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Historic lighthouse keeper's cottage up for sale

A cottage next to Macquarie Lighthouse has been put up for sale, and one lucky buyer will have the chance to say they live next to one of the country's oldest lighthouses. Located on beautiful South Head Vaucluse, the lighthouse itself has stood since 1883 and it is the second tower built there after the first convict-designed one deteriorated. You don't have to worry about any noise as there's only one neighbour in sight. "How many houses can you buy with a lighthouse next door," McGrath sales agent Robert Alfeldi said. For $12 million, the lucky buyer will get the heritage home that was built 1881, with most of its original fittings still in tact and an old stables building, perched on 2600 square metres of land. Although the property has kept most of its original elements, the interior - specifically the kitchen and bathroom - have been updated into more modern versions of the original. However, those looking to renovate the property and add a second floor should look for a different property as it is a heritage home, so it limits what future owners can add. “It’s quite a unique property. People show up thinking they can put a second storey on. But it is what it is for a reason," Alfeidi said. Iconic properties like this don't go for sale often, and tends to create a buzz among wealthy potential buyers. The property was previously sold in October 2016 for $7 million. Images: Domain/ Nine

Real Estate

Become a master record keeper

Whether you want to brush up your admin skills for your current job, seek new employment, or you’re simply keen to further your knowledge and become the master of your own personal admin, understanding the process of record keeping can be very rewarding. Take Over60 community member, Di Rieger, for example. “During my time [working and volunteering] I assisted with customer service, collection and data entry of statistics, brochure management, information research, ticket and retail sales, preparation of the volunteer roster, writing applications for grant funding and writing award submissions,” Di explains. From working in libraries to volunteering, her experience in research and administration tasks instilled her with the knowledge and know-how to start researching the genealogy of her family. An experience, which she says, changed her life. “Would you believe that while doing an Internet search for my husband’s great grandfather I found information that I did not already have – his parent’s birth and death dates and places, his siblings and all of their birth dates and places and quite a lot more information. One of my cousins had never seen a photograph of [our relative] Thomas Oscar Miller that I found. She is thrilled that I am able to send her a digital copy of the photo.” Whether you want to get a little more organised at home or take on a research project, learning the art of record keeping is a skill that is transferable to many fields. Here are some basic tips and tricks that will help get your personal affairs in order. 4 tips to become the master of your personal records 1. Divide and conquer Nearly all of your admin and financial papers can be divided into three categories: records that you need to keep only for the calendar year or less, papers that you need to save for seven years (according to the ATO), and papers that you should hang onto indefinitely. For example, you don’t really need to hang onto all of your ATM-withdrawal receipts, deposit slips or credit-card receipts do you? Once you’ve crosschecked receipts with your bank statement, you can throw them away. While it’s a good idea to keep receipts for major purchases, it isn’t necessary to hold onto sales receipts for minor purchases after you've satisfactorily used the item a few times or the warranty has expired. Shortly after the end of the calendar year, you should be able to throw out a slew of additional paper, including your monthly credit card and or other bank statements, utility bills (if they are not needed for business deductions), and monthly or quarterly reports for the previous year. 2. Paper place Designate a place – a desk, corner or room – as the place where you deal with paperwork. If you don’t have the space for this, a drawer, cabinet, or closet where you can store bills and current records, situated near a table on which you can write, will do. Stationery items such as manila folders will come in handy for filing the papers, as will a file cabinet or cardboard box to hold the records. Keep your will, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, and other permanent records in a safe but accessible place near your other financial documents, so you and your heirs will always be able to get to them quickly, if they need to. 3. Organised systems Having a plan for how you process all records is key. A rudimentary filing system will do. The simplest method is to sort everything into categories – for example, tax related, financial or house. Each area should have it’s own folder or drawer. Then, when you sit down to either pay your bills or gather information, you'll have all the paperwork you need in one spot. 4. Stay in front Once you have a system in place, you’ll want to make sure you stay on top of things and don’t have a backlog of unsorted paperwork. Set aside a half an hour a day to sift through old papers, perhaps while watching the news or listening to music. You'll be amazed at the difference a little organisation makes. Interested in record keeping or looking into your family history, but not quite sure where to start? The Open Training Institute offers a <a href="https://www.opentraining.edu.au/courses/administration/cert-3-recordkeeping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Certificate III in Recordkeeping</a>. As well as teaching you the necessary proficiencies you could use to research your own family tree, the course can lead to employment as an assistant records clerk or an assistant registry officer. Visit their website to find out more. For information about the Open Training Institute and the courses on offer, or to simply ask a question, call 1300 915 692. Image credit: Shutterstock

