In this episode, we explore the single most important — yet often overlooked — action that successful investors rely on: doing nothing. When markets become volatile and headlines stir fear, the instinct to react quickly can be hard to resist. But often, the smartest move is to stay calm and hold your ground. We’ll talk about why patience is one of the most powerful tools in your investing toolkit, how to manage the emotional rollercoaster that can come with market drops, and when it's actually t...
Jul 02, 2025•6 min
A significant portion of the work that we do for clients entails financial modelling to help understand what is possible. Frequently, we arrive at the conclusion that the person’s long term outlook is very secure, and indeed they likely have wealth in excess of requirements. Most commonly in this circumstance, people start to think about early inheritances, and perhaps spending a little bit more on lifestyle. But another path to be pursued, particularly for those without children, is to think ab...
Jun 18, 2025•6 min
Your home isn’t just where you live — it can also be a powerful asset in your long-term financial plan. In this episode, we look at how shifting your housing as your life changes can open up smart strategies to build wealth and strengthen your retirement outlook. From understanding how property values tend to hold up in Australia, to making the most of tax-free gains and superannuation opportunities, you’ll learn how to turn a necessary life transition into a financial win. If you're thinking ab...
Jun 04, 2025•8 min
This week, we're unpacking a real-world financial dilemma: one person's uneasy experience after being advised to move her super from a large industry fund into something she'd never heard of—a wrap account. So… what exactly is a wrap? And when (if ever) should you consider one for your superannuation or investments? Join me as I explain: What wrap accounts are and how they work The pros, cons, and costs compared to mainstream super funds When wraps make sense—and when they don’t How to spot pote...
May 21, 2025•8 min
It’s one of the most common retirement questions—how much super is enough? In this episode, we explore how to estimate your retirement needs based on lifestyle, spending habits, and travel plans. You'll walk away with practical tips to start shaping a retirement plan that actually fits you. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General advice disclaimer...
May 07, 2025•10 min
With interest rates starting to fall, is there an opportunity to utilise the equity in your home for investment purposes and accelerate your wealth creation? It's something we're certainly evaluating with several of our clients, so I thought I'd share with you today our current thinking. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General advice disclaimer...
Apr 22, 2025•8 min
When we head off on vacation we don't barrel off down the highway, pull up at some random point hours or days down the road, and camp out for the next fortnight. When we depart for our holiday, we know our destination. Clarity on the location of our holiday is essential so that we know what to pack, whether it's affordable, and whether we're likely to be happy when we get there. In a financial planning context, clarity as to your goals is the essential element for success. There are plenty of po...
Apr 08, 2025•6 min
In this episode, we dive into the debate between active vs. passive management, exploring the claims made by fund managers during a recent teleconference. Is 2025 the year active management finally outperforms passive investments? With decades of data suggesting otherwise, we break down why the odds of success for active managers may not be in their favor—and why sticking with passive investments could still be the smarter choice for most investors. Tune in for insights into market trends, risk ...
Mar 25, 2025•7 min
Wanting to get your head around tax within the superannuation system makes total sense. Our savings accumulate in this regime, however there are restrictions on how we can access the money, and for the vast majority of us, we are forced to save into this vehicle. How does a government manage to force people to save? Sure they can legislate, but in a democratic society, that won't produce a lasting impact. The population needs to be on side, and simply being told it's for your own good isn't goin...
Mar 11, 2025•8 min
Despite the current low rate of unemployment, there seems to be a mini wave of redundancies in the middle and senior ranks of many companies at present. Experiencing redundancy can be a significant blow to your confidence. However, it's crucial to recognise that redundancy is rarely a reflection of your performance, skills, or dedication. More often than not, it results from shifts in the industry, changes within the company, or simply the natural structure of the workforce. Organizations evolve...
Feb 25, 2025•9 min
With an awareness of the challenges of high house prices and resultant large mortgages, intergenerational wealth transfers - in the form of early inheritances - are happening more and more. So if you find yourself in the fortunate position of receiving an early inhertance, what are the smart moves to put you and your family on the path to financial security, and appropriately honour the hard work that went into the generation of the wealth? Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Adv...
Feb 11, 2025•7 min
Bitcoin has got a fresh wave of energy since Donald Trump's election win, and we've had quite a few questions from our clients. We are all susceptible to FOMO. Hopefully sharing these thoughts will help you decide what makes sense for you. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General advice disclaimer
Jan 28, 2025•7 min
Australia's superannuation system is undeniably complex, yet it plays a pivotal role in our financial lives. With compulsory contributions mandated by law, the system is designed to ensure that the age pension serves as a safety net for basic living expenses, rather than the primary source of retirement income. To achieve a comfortable retirement, understanding the mechanics of superannuation contributions is essential. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General advice disclaimer...
Jan 14, 2025•14 min
Stock market returns were phenomenal in 2024. But strong returns can plant the seed for an unexpected risk. This risk is known as recency bias. Holding an awareness of recency bias is the best way of ensuring you don’t fall victim to its draw, so this week, let’s take a look at this often overlooked risk factor. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer...
Dec 31, 2024•10 min
A few weeks back in the episode about the Superannuation Sweet Spot , I made reference to the transfer balance cap of $1.9 million. I've since had a few questions about how this operates, so this week I thought we'd dig into some extra detail on this particularly important piece of the superannuation rule book. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer...
