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Family finances

Get help with family budgeting, childbirth costs and prepping your family's financial future.

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By

Gary Ross Hunter

I’m planning a family

Get ahead with saving, the cost of going public vs private and other important stuff. Future you will be grateful.

Did you know?

  • The average parent has just over $41,000 in savings before having their first child.
  • Australians spend an average of $726 for childbirth in the public system, compared to $2,400 with private health insurance.
  • Only 15% of gen Z parents opt to go through the private system.

I’ve newly become a parent

Find out about the biggest expenses (and how to keep them low), get help with budgeting and more.

Did you know?

  • It costs the average family $159,120 to $548,500 over 18 years to raise a child, according to government data.
  • Most parents open a savings account for their child when they're just 1 years old (18%).
  • Parents feel more bill stress (45%) when it comes to rent and mortgage payments compared to non-parents (31%).
  • Families with 3 or more kids can expect to pay $124 more on average every quarter for electricity than households with no kids.

I'm planning my family's financial future

Wish your parents spoke to you more about finances as a kid? Get help building healthy financial habits with your children, plus get tips for sorting money with your own parents too.

Did you know?

  • Australian children can expect to receive $33,278 towards a first home deposit.
  • More than half (57%) of parents have given their children access to a savings account.
  • 34% of parents with 3 or 4 children say they are currently extremely stressed with their current financial situation.

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 695 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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