Mind

We’ll need more JobKeeper: Why even the best case for jobs isn’t good

When it comes to the outlook for employment, there’s good news and bad news. To begin with the good news: with a bit of luck, the next few months will see the fastest expansion of employment in Australia’s history. The bad news? Well, there’s virtually no chance it will be enough to get employment to where it was in March, before the COVID-19 shutdown. In fact, even on a best-case scenario it’s likely by the end of September we will only be back to the worst points of the 1980s and 1990s recessions. The best-case scenario Other Bureau of Statistics data suggests that between mid-March and mid-April employment fell <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EEze6-rwkdcKgJ0iLWD7PfmWoMz8ob6Q/view">1.3 to 1.6 million</a>. <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/prime-minister-scott-morrison-hopes-850-000-back-at-work-by-july-20200508-p54r12">Treasury</a> estimates that the planned reopening of the economy will result in a bounceback of 850,000 jobs. Suppose that a decrease of 1.3 million turns out to be the trough and recovery is uninterrupted. Employment at the end of September would then be 440,000 below where it was in March, 3.4% lower. The turnaround would be a considerable achievement. But even if it happens, we will have only recovered to around the worst points of the 1980s and 1990s recessions, where employment decreased by about 4 per cent. Employment won’t recover fully in this best-case scenario because some parts of the economy will still be shut down (including international travel) and COVID-19 will continue to cause many consumers to spend less than usual. That best case is unlikely There are several reasons to worry about whether the best-case can be achieved. First, job gains from reopening businesses are likely to be offset by losses in employment in other industries suffering from reduced consumer demand and business investment. While cafes and restaurants may start up again, Bureau of Statistics data shows that employment has <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/6160.0.55.001Main%20Features5Week%20ending%202%20May%202020?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=6160.0.55.001&issue=Week%20ending%202%20May%202020&num=&">begun to decline</a> in large industries such as construction and professional service. Second, the effects of reopening may not be all we expect. Labour hoarding – where businesses retain more workers than needed during an economic downturn - might mean that reopening doesn’t translate into as many new jobs as expected. This is likely to be particularly acute given that JobKeeper has effectively paid employers to subsidise labour. Third, impacts from longer-run structural changes in the economy might begin to cause employment losses, especially as JobKeeper is partially unwound. So what are we to do? Even under the best-case scenario employment will be substantially lower than before COVID-19 well into the future. And we can’t presume the best-case will happen. A compelling case exists for substantial ongoing economic stimulus post-September 2020. The labour market will not have fully recovered by then. To remove stimulus would only set back recovery. The question therefore should not be: is stimulus needed, but rather, what size and type of stimulus is needed. Continuing JobKeeper beyond September 2020 could have an important role in providing income security to affected workers and macroeconomic stimulus. It is a known policy, it operates effectively, and it appears to have community support. Replacing it with an alternative type of stimulus could risk harming confidence and the recovery. We can’t simply end JobKeeper An extra (and considerable) advantage of continuing JobKeeper is allowing time for a staged transition away from it. Stopping it will inevitably push up unemployment. A staged transition would spread out that adjustment rather than creating a shock in September. A transition from JobKeeper could be done via stepped decreases in the size of payment or progressively restricting eligibility as industries or businesses recover. The transition could begin at the end of September, or earlier if it is judged that employment is likely to have already recovered substantially before then. An objection to retaining JobKeeper is that it is preventing adjustment in the labour market, and disrupting the normal process of businesses starting up and failing. There are two responses. First, the question is not about whether JobKeeper should be permanent, but about the timing of its removal. Whenever it is (or starts to be) removed, labour mobility will return and any firms on life support will disappear. Having this happen via a staged transition is better than having it happen all at once. Second, the potential economic losses from unemployment in a depressed economy swamp the potential losses from having inefficient firms operating for longer. Our number one priority has to be maintaining and restoring employment. Written by Jeff Borland. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-even-the-best-case-for-jobs-isnt-good-well-need-more-jobkeeper-139648">The Conversation.</a>