Dec 17, 2024•8 min
The desire for passive income frequently comes up as a goal when I speak with new clients. The idea of earning money before we even get out of bed holds obvious appeal. So this week in the podcast, I thought I'd cover all there is to know about passive income. Where it can be sourced, how you can create it, some of the challenges and misconceptions, tax considerations, and some tips for success. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer...
Dec 03, 2024•10 min
In this episode we take a look at the most important concept in finance to understand - compounding. Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer
Nov 19, 2024•9 min
Consistent with most developed nations, Australia provides incentives for people to save for their retirement. Being self-sufficient in retirement reduces the need for Age pensions and other forms of Social Security. But saving for your retirement means sacrificing the here and now. Money socked away for your 70s and 80s, is money that you can't enjoy in your 20s and 30s. The opportunity cost is real, so the incentives need to be meaningful. Fortunately our superannuation system does indeed prov...
Nov 05, 2024•8 min
It's been a wonderful time to be an investor recently. As regular readers of our GainingCHOICE e-mail will know, the current one year numbers for the trio markets we track are all in double digits, with the US index over 30% up on the year, and the Australian and Emerging markets both up around 20%. So where to from here? Do such large gains over the past year mean we're destined for a fall? Or is this the early days of a new boom? General Advice Disclaimer...
Oct 23, 2024•9 min
There’s lots of risk when it comes to investing and building wealth. Inflation risk, market risk, timing risk, concentration risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, legislative risk, reinvestment risk, currency risk, leverage risk, and plenty more. Some risk we want to take – the ones that we can handle and will reward us with extra returns. Other risks provide no benefit to us and so should be avoided at all costs. Longevity risk, the topic of this week’s episode, falls into this second bucket, thou...
Oct 09, 2024•9 min
We all want to build wealth and have financial security, have choices in life. This week I wanted to explore the basic framework for how you can make that happen. Your home, your super, your investments, and the financial decisions that sit around those all play their part. General Advice warning Add yourself to the GainingCHOICE weekly email list...
Sep 25, 2024•12 min
Looking for a new What's Possible episode? What's Possible has now moved to its own channel. Links are below for the most common players, or just search What's Possible in your podcast app. Find What's Possible on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7beUaLlKeg7zlq6RlIObTp Find What's Possible on Apple here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-possible/id1766412250 We're having a lot of fun with the What's Possible project. Be sure to follow or subscribe to the What's Possible cha...
Sep 18, 2024•35 sec
This week's episode is inspired by the number one question we get asked by new clients - am i on track to retire? This week I take you through how we go about answering this question. What are the inputs required, and the key things for you to consider? For help, visit our website: www.guidancefs.com.au Disclaimer
Sep 11, 2024•8 min
Could you spend 9 months through winter down in Antarctica? This week I chatted with Matt Roberts who did exactly that with the Australian Antarctic division. He shares how he got this opportunity, the training required, and what life's like at the bottom of the world. What's Possible is moving to its own channel. Be sure to add it to your Follows/Subcriptions: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7beUaLlKeg7zlq6RlIObTp Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-possible/id1766412250...
Sep 04, 2024•47 min
Borrowing to invest he is unquestionably a frequent contributor to wealth accumulation. Few of us would buy a home without using a mortgage, and it is a rare business that is able to grow without some form of debt. Borrowing to invest in the stock market has many positive attributes. Shares can be sold quickly, enabling you to reduce or clear your debt at short notice were your circumstances to change. Transaction costs are low. And diversification is easily obtained. There are several ways in w...
Aug 28, 2024•9 min
Welcome back to the What's Possible podcast where we explore people who've lived interesting lives and consider what lessons we can draw to have the fullest, most fun life possible. In this episode, we dive into Hillary Clinton's journey and what she's achieved alongside that. What's Possible has now moved to its own channel. Links are below for the most common players, or just search What's Possible in your podcast app. Find What's Possible on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7beUaLl...
Aug 21, 2024•45 min
Having now rolled into a new financial year, you might have seen league tables floating around showing the best and worst super fund performers for the 2023/24 financial year. This year the large industry funds tended to lag their retail funds cousins. In this week's episode I wanted to explore why that had occurred, so you can determine whether you need to be taking any action. Subscribe to GainingCHOICE Disclaimer...
Aug 14, 2024•8 min
Welcome back to another episode of the What's Possible podcast where we examine the life of someone interesting and then discuss what we can learn from their story to help us live full and interesting lives. Subscribe to Crawford's new weekly email The Dash . Disclaimer What's Possible has now moved to its own channel. Links are below for the most common players, or just search What's Possible in your podcast app. Find What's Possible on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7beUaLlKeg7zlq...
Aug 07, 2024•57 min
What's going on with interest rates? At the beginning of the year there was near unanimous agreement that interest rates would fall at some point in 2024, probably in the back half of the year. Yet here in Australia at least, talk is of the potential need to lift interest rates. As it stands, interest rates are already at their highest level in over a decade, and we need to go back to 2008 to see a time where they were at these levels for a sustained period. This week I wanted to take a look at ...
Jul 31, 2024•9 min
Welcome to the What's Possible podcast, our dive into the people who inspire us, how they achieved what they did, and what lessons we can all draw so that we can live the most interesting and full lives possible. Let us know what you think by hitting "reply" to a GainingCHOICE email. Not receiving GainingCHOICE? Fix that here . What's Possible has now moved to its own channel. Links are below for the most common players, or just search What's Possible in your podcast app. Find What's Possible on...
Jul 24, 2024•59 min
