My guest today is Matt Ridley, a British science writer, journalist and businessman who holds a PhD from Oxford in Biology. He’s worked for many famous publications such as The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and The Times (London). Matt is probably best known within the FIRE community for his award-winning book, The Rational Optimist, published in 2010. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read that offers a counterpoint to the prevailing pessimism of our age and proves, however much some...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr 15 min
In this episode we’re not talking about money or investing but rather touching on the sustainable side of the FIRE movement. Today my guest is Anthony Broese van Groenou, a sustainability expert, environmental scientist, PhD researcher and the co-founder of the Good Car Co. This company's goal is to accelerate the uptake of Electric Vehicles in Australia by offering second-hand EVs at an affordable price. Some of the topics we cover are: Who is Anthony Broese van Groenou and what is the sto...
Jul 21, 2022•56 min
Today I’ve invited Terry Waugh back on podcast to talk about a topic that’s very popular in the Aussie FIRE community. I recently published an article about how we (Mrs Firebug & I) are Debt Recycling and have received a lot of questions from the community about the details of how it all works. Terry is one of the most knowledgeable people I know on this topic and he has kindly agreed to join me to answer as many questions as we have time for. Some of the topics we cover are: What is Debt Re...
Jul 14, 2022•58 min
This episode is a follow up on my previous conversation with Vijay Boyapati about Bitcoin . Today Mark Monfort joins me to talk about other Crypto currencies, Web3 and DeFi. Mark has worn many hats in his career working as an equities and macroeconomic analyst in Melbourne and London and also spent time in sales at the ASX. Mark is a TradFi native turned DeFi convert and is passionate about building communities in Web3. Some of the topics we cover are: How did Mark get involved with Crypto? (07:...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Today I have Bill Perkins on the podcast who is the author of the very popular book titled “Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life.” The book challenges a few core FIRE beliefs and has definitely had an impact on the way I’m modelling for my retirement. Some of the topics we cover are: Who is Bill Perkins and what is he all about? (06:20) Why Bill wrote “Die with Zero” (07:42) The value of experiences fluctuating throughout life (12:05) Memory dividends (28:30) What abo...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Today’s episode is a summary of my blog post titled “ASIC Crush Independent Content Creators & the End of Ask Firebug Fridays”. The new ASIC guidelines have major implications for content creators in the FIRE and personal finance communities. This is why I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions on these new guidelines and what they mean for AFB moving forward. www.aussiefirebug.com/asic-crush-creators
Jun 23, 2022•25 min
I have a really fun podcast for you guys today. It’s been 5 years since she was on, but I’ve finally managed to get Mrs Firebug back on the podcast. Sometimes it’s nice just to stop, turn around and look back at how far you’ve come. I thought it would be cool to get a life update from her perspective and just a general chit chat about her experience dropping down to working only 4 days a week. Some of the topics we cover include: Knowing what we know now, what would we have done differently if w...
Apr 14, 2022•48 min
Today’s episode is a summary of my “We Bought Bitcoin” article which is all about why we have decided to buy Bitcoin and how Bitcoin plays a part in our financial independence strategy. Some of the topics I cover are: Post-crash and General Feelings (04:51) Down the Rabbit Hole (06:46) Risk Verse Reward (10:03) End Goal (12:22) But Why? (14:00) Conclusion (17:12) Links podcast - Vijay Boyapati - The Bullish Case for Bitcoin podcast - Decoding Crypto www.aussiefirebug.com/we-bought-bitcoin...