Travel Tips

Australia’s $130 billion JobKeeper payment: what the experts think

The A$130 billion payment will be benefit six million of Australia’s 13 million employees through their employers. It will ensure each employee kept on in a business that has lost custom gets at least <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-key-to-the-success-of-the-130-billion-wage-subsidy-is-retrospective-paid-work-135042">$1,500 per fortnight</a> for six months. But the devil is in the detail. We asked three experts to pick the package apart. Steven Hamilton Visiting Scholar, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University This is a welcome <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet_supporting_businesses_1.pdf">move</a> by the government that will keep many businesses afloat and connected to their employees, which are critical to a speedy recovery. It is commendable that the government reversed course so quickly given rapidly deteriorating economic conditions. You can’t shut down the economy for months without providing massive support to businesses and workers. At A$130 billion, this package alone is worth 12% of the economy over the next six months. Along with the measures already announced, it takes our fiscal support to a similar scale as recently legislated in the United States. Targeting only businesses experiencing a revenue loss limits profiteering. Those currently doing well won’t get unneeded support. It applies to all full-time, part-time, and long-term casual employees, as well as the self-employed, and it forces all participating firms to pay workers at least the $1,500 per fortnight subsidy. It could have several unintended consequences. It might encourage firms to limit sales to push revenue down below the turnover threshold. For example, for Qantas the subsidy would be almost $600 million, but to receive it, its revenue will need to fall to 50% below where it was this time last year. That might discourage it from reopening routes, which would slow the recovery. The scheme will also make it harder for businesses desperately in need of staff (such as supermarkets) to hire new workers from currently struggling businesses. To do so, they would need to entice workers to move from what might be suddenly better-paid jobs (everyone benefiting from the scheme must receive at least $1,500 per fortngiht) to less well paid ones. And the choice to subsidise the largest businesses in Australia is questionable. The major banks are excluded, but every other large company with at least a 50% reduction in revenue is included. Specific, targeted measures for the worst-affected industries might have been a better approach. David Peetz Professor of Employment Relations, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University Dangers often associated with wage subsidy schemes — like wasting money on jobs that would have been created anyway, or substituting one type of worker for another — aren’t much of a concern when a wage subsidy is introduced in an environment in which revenue and employment is diving. Making the scheme <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet_Info_for_Employers_0.pdf">temporary</a>, and restricting it to firms facing a 30% drop in revenue (50% for big businesses) greatly reduces this danger. That said, the scheme will mainly target workers at or near the minimum wage. That’s because the payment is set close to the minimum wage. In effect, firms can rehire or keep on minimum-wage workers for free. For workers on average full-time adult earnings, which are about twice the minimum wage, the subsidy is nowhere near as big. Many are still likely to lose their jobs, as we have already seen. And the scheme introduces strange incentives. The same payment is received for a part-time worker as for a full-time worker on any wage. (The weekend leak that part-timers would be excluded seems to have been a furphy.) Many part-timers’ wages will be less than the subsidy. But the employer still has to pay them the $750 per week. The payroll is simpler the fewer employees are on it, so the employer might give one part-timer the bulk of the hours and retrench the others. Many part-timers are casuals, though, and they aren’t covered unless they are “<a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet_supporting_businesses_1.pdf">long term</a>” casuals (seemingly a contradiction in terms). This means many casuals can expect to be sacked in favour of workers who can be put into “free” $750 per week jobs. Meanwhile, the superannuation guarantee no longer applies to wages covered by the jobseeker payment, including wages the employer would have paid anyway. That’s something that could lead to all sorts of legal complexities in the future. Anthony Forsyth Professor of Workplace Law, RMIT University My comments focus on the government’s claim that its JobKeeper payment is more generous and broader than the UK’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses">Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme</a>. Australia’s scheme is definitely <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet_Info_for_Employees_0.pdf">broader</a>, with the aim of providing support to up to six million Australians over coming months. Eligibility will depend on a business suffering at least 30% reduced turnover or 50% for businesses with more than $1 billion turnover. It enables employees to receive income support payments where they have been stood down, or already made redundant where the business wants to rehire the employee with Jobkeeper payment support. In the UK, only “furloughed” employees (stood down) are eligible for payments. But the UK scheme provides payments to those on “zero hours contracts” (akin to casuals). Where hours have varied, payments are based on last year’s average. However in Australia, casuals can only claim Jobkeeper payment where they have been employed for at least 12 months. Many casual workers will be ineligible given the high turnover in hard-hit sectors such as accommodation, cafés and food services. Casual teaching contracts in universities are often for less than a year. As for generosity, Australia’s Jobkeeper payment of around A$3,000 per month is far lower than the UK’s, which is £2,500 per month, worth more than A$5,000. Australia’s payment is 70% of the median wage. The government’s claim that employees in retail and hospitality will get the median wage in those industries simply reinforces their low-paid status to begin with. The government specifically mentioned that New Zealanders working in Australia would be able to access the JobKeeper payment along with some other categories of visa But the Victorian Trades Hall’s Migrant Workers Centre believes this will leave 1.1 million temporary migrant workers outside the scheme and needing assistance. Another gap is the hundreds of thousands of workers in the gig economy. We are relying more than ever on food delivery riders and drivers. Many are incorrectly categorised as self-employed contractors. JobKeeper will cover self-employed individuals but they must be able to show at least 30% decline in their turnover. Most gig workers will not have the business systems set up to demonstrate this, as they are in reality employees who have had supposed “contractor” status imposed on them by the platforms they provide services for. Written by Steven Hamilton, Anthony Forsyth and Devid Peetz. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-130-billion-jobkeeper-payment-what-the-experts-think-135043">The Conversation.</a>

