Dollars and Making Sense

Grant Hackett is a household name to those of us old enough to remember and relive the highlights of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.  Grant won gold in the 1500m swim there and in Athens in 2004.  Grant did some broadcast work later but ended up pursuing this passion in finance and is now CEO of Generation Life, a Melbourne based investment company.  Today we discuss tax aware investing, and what that m...

So much media hype recently surrounding a proposed $3m cap on Superannuation balances.  Natasha Panagis, resident expert on Super at IFPA joins us to work through at least 6 nasty elements of this proposed legislation, and what the ramifications potentially are.  While many might argue this is a "rich person's tax", yet we learn this will impact far more people than first thought, an...

"We're from the government and we're here to help" - Justin Bott from Services Australia (Centrelink) is welcomed back to explain the impact of pension income streams on the government aged pension.  Thankfully the policies are getting simpler to understand for those about to retire or on the cusp.  Justin explains there are a number of different options and things to consider, a...

Neville Birthisel, from IFPA joins me this week to discuss an insidious sharp edge to WFH (working from home) taxation rules.  Last time we spoke, the rate was coming down, and becoming more complex to administer, but Land Tax implications have all of a sudden have become front & centre because is certain States, the laws are positively draconian, while others get off scot free.  Join us as we...

Much was made during the last election about a Death Tax, and this week, we chat with Peter Bobbin again to ponder whether there are in place today (and it turns out for over 30 years now), de facto death taxes.  Always willing to be convinced with a logical argument, Peter's view is hard to disagree with - Capital Gains Tax and Superannuation have by design or unintended consequence, potentia...

Listed Investment Companies and Trusts Association.  Wow, what a mouth full, but Ian Irvine, CEO of LICAT comes on board this week to help explain what this non-profit organisation is all about.  Investors of all types across many asset classes will want to find out more about LICAT and their members.  Ian's explanation will provide an excellent introduction, and as always, we're about fin...

Peter Bobbin is a lawyer and accountant with extensive experience over many years, and we recently crossed paths at the Australian Shareholders Association.  Peter's estate planning Master Class is well known in ASA circles and today, we're going to start looking at some of the excellent content that he covers, and in doing so, let's discover first off, what the five important document...

We welcome back Philippa Hunt from Wise Girls Money to discuss a rather concerning trend in relationships in Australia post-pandemic.  Divorces are trending upwards, there are more and more isolated divorcees who after surviving the stress and trauma of marriage breakdown, then have to deal with the financial ramifications.  And to make things worse, we're enduring interest rate hikes and cost...

Services Australia is a government agency better known by many as Centrelink (as well as other groups too).  This week, Community Officer, Justin Bott joins Dollars and Making Sense to discuss the latest changes in the Aged Pension, the assets and income test that now apply to the Aged Pension, and the fact that you now have to be 67 years old to retire and qualify for this payment.  Justin is wel...

We welcome back to the microphone, Peter Johnstone, Executive Director of the Association Independently Owned Financial Professionals to discuss how to select a Financial Adviser.  Given the adviser population has reduced from over 30,000 some 5 years we have less than 16,000 now, and that number is dropping.  We discuss why this has happened and what's changing in the advice industry.  Still...

We recently interviewed Ben Simpson from Collective Shift at the IFPA conference, and this topic was so compelling, we had to have him back on the show for a full interview.  Today we cover of the basics of what crypto and Bitcoin is all above.  We also love free, so we're handing out a lot of free information and education that you'll be able to learn about this interesting yet still new...

Philippa Hunt from Wise Girls Money Academy joins us to discuss women's financial literacy, and see gents ... there are some not so subtle differences. Man or woman, join us to learn something about finance, and making your dollars work harder for you. @FMRNB @Radio Northern Beaches 

From Super Guarantees to pension age, pension drawdowns and home loan scheme eligibility, there are a raft of changes that have come in from 1 July 2023.  Today, Ray Trevisan will present and discuss this list of major changes, its impact, and also provide some food for thought.  Do you agree with him or not?  Let us know, we're always happy for a vibrant discussion here on Dollars & Makin...

