The latest research conducted by The Curious Co reveals that Australians spend A$19.8 billion buying gifts each year and are joyfully generous: 85% of people get more joy giving gifts to others than receiving gifts themselves. The research, conducted for The Financial Planning Association of Australia in the lead-up to Financial Planning Week (19 August to 25 August, 2019), shows that Australian adults spend an average of $100 each month or $1,200 per year on gifts. The avera

We live in an experience society. No longer striving to meet our basic needs, we have become preoccupied with consumption in the form of experiences over goods or services. Four in five millennials would rather spend money on an experience than buy something. Even when we consume a good or service, we no longer expect to make a purchase and simply walk away. As consumers, we seek additional utility and want to know that our favourite brands are listening. Whether being deligh

Financial stress, casualisation of the workforce, and digital disruption impacting how we spend our time I had a chat this afternoon with Nova’s FiveAA host, Alan Hickey, on how Australian workers spend their lunch breaks. A recent study by Quickbooks shows that 23% of Australians work through their lunch break every day. A further 10% never work through their meal break. Apparently the ‘land of the long weekend’ means that we work harder than ever throughout the week… or is

The year 2017 has begun in an environment of perplexed global sentiment. From Brexit to the election of President Trump, the last 9 months have been far from a smooth ride on the world stage, showing a trend towards growing isolationism and increasing uncertainty. For most advanced economies, this uncertainty has bred an increase in nationalism and a move away from globalisation. In Australia, our response – in part fuelled by our strong work ethic and historic undercurrent –

That our world is changing and shifting is not surprising – it’s the key definer of our times. On the one hand the centripetal force of change can push us towards constant innovation. We can be invigorated by the newness around us, so that our means of communication, the way we work and the spaces in which we engage are ever-evolving. On the other, the speed and scale of change can leave us feeling overwhelmed as we work out how to navigate and juggle complex personal and pro

Generation Y are today’s 22 – 36 year olds, and make up 22% of the Australian population (5.22 million). They also make up the largest cohort in the workforce (34%). Gen Ys are comprised of today’s parents, senior leaders, influencers, and increasingly wealth accumulators. With 1 in 3 being university educated (compared to 1 in 5 Baby Boomers), they have grown up in shifting times and are digital in nature, global in outlook and are living in accelerated demographic times. It