Retirement Life

$1500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy in massive $130 billion program

The Morrison government will provide a flat $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper payment per employee for businesses to retain or rehire nearly six million workers, in a massive $130 billion six-month wage subsidy scheme to limit the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus. Describing the initiative as “unprecedented action” for “unprecedented times”, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this was a “uniquely Australian” solution to keep enterprises and their workers connected through to “the other side” of the crisis. He said no Australian government had ever made such a decision “and I hope and pray they never have to again.” The payment, made through the tax system, applies for workers of large, medium and small enterprises, and not-for-profits. It will start flowing from May 1, but will be backdated to March 30. It will be a flat rate for all those eligible, who include full-time, part-time, and casual workers (provided they have been with their employer for a year). Self-employed individuals will also be eligible. The payment is about 70% of the national median wage. For workers in the accommodation, hospitality and retail sectors - sectors hardest hit by the crisis - it will equate to a full median replacement wage. To be eligible, enterprises with an annual turnover of less than $1 billion must have lost at least 30% of their revenue after March 1, relative to a comparable period a year ago. For businesses with turnovers of more than $1 billion the reduction in revenue has to be at least 50%. Where workers have already lost their jobs, they can be rehired by their employer, provided they were attached to the enterprise on March 1. This will mean some people who have applied for a Centrelink payment will reconnect with their firm and will move to the JobKeeper payment. Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the scheme at 4 pm and almost 8000 businesses had registered by 5 pm. The $1,500 a fortnight will be paid whether the employee is working (in the case of an enterprise still operating) or not (if the business is not trading). Businesses that keep operating will have to pay each employee at least the $1,500, but there may be discretion about what’s paid above that, depending on whether there is an award. The $130 billion JobKeeper scheme is the third tranche of emergency assistance the government has unveiled since March 12. “This is about keeping the connection between the employer and the employee and keeping people in their jobs even though the business they work for may go into hibernation and close down for six months,” Morrison said. “We will give millions of eligible businesses and their workers a lifeline to not only get through this crisis, but bounce back together on the other side,” he said. The latest initiative brings the total support made available in the crisis to $320 billion, including $90 billion assistance from the Reserve Bank. The total amounts to the equivalent of 16.4% of GDP. Frydenberg said Australia was “about to go through one of the toughest times in its history”. The government had doubled the welfare safety net and now had gone even further, he said. Parliament - in a “mini” form - will sit to pass the package as soon as the legislation has been drafted. Business welcomed the scheme. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was a “game changer”. The Business Council of Australia said the government had “made the right choice to work through the systems we already have in place to get assistance where it is needed as soon as possible.” But ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, expressed concern that $1,500 a fornight might not be enough. She said the full median wage of $1,375 a week “is what is needed”. The government is also temporarily liberalising access to income support. The JobSeeker payment has been subject to a partner income test of about $48,000. This is being temporarily relaxed so an eligible person can receive the JobSeeker payment and the associated new Coronavirus supplement of $550 a fortnight provided their partner earns less than $79,762 a year In other coronavirus developments on Monday, Victoria announced it had moved to “stage 3” of the response to the crisis, with the two-person restriction on gatherings to become legally enforceable. The two-person rule was announced by Morrison on Sunday but it was left up to the states to decide whether to make it enforceable. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said: “If you are having friends over for dinner or friends over for drinks that are not members of your household, then you are breaking the law”. “You face an on-the-spot fine of more than $1,600.” NSW is also announced it will enforce the rule. Queensland, which has closed its border, is toughening border controls. Federal Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly flagged modelling the government is using in its response will be made available later this week. Morrison has faced pressure for the modelling’s release. Kelly told a news conference he had asked his staff “to organise a meeting later this week where the modelling and the epidemiology and the public health response will be unlocked, and people will be able to ask questions about that. "I think we have been quite open with components of the modelling, but I respect that there is a large number of ways that modelling can be done, and so we need to be more transparent, and we will be.” Written by Michelle Grattan. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-500-a-fortnight-jobkeeper-wage-subsidy-in-massive-130-billion-program-135049">The Conversation.</a>

Caring

How to tell if your date is a keeper?

<a href="http://www.johnaiken.com.au/" target="_blank">John Aiken</a>, is an RSVP dating and relationship expert, as seen on Channel Nine’s series Married At First Sight. He is a best-selling author, regularly appears on radio and in magazines, runs a private practice in Sydney, and is a sought after speaker. One of the keys to getting a good relationship is knowing when to commit to someone or when let them go and move on. Being clear as to whether or not your date has got long-term potential. It’s not a problem if you’re just looking for a casual encounter, but if you want something with substance, then you must be a good judge of this. So how do you tell if your date is a keeper? There are 6 tell-tale signs that your date is worth hanging onto long term: 1. Reliable and trustworthy This is one of the most significant signs that you’ve got a keeper on your hands! If your date is someone who is honest and walks the walk, follows through with promises and is reliable, then hold on tight! Relationships can go through many challenges, and you need a firm foundation of trust to get you through these tough times. 2. Same relationship expectations Don’t go any further with this date if they’re not on the same page with you in terms of commitment and expectations. If you want to get serious and they just want to play and have some fun, then it’s not going to work. You want someone who is comfortable with long-term relationships and is excited about having a future with you. 3. Romantic feelings You know you’re onto a good thing when your date is able to express positive feelings for you. They don’t need to go over the top too early on, but you want to get a sense that they are keen on you and have strong romantic feelings. These will only get more intense the more time you spend together. 4. Strong sexual chemistry It’s ideal if you feel a strong sexual chemistry with this person. If you’re going to have a long-term relationship with them, then you want to feel sparks, attraction, lust and desire. And if you’ve already slept together, then there also needs to be a strong sexual compatibility. 5. Good communicator It’s absolutely vital that your date is a great communicator. Someone who can bring up issues softly, say sorry, see both sides to an argument, and move on from conflict. They need to be able to make you feel special and appreciated with compliments and expressions of gratitude, as well as ask you questions and take an interest. And finally, it’s always great when they can socialize with any of your friends and family and be comfortable working a room. 6. Quality friendships You are who you mix with, and if your new date has quality friends then this is a great sign of long-term potential. After all, these are the people that are important in their life, and likely be the ones that you’re going to spend plenty of time with moving forward. So a great social network is something to get really excited about! Written by John Aiken. First appeared on <a href="http://www.datehub.com.au/" target="_blank">datehub.com.au.</a>

