Latest news with #Julia
Sky News AU
19 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Woman with impressive superannuation balance stuns SBS Insight audience with surprising advice on financial planning
An Australian woman has delivered brutal advice to young people on how to prepare for retirement. On Tuesday's episode of SBS Insight, 37-year-old Julia said she has as much money in her superannuation account as the average 60-year-old. When asked by Insight host Kumi Taguchi what advice she would offer young Australians in order for them to find more financial freedom and success in the future, she suggested two controversial life choices. 'I am here tonight to empower the next gen[eration] of women and my advice would be aimed more so towards them,' Julia said. 'It is going to sound super controversial but I would say one thing is, don't get married and, if you do, make sure someone is benefiting from it." The second piece of advice she acknowledged would be "really controversial" was that people might want to think about "refraining from having children". 'Because, by the time that kid leaves your home, it will have cost you as much as a Lamborghini. And you could be driving a Lamborghini or that sum could be sitting in your superannuation growing,' she said. The Melbourne woman said she came from a migrant family and that money was an important conversation point at the dinner table when she was a kid. She said she had also been putting money from her salary "aggressively" into her super since beginning her working life at 15. Working currently as an HR professional, Julia has still been building her super, sacrificing more than a quarter of her yearly salary. Even if she stopped adding money to her super, she would still be set to have more than $1 million in her balance for her retirement. At 21, she bought her first home after finishing university before going on to buy more properties and picking up two more university degrees. Young Aussies in the program's audience appeared stunned at Julia's advice but she believes retirees in Australia will become poorer in the future. 'I think we're going to have a lot of poor retirees in Australia in my generation – not enough people are contributing to superannuation via salary sacrifice, in my opinion,' she told 'I think we should be teaching Australian tax systems and superannuation as a subject to Aussie kids in high school.'
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EastEnders star breaks silence on soap exit as they leave BBC show after 8 years
An EastEnders star has broken their silence on their exit from the BBC soap as they say goodbye to Walford after eight years. Clair Norris, who played the role of Bernadette (Bernie) Taylor, saw her final scenes air last night (July 1). The actress' exit marks the final nail in the coffin for the Taylor family, who have now all left the show. Breaking her silence on the exit, she said the role, which she first took on in 2017, was the "best" and that it "changed my life". Bernie left on screen alongside her cousin, Felix Baker, after a theft storyline played out. It was revealed Bernie had been stealing from the Panesars, and despite them trying to catch her in the act, she was already planning to leave to avoid facing any consequences. After packing her bags, she and Felix left in a taxi to leave Walford. Following the exit playing out on screen, Norris took to social media to post a heartfelt message and goodbye to EastEnders. She said: "My last ep airs tonight and with that comes a flood of memories. "EastEnders was my first audition, and my first job. Having come from college and having no experience in this industry, Julia, Wayne and Sean all took a chance on me to play Bernadette Taylor and for that, I can't be thankful enough. "Eight years later and honestly, this job has changed my life. "It's true what they all said at the beginning, EastEnders is one big family & I'm so lucky to have met and worked with some amazing people. "I will always have an attachment to Bernie, she represents so many girls out there who wear their hearts of their sleeves and don't quite fit in…no offence to anyone who wears purple coats. "I have adored playing her and she will forever hold a special place in my heart. This has been the best first role ever." A number of EastEnders co-stars have wished the actress well after posting her farewell message on social media. Lorraine Stanley, who played Bernie's mum Karen Taylor in the BBC soap from 2017 to 2024, said: "It was an honour to play your Mum. You're Amazing!!. "Wishing you all the best! Love you lots." Goodbye Clair and Bernie! Always bringing both the tears and the laughter, she's been a brilliant resident of Albert Square - we'll miss you dearly! ❤️ #EastEnders — BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) July 1, 2025 Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki Panesar-Unwin, said: "An absolute honour to have shared the screen with you, Claire. You are phenomenal!!. "Here's to you and all the brilliant things about to come your way." Navin Chowdhry, who is Nish Panesar, said: "You've been brilliant Claire! What an exciting journey ahead!!" Molly is not the only star to leave the show this year. Bobby Brazier is leaving popular BBC soap EastEnders after four years. Molly Rainford, known for playing Queen Vic barmaid Anna Knight on the BBC soap, will also be leaving. One of the biggest departures of the year was Natalie Cassidy, who played Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, and left the show after 32 years. Recommended reading: EastEnders star set to return after 8 years and fans say it's the 'perfect' time EastEnders icon reveals telltale signs that a character will be axed EastEnders icon rushed to hospital after collapsing twice on the BBC show Speaking about her exit, she said: 'It felt very final but also very good. It's a nice place to leave Sonia after so much has happened to her. 'Sonia feels like she's never going to live down what happened with Reiss, so the only thing to do is leave the Square. 'I'm never going to say goodbye to her because, after 32 years, Sonia is ingrained in me. So, while I'm saying goodbye on screen, for now, Sonia is always there, knocking about!'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
37-year-old with insane superannuation balance reveals two things young Aussies should avoid
