After noticing a gap in the medical finance sector, Mr Boon’s credit service has gone from strength to strength.
3 min
 What are Total Lifestyle Credit’s (TLC) goals for the consumer?
TLC’s goal for the consumer is to provide a quick and easy financial platform that allows them to break their upfront payment into smaller more manageable payments over a longer period.
This allows them to have their product or service now, rather than having to wait months or years by giving them an array of options and opportunities to choose a payment plan that suits their specific needs and personal goals.
Having a broader funding option also gives TLC a greater opportunity for the client to get the right approval result.
What makes it different from other finance providers?
With a range of underwriters, we are able to provide the best financial product for the client based on their personal situation. This is alongside real people who listen and talk to the client through the process at each step of the way. Making their otherwise uncomfortable transaction very comfortable and hassle-free.
Additionally, TLC has over 1800 professional partners on board, this gives clients the opportunity to get that extra reassurance and expert opinion before they make what can be seen as a life-altering decision.
A big invoice can be daunting for clients and can often be a deal-breaker. When funding is easily accessible and affordable it is a “win-win” for both business and client.
How did you build the business in its early years?
I am hugely passionate about the medical sector and noticed a lack of funding options available to the public, in 2004 I started MacCredit a patient funding platform and grew it to the largest medical loan business in Australia, successfully selling to a Private Equity firm in 2016.
It definitely was a very hard sell to the medical and cosmetic sector, however after 24 months a lot of businesses saw the service and integrity I was delivering. I started Total Lifestyle Credit (TLC) in 2019 my new consumer lending platform that commenced in 2019.
What’s the reasoning for the pillars of medical, dental, lifestyle and wedding?
At TLC we hold the utmost importance at looking after our clients in relation to their specific needs. For example a client who is looking at a financial payment plan for a wedding will have a very different needs compared to an individual who is seeking finance for a medical procedure that their child needs. This allows us to personalise our interactions with the client based on the service they seek. TLC aspires to help every individual that we can, if there is a client that is in need of funds for a dental procedure and their friend needs funds for a holiday, we are happy to say that we can help both of those individuals, with the same level of service and enthusiasm.
Roughly what percentage of the business does each pillar represent?
Medical – 60%
Broker – 10%
Lifestyle – 20%
Wedding – 10%
You’ve alluded to the fact that TLC goes beyond cosmetic procedures including IVF programs, eye surgery and more — you note a shift away from private health insurance. Why?Â
The reason individuals are shifting away from private health insurance is that they do not see the value in it anymore. Young individuals are less likely to choose to continue their private health insurance after their family coverage no longer applies to them. TLC offers the opportunity to receive funds almost instantly, rather than having to wait until the benefits of private health insurance kick in. We fund all treatment costs for all medical/cosmetic fees and with little to no early payout fees so the patient can control their repayment timeline.
Australian citizens are spending about $1 billion on cosmetic procedures every year — per capita, around 40% more than Americans do – why do you think it’s so high in Australia?
There is less of a stigma in Australia when it comes to having cosmetic procedures. Social media marketing in reference to cosmetic procedures are increasingly common, creating an inviting space for individuals to be able to seek professional advice on their personalised goal.
How has the market been affected by COVID (if at all)?
Covid has affected the industry quite significantly. Clients have had to opt to have their procedures within Australia instead of the choice of overseas treatment. It has also provided the time and space for patients to focus on themselves. Â This has increased the demand for TLC during Covid and people are able to have their procedures with minimum downtime from work.
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What do you think the future of cosmetic procedures going forward?
TLC is excited to see the growth of the cosmetic world as we see great potential. Already in the past years, TLC has been operating we have seen a reduction of Brazilian butt lift procedures coming through and an influx of breast augmentation. Cosmetic procedures are evidently becoming more popular and desirable to individuals, with an array of talented surgeons coming on board. This ensures us to believe that the cosmetic industry only has one way to go and that’s up!
The Australian leather house has opened an immersive four-day pop-up in Manhattan, unveiling its Bloom Collection and redefining what a product launch can look like.