Relationships

Become a master record keeper

Whether you want to brush up your admin skills for your current job, seek new employment, or you’re simply keen to further your knowledge and become the master of your own personal admin, understanding the process of record keeping can be very rewarding. Take Over60 community member, Di Rieger, for example.“During my time [working and volunteering] I assisted with customer service, collection and data entry of statistics, brochure management, information research, ticket and retail sales, preparation of the volunteer roster, writing applications for grant funding and writing award submissions,” Di explains.From working in libraries to volunteering, her experience in research and administration tasks instilled her with the knowledge and know-how to start researching the genealogy of her family. An experience, which she says, changed her life.“Would you believe that while doing an Internet search for my husband’s great grandfather I found information that I did not already have – his parent’s birth and death dates and places, his siblings and all of their birth dates and places and quite a lot more information. One of my cousins had never seen a photograph of [our relative] Thomas Oscar Miller that I found. She is thrilled that I am able to send her a digital copy of the photo.”Whether you want to get a little more organised at home or take on a research project, learning the art of record keeping is a skill that is transferable to many fields. Here are some basic tips and tricks that will help get your personal affairs in order.4 tips to become the master of your personal records1. Divide and conquerNearly all of your admin and financial papers can be divided into three categories: records that you need to keep only for the calendar year or less, papers that you need to save for seven years (according to the ATO), and papers that you should hang onto indefinitely.For example, you don’t really need to hang onto all of your ATM-withdrawal receipts, deposit slips or credit-card receipts do you? Once you’ve crosschecked receipts with your bank statement, you can throw them away.While it’s a good idea to keep receipts for major purchases, it isn’t necessary to hold onto sales receipts for minor purchases after you've satisfactorily used the item a few times or the warranty has expired.Shortly after the end of the calendar year, you should be able to throw out a slew of additional paper, including your monthly credit card and or other bank statements, utility bills (if they are not needed for business deductions), and monthly or quarterly reports for the previous year.2. Paper placeDesignate a place – a desk, corner or room – as the place where you deal with paperwork. If you don’t have the space for this, a drawer, cabinet, or closet where you can store bills and current records, situated near a table on which you can write, will do. Stationery items such as manila folders will come in handy for filing the papers, as will a file cabinet or cardboard box to hold the records. Keep your will, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, and other permanent records in a safe but accessible place near your other financial documents, so you and your heirs will always be able to get to them quickly, if they need to.3. Organised systemsHaving a plan for how you process all records is key. A rudimentary filing system will do. The simplest method is to sort everything into categories – for example, tax related, financial or house. Each area should have it’s own folder or drawer. Then, when you sit down to either pay your bills or gather information, you'll have all the paperwork you need in one spot.4. Stay in frontOnce you have a system in place, you’ll want to make sure you stay on top of things and don’t have a backlog of unsorted paperwork. Set aside a half an hour a day to sift through old papers, perhaps while watching the news or listening to music. You'll be amazed at the difference a little organisation makes.Interested in record keeping or looking into your family history, but not quite sure where to start? The Open Training Institute offers a <a href="https://www.opentraining.edu.au/courses/administration/cert-3-recordkeeping" target="_blank">Certificate III in Recordkeeping</a>. As well as teaching you the necessary proficiencies you could use to research your own family tree, the course can lead to employment as an assistant records clerk or an assistant registry officer. Visit their website to find out more. For information about the Open Training Institute and the courses on offer, or to simply ask a question, call 1300 915 692.

