The Australian government has "directed the departure" of dependants of its embassy staff from Kiev and urged its citizens to leave Ukraine amid fears in some Western capitals that Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border could be set to invade.
"We now advise you do not travel to Ukraine, due to the risk of armed conflict," said the Australian government's travel advice and consular information service.
"If you're in Ukraine, you should leave now by commercial means if it's safe to do so. Flight availability could change or be suspended at short notice. Contact airlines or transport providers directly."
Although there are an estimated 100,000 Russian troops at the border with Ukraine, Moscow insists it has no plans to invade.
The Australian government said "security conditions can change at short notice".
"Consular services and our ability to provide consular assistance to Australians may be limited due to local circumstances," it said.
The US and UK governments have already announced that some embassy staff and their family members will be withdrawn from Kiev because of the security threat.
However, on Monday, the EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the bloc did not plan to follow the US and UK example for now.
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
