Justin Sullivan's Money & Finance Page

All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. -- Author unknown

Australian 5 cent coin (detail) I kinda like money. The real stuff, I mean.

Increasingly all I see is numbers on cheques and statements, which really doesn't do anything much for me at all (well I guess it means the bills usually get paid, but it's hardy pants-wetting material).

On the other hand some real money is quite interesting. In Australia all the "paper" currency is now made of plastic. Some of these are interesting, especially the big denomination notes. Generally the fives seem to be heavy folded, dirty and torn.

The other bit of Australian money I quite like is the angular fifty cent piece. I've just had a look to see if I had one to scan in, but sadly I do not. It is quite a large coin and is 12-sided (from memory).

Enough Nonsense..

When I'm not pondering the nature of cash itself, I may well be found:

Thinking about some new stuff to learn about. I have recently finished a Diploma in Financial Markets with the Securities Institute of Australia. I'd highly recommend this if you have any sort of interest in financial matters and making the most of whatever money comes your way in life.
Investing and trading on the Australian Stock Exchange. I enjoy being a part-owner of a company, especially one I respect (relatively speaking :-)

For great no-frills non-advisory stock and option broking in Australia (and excellent Internet trading facilities too) I suggest Commonwealth Securities.

For stock prices, the ASX has free daily closing prices - which is moderately useful. If you're a serious trader, check out Shares Online (from the BRW Media people) which has more or less instantaneous snap-shot pricing for a modest outlay (especially if you're a subscriber to one of their print magazines). Commonwealth Securities also provide free quotes to all account holders, but not depth of market information.