Apr 07, 2022•19 min
My guest today is John Pidgeon. John is probably known best as the co-host of the very popular podcast, ‘My Millennial Property’ and has been investing in real estate for over 20 years. I had so much fun with this episode because John and I bounce around all different topics and we even get some footy chit chat in there as well. Some of the topics we cover are: How John got involved with property investing (12:27) Bringing up children in a money-conscious household (15:00) Private vs public scho...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Today I’m chatting with Terry & Ryan from the Passive Income Project podcast. I’ve been listening to their show for a few years now and what I really like is their emphasis on the psychology of investing and money. They’ve recently gone deep into the world of crypto in their latest podcast series called “Decoding Crypto”. Some of the topics we cover are: Is the financial planning industry coming to a crossroads? (00:11:08) Is there a consensus among financial planners about what needs to hap...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 22 min
My special guest today is one of the very first personal finance bloggers that I can remember. It’s J. MONEY from the 2012 Blogger of the Year awards “Budget Are Sexy”. J. managed to become a millionaire in roughly 10 years and has blogged throughout the journey posting his net worth each month which definitely inspired me to start something similar in Australia back in 2015. Some of the topics we cover are: J.’s experience of buying a house in 2007 and what the fall out of the GFC was like as a...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 11 min
My guest today is Scott Phillips - a Sydney based investor with over 20 years experience. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma of Accounting but is most famous for his role as Chief Investment Officer of The Motley Fool Australia. This is a monster episode where we dive deep into many different areas of investing. Some of the topics we cover are: Where does it all begin with Scott Phillips and finance? (00:05:10) How and when did Scott start investing? (00:14:31) What does S...
Feb 10, 2022•2 hr 39 min
I’m kicking off the new year with a little refresher and a summary of a new article called “10 Lessons I've Learned from 10 Years Pursuing Financial Independence”. Check it out! 1. The ultimate goal is to be happy. Never lose sight of this (03:50) 2. Find your why of FI (07:18) 3. Master behaviours, not spreadsheets (08:43) 4. Getting wealthy is simple. Don’t overthink it (14:38) 5. What’s measured is managed (19:07) 6. Income potential is often overlooked (23:43) 7. Compound interest takes...
Jan 27, 2022•53 min
Have you ever wondered how far your donations to charities really go? I know it feels good to donate and we should all consider giving away part of our wealth considering we Aussies are some of the wealthiest people on the planet, but I’m not sure many of us really go over with a fine-tooth and comb how the money is spent and how many people are affected with every dollar. Today I’m speaking with Luke Freeman, a former tech and marketing professional who had a desire to positively affect the liv...
Dec 16, 2021•47 min
Today I’m speaking with Julia Druery, a mum of two, living on the Gold Coast who was studying to become a financial advisor before a tragic event hit her family back in 2016. Julia’s husband Kent suffered from an acquired brain injury which left him with several permanent disabilities and no longer able to work. Thankfully Kent had various insurances in place before the injury which helped to relieve the financial pressure of this life changing event. Some of the topics we cover are: Julia share...
Dec 09, 2021•58 min
My guest today is fellow Aussie, Vijay Boyapati who is an Ex-Google engineer and the author of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin. Vijay’s book has been translated into over twenty different languages and is said to be one of the most read pieces of literature on Bitcoin. This is a monster episode and we go deep into so much more than just Bitcoin and the Blockchain. Some of the topics we get into include: Who is Vijay and what led him to start working for Google? (04:28) Vijay shares why he identifie...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Today I’m speaking with Chi Lam, an ex team-lead in the medical devices industry who lives in Sydney with his wife and 2 daughters. Chi was recently featured in an ABC Everyday article where he shared his story about how he quit his full-time job in his mid-thirties and redesigned his life so he could spend more time with his family. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Who is Chi and when did he start thinking about financial independence? (06:37) Chi shares the traumatic story of how...
Nov 18, 2021•49 min
It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome Ruth onto the show today. Ruth lives in New Zealand and is better known online as The Happy Saver. She has a very popular podcast and blog where she writes about managing money, living the good life and not working too hard. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Who is Ruth and why did she create The Happy Saver blog and podcast? (04:49) Ruth shares her personal money story and how she became interested in investing. (10:10) The important life lesson...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Today I’m speaking with Terry Waugh who you may know as Terry W from his online legal and tax tips. Terry is admitted as both a solicitor and barrister to the Supreme Court of NSW as well as the High Court of Australia and holds specialist qualifications as a Chartered Tax Adviser. He operates as a lawyer specialising in tax, estate planning, asset protection, and trusts for property and share investors. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: What structuring options do investors have wh...
Nov 04, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Today I’m speaking with Paul Benson from the Financial Autonomy podcast. Paul is a tertiary-educated financial planner with over 20 years of experience. We talk about the role of a financial planner and Paul gives us some real-life examples of how financial planners are able to assist us with our FIRE journeys. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: What exactly is a financial planner? Why do financial planners have a bad rep in the FIRE community? How much does a financial planner actua...
