SugarMamma’s Fireplay

How Much Does It Really Cost to Own a Dog? Thinking about getting a dog? Before you fall in love with the puppy, it is worth falling in love with the numbers first. In this episode of Start Here , I answer a listener question about how much you should realistically budget before bringing a dog into your family. As the very proud owner of three Labradors — Pablo, Tulip and Peppi — I kno...

The Mortgage Borrowing Trap That Could Leave You Stuck Property investors are constantly looking for ways to grow their portfolios, improve borrowing capacity and structure their investments more effectively. But what happens when a strategy designed to help you borrow more ends up leaving you with more debt than you can comfortably manage — and fewer lenders willing to refinance you? In thi...

How to Get Closer to Financial Freedom: Your Next 1% So, you know your Freedom Score. You’ve worked out your Mindful Money Number. Now comes the most important question: How do you actually move the number? In Part Two of this Start Here series, Canna turns the idea of financial freedom into a practical roadmap you can start following from wherever you are today. And you don’t need tho...

Podcast Notes Where Real Financial Confidence Comes From Do you ever feel like you're constantly searching for certainty when it comes to your money? Whether it's predictions about the stock market, property prices, interest rates or even AI-generated financial advice, we're surrounded by people claiming they know exactly what comes next. But what if real financial confidence has nothing to do wit...

How Close Are You to Financial Freedom? Calculate Your Freedom Score What if you could actually put a number on your financial freedom — and see exactly how far you’ve already travelled towards it? In this episode of Start Here, Canna explores the Freedom Score : a simple way to measure how much of your current lifestyle could theoretically be funded by the passive income your investme...

Build Financial Independence From Your First Paycheck Graduating and starting your first full-time job is one of the biggest financial milestones of your life. What you do with your very first paycheck can shape your financial future for decades to come. In this podcast episode, I'm sharing the five financial foundations I put in place early in my own journey—habits that helped me build fina...

My Mother-In-Law Will Gamble Away Their Retirement. What Can We Do? | How To Protect Ageing Parents From Financial Harm What do you do when someone you love is about to receive a life-changing inheritance... but you're genuinely worried it could disappear? In this episode of Start Here , I answer one of the most heartbreaking questions I've ever received. A listener shares her fears that her in-la...

Refinancing Your Mortgage: How to Save Money Without Starting Again If you have a mortgage, when was the last time you actually checked whether it was still working for you? In this episode of SugarMamma’s Fireplay , I sit down with mortgage broker Adam McCabe from Long Game Financial (previously Blue Lantern)  to unpack refinancing — what it actually means, when it may be worth c...

If you keep creating a budget only to blow it, dip into your savings or run out of money before payday, this episode is for you. Because sticking to a budget isn't necessarily about having more discipline. Often, you simply need a better system. In this Start Here episode, Canna answers one of the most common budgeting frustrations: "I genuinely want to be better with money, but no matter how hard...

The Biggest ETF Investing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them) Think you've built a great ETF portfolio? Before you invest another dollar, make sure you're not making one of these common mistakes. In this episode of SugarMamma's Fireplay , Canna Campbell shares the biggest ETF investing mistakes she has seen over more than 20 years as a financial adviser—and, more importantly, exactly what to do...

What happens when you reach 65 and your finances don't look anything like the retirement plan you thought you'd have? Today's Start Here question comes from a 65-year-old woman who is single, still working FIFO and still has a mortgage. After attempting retirement at 60, she discovered that the lifestyle she'd imagined left her feeling isolated — and she spent a significant amount of her sup...

How To Build Your First ETF Portfolio (Step by Step) You’ve saved the money. You’ve opened the share trading account. Now comes the big question… which ETF do you actually buy? With hundreds of ETFs to choose from, getting started can quickly become overwhelming. Australian shares, international shares, high-growth funds, dividend ETFs, sector ETFs, bonds—the choices are e...