Young Australians who want to be able to retire comfortably when the time comes have been issued some blunt advice about financially planning for their futures. When it comes to her financial situation, Julia describes herself as a 'unicorn'; she currently has about as much superannuation as an average 60-year-old, despite being just 37. Appearing on Tuesday's episode of SBS Insight, Julia revealed she has been 'aggressively' salary sacrificing into her super account since she first started working at 15 years old. 'I come from a migrant family, my parents were refugees to Australia in the early 80s and money was always a talk at the dinner table,' Julia told the program She bought her first home at 21, straight out of university. Since then, she has gone on to buy several more properties and now holds three university degrees. The 37-year-old is currently working as an HR professional in Melbourne and is still focused on growing her super balance, recently sacrificing over a quarter of her yearly salary. If she were to stop topping up her superannuation right now, she would still be projected to have more than 1.6 million to fund her retirement. Julia's financial position means she is now on track to stop working within the next 10 years, at the very latest. She has had to work hard to get to where she is now and, when asked by Insight host Kumi Taguchi whether she had any advice for Australians looking to get ahead financially, she shared some, admittedly, controversial thoughts. 'I am here tonight to empower the next gen of women and my advice would be aimed more so towards them,' Julia said. 'It is going to sound super controversial but I would say one thing is, don't get married and, if you do, make sure someone is benefiting from it,' Julia said, explaining that some countries, such as Germany, offer tax savings for married couples. The Melbourne local went on to suggest another piece of advice, that she noted would likely be 'really controversial', saying, from a financial perspective, people may want to consider 'refraining from having children'. 'Because, by the time that kid leaves your home, it will have cost you as much as a Lamborghini. And you could be driving a Lamborghini or that sum could be sitting in your superannuation growing,' she said. Her last piece of advice was to not underestimate the power of compounding interest, with the 37-year-old encouraging people to be more focused on their superannuation. Following this advice has certainly served Julia well financially, with the worker having enough money to own a large yacht, several boats and travel around in her caravan, along with being able to fund dozens of overseas trips. Speaking to the Melbourne woman said she doesn't want to have to rely on the government pension when she is older and wants to able to retire on her own investments as soon as she wants. 'When I was a teenager, the government was matching I think $1.50 for every dollar you did as salary-sacrifice,' she said. Julia also holds a lot of concern for people her age and wants to encourage others to think more about their retirement before it is too late. 'I think we're going to have a lot of poor retirees in Australia in my generation – not enough people are contributing to superannuation via salary sacrifice, in my opinion,' she said. 'I think we should be teaching Australian tax systems and superannuation as a subject to Aussie kids in high school.' Having discussions with older people around her really opened her eyes to the benefits of salary sacrificing from a young age, with Julia branding superannuation is 'Australia's best kept secret' to building financial security. Tuesday's episode of Insight also highlighted the fact that many Australians feel underprepared and 'underinformed' when it comes to superannuation. Independent financial adviser and Independent Wealth Advice director Andy Darroch told it is easy to get 'analysis paralysis' when it comes to super. Mr Darroch, who also appeared on the program, likened it to driving a car, saying you don't know everything about engineering and mechanics to operate a vehicle. 'You just need the basic skills and knowledge, and the basic skills and knowledge for super are achievable and can be simple, without sacrificing quality,' he said. 'You don't need to be a financial genius, have a PhD in maths or be a billionaire to ensure your super is working for you.' Mr Darroch conceded that the financial services industry has a 'vested interest' in people being overwhelmed by the thought of organising their finances, but the adviser said it doesn't have to be that difficult. 'Whilst the industry has evolved to the point where it often involves needless complexity, it doesn't have to, Australia is the only country on earth where it doesn't matter if you're an expert, a billionaire or even financially savvy to have a world class investment portfolio in your personal tax haven,' he said.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Wolf Fire grows to over 2,400 acres in Riverside County: See map
Evacuation orders remain in place for over a dozen areas in California after a wildfire has nearly doubled in size. "Firefighters continued to aggressively attack the fire from the air and the ground," Cal Fire stated in an incident update. "Steep, rugged terrain, high temperatures and wind remain challenging factors for firefighters." The Wolf Fire was reported in Riverside County near Banning, California, around 85 miles east of Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 29, at 3:09 p.m. local time, according to Cal Fire. The fire has consumed 2,414 acres and threatens 4,261 structures as of Monday night. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is 30% contained, and "cooler temperatures [Monday night], with higher humidity, will assist firefighters in constructing and strengthening containment lines," Cal Fire stated. As of Monday night, 13 areas were placed under evacuation orders, while 20 more are under evacuation warnings, according to Cal Fire. Wildfire map: Wolf Fire More news: High bacteria levels prompt beach closures, advisories from Michigan to New York Wolf Fire evacuation orders The following areas are under evacuation orders, according to Cal Fire: Wolf Fire evacuation warnings The following areas are under evacuation warnings, according to Cal Fire: A shelter for people who had to leave their homes was open at Hemet High School, 41701 E. Stetson Ave, Hemet, California, 92544. An animal shelter was open at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 S Grand Ave, San Jacinto, California, 92582. Contributing: Palm Springs Desert Sun Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
July 2025 calendar: Independence Day and other dates to remember this month
July is all about pool parties, BBQs, and fireworks, but here's what else you can expect from the month and holidays it has in store. July kicks off with a long weekend thanks to Independence Day, which falls on Friday, July 4. The federal holiday will give some people a nice break only weeks after Juneteenth, which fell on Thursday, June 19th. While there is a long weekend, there aren't as many holidays in the month as there were in April and May. Here's everything you need to know about what July has in store. Are there any federal holidays in July? Yes! Independence Day is observed on Thursday, July 4, this year, and is considered a federal holiday. In total, 2025 has 12 federal holidays across 11 days, according to the Office of Personnel Management. The next one, Labor Day, will fall on Monday, September 1. July 4th celebrations in the US There will be no shortage of celebrations across the U.S. on July 4th for Independence Day. Here are just a few. Cool down fast: Up to 70% off personal and portable AC deals ahead of Prime Day What religious holidays are in July? There are multiple religious holidays in July. The following are some of the holidays and traditional celebrations throughout the month, according to Diversity Resources: Other significant dates Here are some more significant dates and anniversaries in July: Unique days in July The following are some of the more unique and odd days celebrated throughout the month of July, according to the National Day Calendar: Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn,X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@
