct level.

If your income is $90,000 as a single adult or $180,000 for a family and you don’t have private health insurance, then you will be required to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS). The MLS is at least 1% of your adjusted income and basic private health insurance is usually less than 1% of your income.

Based on this information, it could be cheaper for you to take out private health insurance instead of paying the Medicare levy surcharge.

Have a look into what private health insurance is relevant to your circumstances and then work out if it would be cheaper for you to have it than not have it.

Income protection insurance  – tax deductions

Income Protection Insurance is an insurance that will replace your income if you are unable to work due to injury or sickness.

One of the benefits of having Income Protection Insurance is that it is Tax Deductible if it covers your regular income!

Claim your donations  – tax deductions

The ATO allows people to claim a tax deduction for any donations given to a deductible gift recipient (DGR)!

You are allowed to claim a tax deduction for a gift if it meets the following conditions:

• The gift must be to a DGR
• The gift must be money or property
• The gift must be a gift, which basically means you receive nothing in return

Click here for more information

______________________________

About Author:

Want your tax done in less than 10 minutes? Head to nixer.com.au, enter your details and Nixer will do the rest. Nixer is Australia’s most innovative online tax agent, offering a unique online tax experience built for Raiz users. Plus as a Raiz user, you receive a special $10 discount on your tax return and $5 invested back into Raiz account when you lodge. Please check your emails for this offer or find Nixer through Raiz Rewards as you must sign-up through your unique link or code.

Every tax return is carefully reviewed by Nixer’s team of qualified accountants to check for accuracy and to help you find extra deductions.

Don’t have the Raiz App?

Download it for free in the App store or the Webapp below:

 

Important Information

The information on this website is general advice only. This means it does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. If you are an investor, you should consult your licensed adviser before acting on any information contained in this article to fully understand the benefits and risk associated with the product.

A Product Disclosure Statement for Raiz Invest and/or Raiz Invest Super are available on the Raiz Invest website and App. A person must read and consider the Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether, or not, to acquire and continue to hold interests in the product. The risks of investing in this product are fully set out in the Product Disclosure Statement and include the risks that would ordinarily apply to investing.

The information may be based on assumptions or market conditions which change without notice. This could impact the accuracy of the information.

Under no circumstances is the information to be used by, or presented to, a person for the purposes of deciding about investing in Raiz Invest or Raiz Invest Super.

Past return performance of the Raiz products should not be relied on for making a decision to invest in a Raiz product and is not a good predictor of future performance.

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