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Investors are bracing for a bumpier fall stock market due to shifting odds of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase and other macro challenges.
3 min
The stock market had a decent summer. Investors are bracing for a bumpier fall.
In the past couple of months, equity investors cheered soaring profits at big companies, shrugged off jitters in the bond market and nudged megacap tech shares back near records.
Now, as the post-Labor Day stretch begins, a number of new challenges lie ahead: ever-shifting odds of an interest-rate increase from the Federal Reserve. Sky-high expectations after a stunning earnings season. The persistent threat of higher consumer prices as fighting in the Middle East drags on.
“You’re moving from this earnings-driven market to this macro-driven market with the Fed, inflation and interest rates in focus,” said Keith Lerner, chief investment adviser for Truist Advisory Services. “It tends to be a choppier period.”
Historically, every major U.S. stock index experiences its worst average return in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has slid an average 1.1% in the ninth month of the year, in data that dates back to the 19th century. The S&P 500 has seen the same average decline—and for every September dating back to 1928, the benchmark ends the month lower more than half of the time.
Analysts caution against reading too much into those seasonal patterns. But in recent weeks, new reasons for investor caution have emerged. One of the largest: the looming threat of an interest-rate increase from the Fed, which announces its next policy decision on Sept. 16.
Chairman Kevin Warsh’s decision to ditch forward guidance and take more of his cues from markets has muddied the waters for investors when it comes to monetary policy. That has left traders scouring Fed governor speeches and economic-data reports for clues on the central bank’s next move.
“There’s going to be a lot of eyes on those numbers,” said John Luke Tyner, head of fixed income and portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors.
The past couple of weeks offered just one example of how frequently those expectations can change. After Warsh struck a hawkish tone during remarks on Aug. 28, the odds of a hike at the Fed’s next meeting jumped from 35% before the speech to 58%, according to CME FedWatch data.
On Thursday, Fed governor Christopher Waller made a case for leaving rates where they are. Interest-rate futures showed coin-flip odds between a hike and a hold. Then Friday’s robust jobs report amped up rate-hike bets once more, back to a roughly 60% chance of higher rates after the meeting.
“Rates have really been driving the car for equities the last few weeks,” said Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird.
That uncertainty comes as an unruly bond market could put pressure on stocks. Treasury yields have marched higher for much of the summer, driven by concerns about rising oil prices, growing U.S. budget deficits and a deluge of tech-company bonds now competing for investors’ cash. Last week, the rout went global, pushing yields to multiyear highs in Japan, Germany and the U.K.
Higher bond yields can drag on stock prices and lift borrowing costs for companies and consumers across the economy.
Rising prices remain the top concern for bond traders, and continued fighting between the U.S. and Iran has done little to ease those worries. The national average price of diesel climbed to a record of $5.850 on Friday, according to AAA. That is up from $3.712 a year ago.
Investors will get more insight on the path of prices this week, with the much-awaited consumer-price index report due Friday and a reading on producer prices Thursday.
With another blockbuster earnings season in the books, some analysts have also warned that any boost from the third-quarter reports due in the coming months could be minimal. Back-to-back quarters of standout profits have raised expectations and made it especially difficult to impress traders. Custom-chip company Broadcom, for example, said Wednesday that it more than tripled its earnings and nearly doubled its revenue. Shares slipped 2.7% the next session.
Many analysts note there are plenty of reasons not to panic. The economy is in impressive shape, thanks to a healthy labor market and the rippling effects of the artificial-intelligence investment boom. Profits are booming at America’s biggest companies. The Cboe Volatility Index has dropped to its lowest levels of 2026. Credit spreads are tight, a sign bond investors aren’t concerned about economic conditions that could hurt companies.
But the mood has shifted from the euphoria that felt tangible when the Nasdaq was notching back-to-back records early this summer. The question, Mayfield said, is whether the fundamentals that have bolstered the bull market so far can stretch the rally into 2027.
“There are more anxieties or uncertainties about the backdrop,” he said. “It does feel like a transitional moment.”
