November 2013 Newsletter

We all want the best for our kids. For many of us, that means the chance to give them a leg-up financially into adulthood.

Few of us though have a magic hat OR a hidden trust fund to count on. If you are the parent of children who are adults, or nearing adulthood, here’s what you can do to help them…and it won’t cost you a CENT!

Read on to find out more..

Warm regards

Mark Rando

Even as adults, children will often turn to their parents when they need help or advice.

If you are interested in guiding your adult children on securing a strong financial future, recommend they see a Financial Adviser.

Apparently* three quarters of young Australians aged 16 to 34 have never used one.

That’s alarming don’t you think?

Now ponder how hard it is for first home buyers now-a-days to save for that initial deposit and take those initial steps towards that first major investment.

Or how many young people are earning bucket-loads of cash via the resources boom without anyone taking the time to educate them about budgeting, protecting their income, their assets or their future.

It’s scary stuff.

In that same research, 63 per cent of those young Australians contacted said they WOULD seek professional financial advice but had no idea where to start.

Mostly they would turn to their parents for advice.

So here’s your chance! Step up, be a parent to your adult children and suggest they Email our very own Gen Y poster girl Ashleigh to get the ball rolling.

Or if you prefer, phone Laura on 9792 4800 to arrange for some ‘intergenerational’ advice the whole family can benefit from.

Ingredients   

1 pkt plain sweet biscuits

(Nice, Arrowroot, Marie or Wheatmeal Biscuits)

3 T cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk**

2-3 T rum

(Bundaberg rum works well)*

1 cup extra coconut (for rolling finished balls in)

Method

Finely crush biscuits in a food processor (or you could put them into a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin).

Add cocoa power, coconut, sweetened condensed milk and rum to crushed biscuits.

Combine all ingredients well (you should end up with a stiff mixture).

If it is a particularly hot day, or your mixture isn’t quite stiff enough for the balls to hold their shape, put the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before rolling.

Take large teaspoons of mixture and roll into balls using your hands, then roll balls in extra coconut to coat.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet or shallow plastic container and put in fridge

Rum balls will last for weeks in the freezer, so you might want to make a couple of batches, well in advance of Christmas.

For a great Christmas gift idea place 5-6 balls into the centre of a square of cellophane, bring ends of cellophane together in a parcel and tie with a ribbon.

Christmas shortbread

Serves: 16

Ingredients

500g butter

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

4 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 cup (75g) rice flour

2 T white sugar; for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to slow (150 degrees C).

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Stir in the sifted flours; press the mixture together with hands to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until 1cm thick. Using a 6cm cutter, cut rounds from dough. Place onto greased oven trays and sprinkle with the white sugar.

Bake in a slow oven for about 30 minutes or until a pale straw colour.

Stand the shortbread on the tray for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.