Money & Banking

Become a master record keeper

Whether you want to brush up your admin skills for your current job, seek new employment, or you’re simply keen to further your knowledge and become the master of your own personal admin, understanding the process of record keeping can be very rewarding. Take Over60 community member, Di Rieger, for example.“During my time [working and volunteering] I assisted with customer service, collection and data entry of statistics, brochure management, information research, ticket and retail sales, preparation of the volunteer roster, writing applications for grant funding and writing award submissions,” Di explains.From working in libraries to volunteering, her experience in research and administration tasks instilled her with the knowledge and know-how to start researching the genealogy of her family. An experience, which she says, changed her life.“Would you believe that while doing an Internet search for my husband’s great grandfather I found information that I did not already have – his parent’s birth and death dates and places, his siblings and all of their birth dates and places and quite a lot more information. One of my cousins had never seen a photograph of [our relative] Thomas Oscar Miller that I found. She is thrilled that I am able to send her a digital copy of the photo.”Whether you want to get a little more organised at home or take on a research project, learning the art of record keeping is a skill that is transferable to many fields. Here are some basic tips and tricks that will help get your personal affairs in order.4 tips to become the master of your personal records1. Divide and conquerNearly all of your admin and financial papers can be divided into three categories: records that you need to keep only for the calendar year or less, papers that you need to save for seven years (according to the ATO), and papers that you should hang onto indefinitely.For example, you don’t really need to hang onto all of your ATM-withdrawal receipts, deposit slips or credit-card receipts do you? Once you’ve crosschecked receipts with your bank statement, you can throw them away.While it’s a good idea to keep receipts for major purchases, it isn’t necessary to hold onto sales receipts for minor purchases after you've satisfactorily used the item a few times or the warranty has expired.Shortly after the end of the calendar year, you should be able to throw out a slew of additional paper, including your monthly credit card and or other bank statements, utility bills (if they are not needed for business deductions), and monthly or quarterly reports for the previous year.2. Paper placeDesignate a place – a desk, corner or room – as the place where you deal with paperwork. If you don’t have the space for this, a drawer, cabinet, or closet where you can store bills and current records, situated near a table on which you can write, will do. Stationery items such as manila folders will come in handy for filing the papers, as will a file cabinet or cardboard box to hold the records. Keep your will, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, and other permanent records in a safe but accessible place near your other financial documents, so you and your heirs will always be able to get to them quickly, if they need to.3. Organised systemsHaving a plan for how you process all records is key. A rudimentary filing system will do. The simplest method is to sort everything into categories – for example, tax related, financial or house. Each area should have it’s own folder or drawer. Then, when you sit down to either pay your bills or gather information, you'll have all the paperwork you need in one spot.4. Stay in frontOnce you have a system in place, you’ll want to make sure you stay on top of things and don’t have a backlog of unsorted paperwork. Set aside a half an hour a day to sift through old papers, perhaps while watching the news or listening to music. You'll be amazed at the difference a little organisation makes.Interested in record keeping or looking into your family history, but not quite sure where to start? The Open Training Institute offers a <a href="https://www.opentraining.edu.au/courses/administration/cert-3-recordkeeping" target="_blank">Certificate III in Recordkeeping</a>. As well as teaching you the necessary proficiencies you could use to research your own family tree, the course can lead to employment as an assistant records clerk or an assistant registry officer. Visit their website to find out more. For information about the Open Training Institute and the courses on offer, or to simply ask a question, call 1300 915 692.

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Become a master record keeper

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