Money & a Good Life

Estate planning is one of those things we all know we should do… but many of us keep putting it off. The problem? When estate planning goes wrong, the consequences can be deeply personal. Families stop speaking. Loved ones are left to make difficult decisions without guidance. Vulnerable people can be left unprotected. And disputes that could have been avoided end up costing families emotionally a...

We all like to think life follows a bit of a plan. You build something over time. You find your rhythm. You get comfortable with where things are heading. And then, sometimes, life shifts. Not always in a dramatic way, but enough to make you rethink what comes next.  In this episode, Mike Larkan shares the story behind a life that’s been anything but linear. From decades in television to building...

When you think of a private investigator, you probably picture stakeouts, disguises and scenes straight out of a crime drama. The reality is far less glamorous, and far more interesting. In this episode of Money and a Good Life , we sit down with Richard James, Director and Principal Investigator of RIVICA Investigations & Covert Solutions. With more than 30 years of experience across UK law e...

For most people, the one thing they worry about in retirement is money. Have I saved enough? Can I afford to stop working? When can I access my super? But what if that's the wrong place to start? In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Brad Fox Managing Director of Smart Brave Consulting, Chairman of Tribeca Financial, and one of the most respected voices in...

Have you ever noticed that you can do everything right with money but still feel like you're getting nowhere? You do the budgets. You save. You try to be disciplined. And yet, somehow, it still feels hard. Like you're second-guessing yourself. So what's going on? In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan welcome back Bec Allan—money coach and mortgage broker who wo...

Early retirement sounds like the dream. No alarm clock. No commute. No bosses. But for some people, it also feels out of reach. And even if you could retire early, would you actually know what to do with your time? Because it turns out, stopping work is the easy part. Figuring out how to live well without it, that's where things get interesting. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , St...

We all like to think we're rational when it comes to our finances. But the truth is, most of our money decisions are driven by emotion, family history, and psychology. So does that mean we're trapped by our brains? Forced to make illogical decisions from now until eternity? Not necessarily. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Evan Lucas, behavioural...

Today we're revisiting a topic that's greatly improved lives, including Steph's. It's probably the easiest change you can make to your finances with the greatest impact: cashflow. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan bring back Matt Rea to go through the fundamentals of cashflow and dig a little deeper into how it actually works in practice. If you'v...

For a lot of people, working with a financial adviser feels intimidating. Do I need advice? Am I "bad with money"? What actually happens? In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Rachael Holder Tribeca Adviser with psychology training and behavioural finance expertise to demystify the process. Rachael walks through the first three months of working with a...

Midlife is supposed to be the time when things settle down. The kids grow up, careers feel stable, and life gets a little simpler. Right? Well, that's not always how it plays out. Careers shift, marriages strain, parents age, health changes, and suddenly you're rewriting the script entirely. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Kate Halfpenny — column...

Most people think that working in finance means having your money life sorted. But today's guest proves that even the experts aren't immune to burnout, financial stress, and major setbacks. For more than 20 years, Bec Allan built a career inside Australia's major banks. She climbed the ranks, built a reputation, and did everything "right." But behind the scenes, she was ex...

Banking and global markets can sound distant, sometimes even irrelevant. But the reality is, bonds, interest rates and currencies shape almost everything in your day-to-day life. Your mortgage, your super, your cost of living, even airfares. In this episode of Money and a Good Life , we’re joined by Anthony Kritikides, Managing Director and Global Head of Institutional Sales at CBA Global Markets....

Sometimes Millennials get a bad wrap for how they manage their money. The narrative has been that they don't save and they'd rather spend on travel or avocado toast than build wealth. But is that really true? In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Jake Boulter, Senior Adviser at Tribeca and a Millennial who grew up in a family spanning four generations,...

How do we make sure young people are leaving school ready to face the real world, not just academically, but financially as well? Because right now, the stats aren't great. Nearly half of all Australian adults are considered financially illiterate. But when it comes to young people? Things look even more concerning. Only 28% of teenage boys and just 15% of teenage girls demonstrate essential...

For a lot of people, retirement is a big financial unknown.  Do I have enough super? Am I doing enough? Am I too late? What if I get there and hate it?  In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with James Wrigley, Melbourne based financial advisor, part-owner of First Financial, and author of Retire Life Ready , to talk about building wealth, shaping a retirement that a...

When a relationship ends, dividing up the finances can be one of the most stressful and confusing parts of the process.  Who owns what? What's been disclosed? What's being hidden? And what happens when something just doesn't feel right?  In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Julie Garis, founder of Simple Split Financials and forensic accountant w...

When you think about financial advice, what comes to mind? Numbers? Spreadsheets? Maybe superannuation or investments? But the best financial advice goes way beyond the money. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Sean Birch - Financial Adviser & Director, former accountant, and someone who understands that financial planning is really about people, family,...

Have you ever felt stuck in your career? Like you're meant for something more but unsure how to make the leap? Or maybe you've tried to pivot before, only to end up right back where you started, frustrated and unfulfilled. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Natalie Tran, Business and Career Transition Coach and founder of Transition With Purpose to...

A lot of people start a business to create more freedom. More time, more flexibility, and more money. But instead, they end up overworked, underpaid, and overwhelmed. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Betsy Westcott—financial wellness coach, keynote speaker, and media regular—to talk about how to actually become the boss of your business instead of feeling l...

If your money situation is making you feel hopeless, this episode is for you. In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Mel Browne—bestselling author, financial educator, and someone who knows exactly what it's like to hit financial rock bottom and come out the other side. In her 30s, after a divorce, Mel had nothing. No rental bond. No money for wages. No busi...

In this episode of Money and a Good Life , hosts Stephanie Coombes and Ryan Watson sit down with author, educator, and advocate Tammy Casselson to talk about her lived experience of financial abuse.  From the outside, Tammy’s relationship looked perfect. But behind closed doors, she endured years of coercive control, including financial abuse that left her and her children facing homelessness.  Ta...

How often do you catch yourself saying, “I’ll do that one day” ?  One day you’ll travel. One day you’ll make time for yourself. One day you’ll chase the dream you’ve been putting off.  But what if one day never comes?  In this episode of Money and a Good Life , we’re joined by Kate Christie — time management specialist, bestselling author, and creator of The Life List . After losing her children’s...

Most of us don’t want to think about what happens if we lose a partner. It’s uncomfortable. It feels far away. But Lahra Carey’s story shows why it’s a conversation we can’t afford to avoid.  In this episode of Money & a Good Life , Steph and Ryan sit down with Lahra - entrepreneur, media strategist, and crisis expert to talk about the sudden death of her husband, Ben, and the financial mess t...

Private school can offer great opportunities... but it also comes with a steep price tag. Do you ever wonder how families afford it? In this episode, we investigate the real costs of private education and how to manage them. Whether you're already paying private school fees or just starting to think about your children's future education, this conversation will help you get your head aro...

The truth is, for a lot of couples, money is one of those conversations people try to avoid. But here's the thing - that's not a great idea. You should be talking about money, how you manage it, and yes, even what happens if you break up.  In this episode of Money & a Good Life, Steph and Ryan sit down with Rob Devlin, Head of Advice and Partner at Tribeca Financial, to tackle one of...