The Numbers Game

Rents are up in every Australian capital city, putting strain on a lot of weekly budgets, and with rates on the rise, plenty of would-be buyers are holding off. Today Nick works through why the rental shortage isn't getting fixed, and why higher rents and softer prices could soon bring investors back into the market, making this quiet stretch worth paying attention to if you're thinking of buying....

Today we're celebrating 300 episodes of the podcast in style on the rooftop of Inovayt HQ. We're looking back at how much has changed since we started in 2021, from interest rates to property prices and investments. We also get into our favourite episodes and biggest flops, and throw out a few predictions on what we think will happen by episode 400. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (01:0...

Cash flow's getting tighter, clients are paying later, and the bills aren't waiting. If that sounds like your business, you're not alone. Right now plenty of profitable Aussie businesses are running short on cash as rule changes and ATO pressure start to bite. Today Jase takes us through why good businesses are struggling and how much cash you should actually have in the bank to make sure yours is...

The Aussie property market is slowing, and most of us are wondering what happens next. New Zealand's already been through this same cycle, so we've had a real preview of how it plays out. They hiked rates before us. Their property fell before ours. Almost five years on, prices are still 15% below peak. Today Nick takes us through what actually happened across the ditch and what it means for anyone...

When you donate $100 to charity, how much actually reaches the person it's meant to help? Turns out there's no law that says any of it has to. Some big Aussie charities get 82 cents on the dollar through to beneficiaries. Others get 6 cents. Today Jase takes us through Australia's $239 billion charity sector and how to actually give in a way that makes it there. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00...

I'm sure you've heard the saying that property doubles every 7 to 10 years. It's been the retirement plan for a generation. But 25 years of data doesn't quite back up the myth. Today Nick takes us through what the real numbers look like on property returns and, with the market slowing in Australia, what to expect if property is your wealth-building plan.  On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro...

Business closures and director penalty notices are hitting record highs across Australia. If you've missed a BAS lodgement or you're dreading a red letter from the ATO, you're not alone. Jase deals with this every week at Future Advisory. Today he covers what a Director Penalty Notice actually means, the rescue options like a Small Business Restructure that most owners don't know exist, and the on...

Most people try to work out how much they need to retire before they've worked out what they actually want retirement to look like. It's no wonder, when you're constantly hearing you need $2 million or some other massive number to retire. For a lot of Aussies, that turns retirement into something they'd rather not think about. Today Nick walks through how to work out what enough actually looks lik...

If you run a company, the money in it might feel like yours, but the ATO doesn't always see it that way. Just ask the plumber who took a million out of his business, missed one piece of paperwork, and lost $470,000 to tax. Today we walk through what he did, the rule that caught him out, and what every business owner needs to know before touching company money. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00)...

Every parent wants to give their kid a head start, but most don't realise one of the best ways to do it is inside superannuation. Today we're looking at a strategy that turns small yearly contributions into hundreds of thousands for your child by the time they retire, using rules the government has quietly left on the table. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00:47) Two Super Strategies M...

Every pay rise feels smaller than it should. That's because when your income goes up but the tax brackets don't move, you quietly pay more tax at higher rates. It's called bracket creep, and it's why your pay never quite catches up. Today we run through what your pay rise is really worth after tax, and the one change every other developed country makes that Australia doesn't. On this episode, we d...

The doom and gloom online is loud, but what never changes is young people wanting to get ahead. Today we're looking back on the choices we made in our 20s to see what we would do differently now.  On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (01:00) What We'd Change at 25 Again (01:43) The One Property Choice Nick Would Undo (04:54) Why We Wasted Every Paycheck at 15 (06:23) How Jase Lost on Hills H...

1.3 million Aussie small businesses are owned by baby boomers, and in the next few years we’ll see the biggest handover of small business ownership in a generation. For anyone thinking of starting one, today's ep looks at what it means to buy an existing business rather than build from scratch. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00:24) 1.3 Million Aussie Businesses Owned by Boomers (00:52...

Nothing on the news feels like good news. Wages under pressure, taxes up, housing broken. But there's another story if you go looking for it. Today we lay out the bullish case for Australia in 2026: why we're still the third-richest country per household, and the business, property and tech plays going for anyone paying attention. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (01:20) Voice Note From...

Is there a case to ditch super in Australia? A clip doing the rounds by Senator Gerard Rennick says yes, and it turns out the argument is stronger than most people would think. Nick walks through why it stacks up on paper but breaks down in reality, from the fund returns and tax breaks people would give up, to what actually happens to money the second it lands in their pocket. On this episode, we...

Pokemon cards are being treated as a serious investment by some Aussies right now, with collectors sitting on multi-million dollar portfolios. But do the numbers actually stack up as a solid investment? Jase has run the comparison of investing $10k in a vintage Pokemon collection against the ASX, gold and Bitcoin over the last 25 years. On this episode, we discuss:  (00:00) Intro (02:26) A Living...

There's a resurgence of Aussies buying commercial property in Self-managed Super Funds. Nick's found a real-world example of a commercial shed in regional Victoria that could generate $133K a year, and he breaks down the numbers of what this would look like as an investment in 2026. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (02:45) Inside The SMSF Resurgence (03:33) When Property Income Falls Sho...

1 July might be the most expensive day in Australian small business history. Jase has done the maths on a 10-person business and the cost is around $50,000 extra a year on the basics alone. If you're employing people in Australia, this is hitting you now, and he's mapped out a game plan to tackle it. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00:26) The Most Expensive Day In Small Business Histor...

The 2026 Budget was pitched as a fix for intergenerational unfairness. Nick's fired up and reckons none of it adds up, especially if you're a young Australian trying to get ahead. But you can't just criticise without bringing a solution, and he's got a few of his own. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (01:17) The 2026 Budget's Reform Pitch and Where It Misses Young Australians (02:29) Bra...

Australians waste $1.9 billion a year on gift cards they never use, and there's a whole business model built around hoping you don't show up. If your business sells gift cards, there's a good chance the accounting is wrong. It's one of the most common mistakes Jase sees with his clients, and this episode gets into how the accounting should actually work so you're not paying tax before you need to....

Over 9,000 Australian jobs have gone to AI this year and we're now second in the world for tech displacement. Nick reckons you don't need to be a tech expert to stay relevant. Your existing skills transfer to roles AI can't replace, you just need to know which ones and where. He's put together a 6-step playbook that walks you through assessing your own exposure, identifying what transfers, and mak...

Victoria's $199 billion in debt, and if you're running a small business in this state, you're the one wearing it. Taxes keep climbing, businesses are going under at record rates, and the COVID levy that was sold as temporary isn't going anywhere. Jase has done the numbers on where the money went and what it means for Victorian business owners heading into end of financial year. On this episode, we...

The bank of mum and dad is now Australia's fifth largest lender, with $35 billion a year flowing from parents to kids trying to get into property. Most of it completely undocumented and with no plan for how it comes back. Nick's seen it go wrong firsthand, and this is what both sides need to hear before any money changes hands. On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00:42) Australia's 5th Lar...

The ATO is rolling out an automatic $1,000 tax deduction for millions of Australians, and it sounds like free money until you understand how deductions actually work. Jase has run the maths on what that $1,000 really puts back in your pocket at every tax bracket. Is this just another nice sell from the government, or is the box actually worth ticking? On this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00...

The five-day work week hasn't changed since Henry Ford introduced it in 1926, and Nick reckons AI might be the thing that finally ends it. Thanks to AI productivity gains in service businesses are already real, and the question isn't whether people can get five days of work done in four, it's whether business owners will pass that time back or just pocket the margin. Do you think a four-day week c...