When a large membership of tax agents and accountants gather, we're sure to have some great content to discuss and ponder for thought. This episode we grab some excerpts and post presentation interviews with some of the presenters on the day of the IFPA (www.ifpa.com.au) conference held in Melbourne in 2023. Topics include succession planning, Crypto currency, mental health, compliance & r...

The Australian Shareholders Association represents the interests of retail investors, however did you know they also provide valuable advice on how to vote your shares at a company AGM, and can also proxy on your behalf!  Today we chat with Steven Mabb, Chair at the ASA about this valuable service provided by this not-for-profit advocacy group, and how it might be of value to investors, large and...

We chat with Fiona Balzer, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Australian Shareholders Association, a ground roots not-for-profit organisation that has been representing the interests of retail shareholders for over 60 years now.  Fiona's area of expertise focuses on ESG (environment, social & governance) policy, as well as ASA Advocacy Manager who works with everyday shareholders in listen...

This week Scotty North from Real Property Advice gives us the "good oil" on why engaging a buyer's agent will help you buy your family home or investment property.  The benefits could potentially outweigh the initial costs by quite some.  Scotty has extensive experience in the field and during our show he explains how buyers agents operate and save.

Contesting a Will You believe you're entitled to a share of some's estate, and yet you're in the dark or worse still, you're not in the will at all.  What do you next?  We chat with our visiting expert on all matters Estate Planning, Jonathan Elcombe from ElGen Estate Services to work through a myriad of situations, some awkward, some easy on what to do if you're going to conte...

You're the executor of a will and the funeral arrangements are now sitting in your lap.  What's next?  We meet Scott Duncombe from Sydney Funerals to discuss what you need to do, how you work through some tangled discussions around coffins, arrangements, music, a funeral director, caskets and everything in between.  Tune in to find out Scott's key message, and yes we talk about cost as...

Being an Executor of a Will You've been asked to be an executor for someone's last will & testament.  What does that mean, and what do I have to do?  Jonathan Elcombe, specialist from Elgen Estate Planning talks through the myriad of responsibilities that face an executor, before and after someone dies.  Departing the mortal coil is not that simple for those left behind, and this show...

Temporary Full Expensing TFE is a great way for businesses (up to $5bn turnover!) to be able to fully expense their company purchases.  Josh McMullen from IFPA joins us to work our way through this simplified and very generous way to write-off / depreciate assets that you use in your business, and understand the pros and cons.  There are rules to heed, and they are constantly changing, so tune in...

Conscious competence - called the "learning stage", but are you aware of your competence level when trading shares?  Louise Bedford from Trading Game joins us this week to talk about trading with confidence and competence. Unconscious competence when you're a "master", but may in fact be unconscious incompetence. When an individual is unaware of their lack of skill or knowl...

Company expenses getting mixed up with your personal expenses, sound familiar? The traps of doing so and the penalties for not correctly accounting is one of the long standing matters the Tax Office has issue with company directors, in particular Mum & Dad operators and tradies. Let's do a deep dive with tax expert David Jonavicious from IFPA. Dollars & Making Sense, a weekly show abou...

Frank Drenth, tax expert has a deep understanding of Family Trusts, and given there are close to 800k of them handling almost $3T, this is worth finding out more. Listen in to find out the latest in the ATO rulings and what to be looking out for. Dollars & Making Sense, a weekly show about money, finance & investing, with your host Ray Trevisan from OTG Capital and special guests.  Broadca...

Simon Madden, 389 games at all Essendon and one of the legends of AFL who now travels the country talking to people about being better humans. Be the best you can, and in so we discuss what it means to be a man, particularly when looking at societal expectations surrounding money management and being the "bread winner". Dollars & Making Sense, a weekly show about money, finance &...