Dollars and Making Sense

Justin Bott from Services Australia (Centrelink) is with us again to explain the changes to age pension as the indexation rate changes the payments on 20 September for all recipients.  There is much to consider and we learn in today's show there are substantial benefits to claim even if you are earning a reasonable amount of income.  Assets are big on our discussion, so whether you are retired...

We welcome back Philippa Hunt from Wise Girls Money Academy on the unsavory topic of women, divorce and finances. It is indeed a sad fact in Australia domestic violence is happening all too frequently, and hand in hand with this violence comes financial abuse that in most situations land poorly on women. From financial hardship, loss of assets, access to housing and ongoing support, we discuss wit...

George Haramis, CEO and founder of moneyGPS joins us this week to parse the difference between fintech, roboadvice and AI.  And while you might be thinking AI is going to solve the world's problems, that ain't necessarily so in the space of personal financial advice. Tune in to understand the key differences and why the human touch will continue to remain all important when thinking about...

The new financial year is upon us, and we're chatting with Natasha Panagis of the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia, resident subject matter expert on all matters Superannuation.  APRA super funds are out trying to educate their clients on what's in super including insurances, returns and contribution rules.  Are we really getting "qualified advisors", or more of the...

Paul Mather of FBT Solutions joins us again to continue our discussions about Fringe Benefits Tax and how Salary Packaging might impact your take home pay.  There are a number of considerations when including vehicles, meals, gym memberships, airport lounge memberships into a salary offering.  We also work out the difference between a meal being sustenance rather than entertainment.  Dollars &...

We welcome Paul Mather, principal of FBT Solutions to discuss Fringe Benefits Tax.  What is FBT, and how long has it been around?  What the common misconceptions surrounding FBT, avoidance and the dreaded Tax Office audit?  Paul is an industry expert of over 25 years experience and a member of the ATO consultative panel on FBT since 2005.  We discuss the basics as well as common mistakes small bus...

Andrew Inwood, CEO of Coredata is no stranger to data and statistics and today, we're teasing out some devil in the detail regarding a recent presentation about "looking for alpha", and what exactly means.  The wealth of information at Andrew's fingertips is worth a listen as we ponder the difference between alpha & beta investing, active & passive management, and where t...

Apologies for this week's Dad joke, but we have Katrina McPhee, Chief of Staff of Aware Super, Australia's 3rd largest super fund on the show to chat to us about super and performance.  The key is not focusing on the short game, that's the trick, your super is a long term play, whether you are 25, 45, 65 or 85 for that matter.  Kat is with us today to help educate all of us about the g...

Maria Nati, a recently trained new presenter on Radio Northern Beaches joins us this week on Dollars and Making Sense to discuss "Wellness & Finance".  Finding balance, and how the pursuit of wellness, as well as finance, should be done with passion and vigour.  We also discuss Maria's new radio show that is all about something, and nothing at the same time!  Jerry eat your heart...

What do crypto investors look like, and do they invest differently to the rest of the market?  What challenges does the Advice Industry face in trying to service this asset class?  This week we welcome Anna Vennonen, Research Consultant from Coredata to discuss some research conducted in the area of Cryptocurrency and how the Australian Advice Industry is or is not keeping pace with this fast evol...

We welcome back Glenn Butcher, CEO of FundWA to continue our discussions about Venture Capital.  This episode we focus on the sharp end of the process and start talking about Term Sheets, Pitch Events and how we get our money back - yes, Exit Strategies.  A valuable insight into how founders find investment capital, and how investors reap the benefits of being early adopters and keep faith in thei...

The bank of Mum & Dad is increasingly playing a major part of house purchases today, but many Centrelink payment recipients fail to appreciate the impact helping their kids out might have on the their pension payments.  Justin Bott from Services Australia visits us again to illuminate on this area that is still widely misunderstood.  Find out the difference between "gifting" and &quo...

We welcome back Justin Bott, Media Info Officer from Services Australia to chat about end of year obligations if you receive government payments.  Do you have to fill in a tax return?  What are the implications of not doing so?  Justin provides an excellent review and some great takeaways for those who are wondering if they need to fill in a tax return this year or not?  Dollars & 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...