So we think we're pretty big huh? Us human strutting around the world like we're the most important things in teh universe, and it all revolved around us.

Wrong. Very wrong.

A new interactive site, Scale of The Universe, is a fun way to play around space and get a grip on just how big the universe is, how small it can get, and where we are in it. Play around with the sliding tool along the bottom to explore, and find out something you probably didn't know before.

Click here to have a go.

And happy Friday!

Most people know it’s a good idea to have checks done on equipment around the home, like the heating and air conditioning systems, in order to get better performance and longer use. But the expense can often reduce your enthusiasm.

The good news is that not every service call costs you. If you have a fault with service providers like Telstra or Foxtel, they will do a home visit if the problem can’t be fixed remotely with no charge. So check it out first and don’t put up with a problem for fear of the cost.

If you need a tradesman like a plumber or electrician and the problem isn’t urgent, wait for a while until there are a couple of jobs needing fixing. Call around and get quotes for service call charges, making sure you enquire as to how many minutes are included in the call-out fee before extra charges kick in.

With rental returns on residential property expected to stay strong, landlords don’t have much to worry about when it comes to filling their properties with tenants.

Even so, making sure you choose and keep the right sort of tenant is still the key to a worry-free and profitable investment.

A good tenant is worth their weight in gold so hanging on to a dream team tenant needs some though and action.

When problems with the property arise, be quick to investigate and arrange.

Call in advance when you need to attend the property.

Maintain your property regularly before problems develop, like having the heating systems serviced and gutters cleared.

Consider a tenant’s requests for additions or improvements to your property. It could be to add Pay TV connections or broadband internet, an air conditioner or maybe a clothesline.

Over any 10 year period investing in the shares of our big 4 banks has produced a better return than any product they’ve offered their customers. In other words, “if you can’t beat em, join em”.

Even today, despite a soft sharemarket, investors in the Big 4 are still doing okay.

In the last 12 months the NAB share price has risen 5.5 per cent, CBA 2.9 per cent, Westpac 0.9 per cent and the ANZ has slipped 0.5 per cent.

But add their dividends and those returns are boosted significantly with NAB leading the way at 12.6 per cent and even ANZ’s return is a respectable 5.7 per cent.

Those dividend yields are a winner. Goldman Sachs reckons NAB is trading on a one-year forward dividend yield of 8.1 per cent, Westpac 7.6 per cent, ANZ 7.3 per cent and CBA 6.8 per cent.