Oct 21, 2021•50 min
Today, I’m excited to have Bryce & Alec from the extremely popular Equity Mates podcast on the show. We chat about how Equity Mates was founded, Bryce and Alec's journey as investors and there’s even some footy talk as well. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: How long have Bryce & Alec been friends and what’s the story behind the Equity Mates Podcast? Bryce & Alec talk about how they were brought up and how each of them learnt about money and investing. How Alec lost...
Oct 14, 2021•59 min
My guest on the show today is Finn Peacock from SolarQuotes.com.au . Finn is an electrical engineer with a passion for renewable energy that led him to create a business dedicated to helping people bring solar energy into their homes. Finn started the SolarQuotes company in 2009 and is an expert on retail domestic solar systems and renewable energy. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Finn’s backstory and how he ended up getting involved with solar energy. What to think about if you’r...
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today I’m joined by Owen Raszkiewicz from the Australian Finance Podcast and the Australian Investors Podcast. Owen is the founder of Rask which is a financial and investment education company based in Melbourne. Prior to founding Rask, Owen was an investment analyst at the managed funds research business Zenith Investment Partners and a Writer/Analyst for The Motley Fool Australia. We touch on a lot of interesting topics in this pod but one area that I was really keen to pick his brain on is ac...
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today I’m chatting with Tina from moneyflamingo.com which is an Aussie FIRE blog that focuses on a very cool concept called Flamingo FI. Tina shares her incredible journey of how she and her partner went from being broke and clueless in their early 30s to happy semi-retirees just 5 years later. I’m sure the concept and strategy of Flamingo FI will be very interesting, applicable and relatable to a lot of people out there listening. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Where the name Mo...
Sep 16, 2021•57 min
Today I’m interviewing Ben, a 34-year-old husband & father hailing from South Australia who is well on his way to reaching financial independence. Ben reached out to me via my website and offered to share his personal experience with the NAB Equity Builder. This is a really popular financial product that often appears on financial forums so I thought it was a great opportunity to find out what it’s really like. We take a deep dive into the pros & cons of the NAB Equity Builder and how Be...
Sep 09, 2021•54 min
Today I’m joined by Ben, a sustainable living enthusiast from South Australia who lives completely off-grid with his wife and children. Ben's a member of the Aussie FIRE Discussion Facebook Group who posted about his self-sufficient home last year which really struck a chord with the community (it's still one of the most popular submissions to date). Ben has been kind enough to share his story of building an off-grid house and living sustainably in South Australia. Some of the topics i...
Aug 23, 2021•42 min
Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Kurt to the show. Kurt is the co-founder of the online brokerage company Pearler. We talk about Kurt's relationship with money, how and why Pearler was started and what it takes to get a fintech startup off the ground. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Kurt’s upbringing in an entrepreneurial family. His relationship with money/investing and his personal investing goal & strategy. The inspiration behind the creation of Pearler. The psycholog...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Today I’m chatting with Katy Winter who may be the very first Aussie FIRE blogger ever! Katy has an inspiring story of overcoming disadvantages and adversity to pursue financial independence as a parent in a household of 5 kids. Some of the topics in today’s episode include: Katy’s backstory and how the Wealthy Winters FIRE blog came about way back in 2014. Katy’s experience of suddenly losing her mum when she was 8 months pregnant with her second daughter. An unexpected inheritance and what she...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today I’m speaking with Glen James, a multi-award-winning financial advisor who is the creator and host of the very popular podcast, My Millennial Money. Glen’s a self-proclaimed ‘spender’ but was able to develop a process and system to manage his own money at an early age that ultimately lead him to financial success. He then went into helping others achieve their financial goals starting and selling multiple businesses along the way. Glen highlights some really interesting points about the FIR...
Mar 21, 2021•54 min
Today I’m chatting to Lacey Filipich, author of 'Money School' which is an Australian book about becoming financially independent reclaiming your life.Lacey resume is very impressive, she's an engineer, author and successful entrepreneur starting multiple companies who reached financial independence in her early 30s. Some of the topics in today's pod include: Lacey’s upbringing and her road to financial independence (0:02:12) Burning out at work (0:10:48) Lacey’s investment s...
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 20 min
