Dollars and Making Sense

We continue our series on venture capital with Glenn Butcher, CEO of FundWA and this week, we delve into the deal itself, what makes a good deal, and what the phases that investors may need to consider when evaluating a potential investment.  Is this something anyone can do, or should we leave to the professionals.  Tune in to find about the 3 Fs (family, friends and fools) and they apply to inves...

This week we venture (pardon the pun) into VC - venture capital and talk with Glenn Butcher, CEO of FundWA about the basics of VC investing, how it operates and a general introduction into a much misunderstood sector of the investment landscape.  Its not as risky as you might think when you have experienced managers and founders who know what they're doing.  This is a great introduction into a...

 “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” — has been attributed to  Mark Twain , who himself attributed it to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who might never have said it in the first place. Today we chat with Andrew Inwood, Global CEO of Coredata, a leading provider of market information and research to the financial markets. Is there a "special sauce&quot...

Stage 3 tax cuts have now been legislated and given Royal assent - yes "L-A-W" as one very famous ex PM used to say.  This week we chat with Frank Drenth, tax specialist from the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to work out how much extra you're going to get (and yes everyone does!), and some strategies to save on taxes this financial year and next. ...

We welcome back Natasha Panagis, Superannuation subject matter expert from the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to discuss a raft of changes to superannuation law that comes into effect from 1 July 2024.  Contributions caps, forward payments, NALE, Div296 and everything in between.  IFPA's recent annual conference is a gold mine of information now available an...

Does your superannuation need a health check?  Well EOFY is a great time to plan for that check (yes - the end of the financial year), and we're joined by Natasha Panagis, super expert at the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to work though an easy to understand check list of things you can do to make your super work harder for you, and ensure you retire with t...

It's never too early to start planning for the EOFY (end of financial year), and we're joined by specialist Natasha Panagis from the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to discuss an easy to understand checklist of things to help be ready for the close of the tax year, and also make the most of the tax incentives and opportunities to manage your tax complianc...

What's the difference, debt is debt right?  Maybe not so.  This week, Victor Lagos from Lagos Financial, a registered mortgage broker and holder of an Australian Credit License joins us to discuss what is good debt and what is bad debt.  Are we stealing from ouselves or are we saving for ourselves.  Great notions to ponder when you are looking at that purchase and deciding whether to wait and...

20th March has come and gone and many of you may notice there's an increase in your rate of pension.  That's because Services Australia has applied the increases to payments, including pensions, which have been indexed by the Department of Social Services, like they do on 20 March and 20 September each year.  When the rate of pension goes up, that changes the income and assets limits for t...

ASX listed company Annual General Meetings are a place of interest for any shareholder, and this week we meet one of the Australian Shareholders Association's key company monitor.  Peter Gregory is a volunteer that monitors a number of listed companies and we discuss what that means, how its done, and why it is of incredible value to you as an investor and potential shareholder of these compan...

Philippa Hunt from Wise Girls Money Magic joins us this week to discuss budgeting.  A timely reminder from a recent article that highlights the government's MoneySmart website and really helpful calculators and guides.  Whether it be a piece of paper, or a mobile app, tracking the ins and outs of your budget can possibly make your life so much better, join us to find out how and why.   Click o...

When investing in commercial projects, it is important to understand where your money sits in relation to payday.  Depending on where you are in the "Capital Stack" varies greatly in relation to risk, returns and when you get paid if something possibly goes wrong.  This week, Joe Christie, Exec Director of Capital Property Funds explores the "Capital Stack" and what it means wh...

Justin Bott, Community Information Officer from Services Australia (Centrelink) is a welcome return to the show, and this week we're covering off the impact of Real Estate on the Aged Pension.  Justin explains there are a number of considerations when drawing an aged pension from the government, and in our conversation, we're covering many of these including lodgers, student homestays, inv...

We welcome back Natasha Panagis from IFPA ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to discuss the changes in super laws that will require bosses to pay their worker's super at the same time they pay their salary and wages.  There's a 2 year transition time, so there'll be time, and there are many issues to consider.  Bottom line though, far better outcomes for all including less wage theft.  Join us on Dol...

Can never know too much about money, right? This week we welcome back Philippa Hunt, our resident expert and financial planner to the many women out there that need help and assistance.  Financial literacy is always needed, and we discuss ways to get on the road to better education and understanding about money and finance, and how it all works.

We welcome Peter Johnstone, executive director of the Association of Independently Owned Financial Professionals to chat about their December industry conference where a number of notable politicians will be invited to posit their views on the finance industry, advice sectors and various policies that are currently the subject of much debate including accreditation, regulation, industry fees and c...

It can happen to anyone, and when you least expect it.  Internet, email, phone scams are rife, Justin Bott from Services Australia (Centrelink, Human Svcs etc) details over $430m lost so far in 2023 to fraudsters, and it can happen to even the smartest, most savvy people you know.  We chat about what types are out there, and how to protect yourself, and importantly, what to do if you think you&#39...

Utes are the biggest selling class of vehicles in Australia presently, and we've all seen the advertising showing the great outdoors towing caravans or boats.  Many of these utes are used for work purposes as well, and today we welcome back Frank Drenth from the Institute of Financial Professionals of Australia ( www.ifpa.com.au ) to discuss the tax implications on both tradies and their emplo...

Finish work on Friday, have some farewell drinks and then come Monday, you start a 30 year holiday.  Sounds like a dream scenario, right?  Maybe not if you haven't planned.  This week we chat with Nick Freedman about Retiring on Purpose, a path to education and transition from full time work to full time retirement, and whatever that looks like.  There's a lot more to it than just money, b...

Natasha Panagis, superannuation expert from IFPA (ifpa.com.au) rejoins us to continue discussions on SMSFs borrowing rules and common misconceptions, and we also follow up on our recent interview on the upcoming review of the new $3m super cap tax being proposed.  There is still work to be done in the legislative halls of power, remembering the 2 things we shouldn't see being made ... sausages...

We're all about education, and what better way than to invite the Australian Shareholders Association convenor of the year, Keith Ready from Sydney to join us.  Keith is a volunteer within the ASA as are many hundreds that not only participate in monthly activities, but also assist in company monitoring, meeting organisation as well as convene Investment Discussion Groups, the focus of today&#...

US bonds are on the news all the time, ever wondered why?  Liz Moran, Editor of Fixed Income News Australia joins us to explain the importance of understanding a little bit about government bonds, and their impact on global markets and share prices.  All the way down to how much we pay for our home mortgages too.

Neil Sparks from the SMSF Association joins us to continue our discussion on how to invest in your retirement using a self managed fund.  DIY or destroy it yourself as Neil's recent article explains can be a recipe for disaster if you don't know what you're doing.  Being educated in the detail will help you avoid this complex area, and especially when buying property and using borrowed...

It's back to basics this week as we chat to Justin Bott from Services Australia about how to budget and the free resources available from the Australian federal government that are there to assist you in financial education, understanding industry jargon, and getting started if you don't have anything to begin with.  We also cover a great free resource called the Financial Information Serv...

Neil Sparks, Corporate Development at the SMSF Association is with us this week discussing whether SMSFs are for you or not.  Given their increasing popularity, a self managed retirement option is attractive, but there are many pitfalls, and chatting to one of the leading experts from the industry, we tackle some of the common errors made by unwary entrants and older investors alike.  There is muc...