With so many skincare products, ingredients and promises competing for our attention, how do we know what is actually worth investing in? In this special episode of  SugarMamma’s Fireplay , proudly partnered with  La Roche-Posay , Canna sits down with leading dermatologist  Dr Shreya Andric  to cut through the noise and unpack the science of skin longevity, ageing and the...

Feeling overwhelmed by money? You're not alone. If you've ever thought: "I know I should be doing something... I just don't know where to start." This episode is for you. Today I'm joined by my co-host, Michael Thompson , to talk honestly about what it was really like before he took control of his finances. We unpack the fear, confusion and overwhelm that kept him stuck, the moment he realised pro...

5 Things We Won’t Be Doing After the Federal Budget Whenever a Federal Budget is handed down, the headlines start flying. New taxes. Superannuation changes. Property rules. Cost-of-living measures. Winners. Losers. And while it is important to understand changes that may affect your finances, I don't believe we should allow every new announcement to completely derail a well-thought-out finan...

My House Is Worth Less Than I Paid. What Should I Do? Buying your first home is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make. So, when headlines start warning about falling house prices , negative equity , and first-home buyers being "trapped", it's completely understandable to feel anxious. But does negative equity automatically mean financial disaster? In this episode of Start Here ,...

Could Missing This Property Valuation Cost You Thousands in Tax? There’s a major capital gains tax (CGT) change coming for Australian property investors—and surprisingly, very few people are talking about it. If you own an investment property, 30 June 2027 could become one of the most important dates in your financial calendar. In this episode, I explain why obtaining a professional pr...

Has the Bank of Mum and Dad closed its doors? After appearing on the Today Show to discuss a new report showing fewer parents are helping their children into the property market, I knew this was a conversation we needed to have. This isn’t based on a listener question. Instead, it’s inspired by the growing uncertainty many Australian families are feeling right now. If you’ve ever...

Makeup Over 40: What’s Worth Your Money & What’s Not Self-care is worth investing in — but wasting money on beauty products isn’t. In this episode of SugarMamma’s FIREPLAY, Canna sits down with celebrity makeup artist Mia to talk about beauty, money and how our makeup needs can change after 40. As our skin changes through our 40s, perimenopause and beyond, the pro...

What happens when you’ve worked your whole life to pay off your home… but you’re struggling to afford retirement? More Australians are finding themselves asset rich but cash poor. Their home may be worth over $1 million, but rising living costs, healthcare expenses and longer life expectancies are putting pressure on retirement savings. One option that is becoming increasingly p...

How to Make Your Super Last in Retirement: 8 Costly Mistakes to Avoid Retirement isn't just about reaching a magic superannuation number. It's about making sure your money lasts for the lifestyle you want to live. After more than 20 years as a financial planner, I've seen that many Australians focus on the obvious retirement risks—like market crashes or inflation—but often overlook the...

Should You Sell Your Car to Pay Off Your Mortgage? Episode Description Would selling your car save you thousands of dollars... or could it actually be the wrong financial move? In this episode of Start Here , Canna answers a listener's question about whether selling a $50,000 Toyota Hilux to put an extra $25,000 onto their mortgage is the smartest way to get ahead financially. The numbers are surp...

Buying property is one of the biggest financial decisions most Australians will ever make. But many buyers don’t realise: property sales are highly emotional negotiations are psychological pressure tactics are common buyers can unintentionally reveal too much information This episode is NOT about attacking real estate agents. Important framing: many agents are professional and ethical sellin...

Is It Okay to Slow Down? Building Wealth Without Burning Out Have you ever wondered whether taking your foot off the accelerator could actually be one of the smartest financial decisions you make? We're constantly told to earn more, save more, invest more and keep pushing for the next financial milestone. But what happens when life, your health or your family needs something different from you? In...

How She Paid Off Even More of Her Mortgage (An Inspiring Debt-Free Update) A few years ago, Laura from The Savvy Mam   https://www.instagram.com/thesavvymam/  joined me on Fireplay to share how she and her husband paid an incredible $316,500 off their mortgage in just four and a half years . It quickly became one of our most inspiring conversations, proving that you don't need a huge inc...