SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Online freelancing platforms can help you obtain freelancing work, or hire people to do tasks where you either lack the expertise or the time. In this interview, Sarah Tang from Freelancer.com shares the inside tips on how to get the most out of these hugely powerful tools.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY With technology changing our world so rapidly, the chances of us entering the paid workforce in one role, and that role then seeing us through until retirement 40+ years latter would seem quite remote. And even if this were possible, is it what you would really want? In this post we’re going to explore some key steps you could take to execute a successful career change....
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY EPISODE 100!!!! Thanks for joining us for another Financial Autonomy episode. We've got a bit of a change in the normal routine today, because today is Episode 100 and I don't want to pass through that milestone without doing something a little bit special. I've asked our Gaining Choice subscribers for their top Financial Autonomy questions. I've picked out five and in today's episode I'll take you throu...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Throughout most of human history, the only time you retired was when you died. Retirement as we now experience it is a reasonably recent phenomenon. It's an invention of the 20th century and it's worthwhile questioning whether it will continue through the 21st century, at least in the format we currently think of. When the retirement age of 65 was set, back in the early 1900’s, it was assumed you only ha...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY In this episode, we explore how the fantastic journey of Kim from being an employee to a self business starter The experiences and knowledge Kim shares in this episode: How he turned a small side business into his full-time gig. Planning and Preparedness is important in transitioning from employee to self-employed Seeking mentorship for guidance and feedback to fast track your way to success. Sales is th...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Writer David Rae, in a great article in Forbes magazine , identified the disconnect between the early retirement through extreme frugality crowd, and the mainstream of society who want to enjoy life without financial constraints. He identified 8 levels of financial freedom. A ladder that we progress along to gain more and more choice and freedom. Given this aligns so well with our Financial Autonomy miss...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY The starting point must be clarity around your goals. Most importantly, your goals determine your investment time frame. They also dictate whether your investment should have as a priority growth, or income. If your goal is having the option to retire in 15 years time, then you can invest in assets that experience high levels of volatility. You could also hold assets that are fairly illiquid – that is, n...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Freelancing offers flexibility. It’s a way to fit in the necessity of generating an income, with the other things you want to achieve in life. Recently I heard someone reflect on the standard 9 to 5 working day. It came about in the industrial era to align with day light hours. The factories had little or poor lighting, and so they needed the workers to be there during the hours when the natural light st...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY When it comes to gaining choice, there’s few more powerful enablers than increased skills. Financial Autonomy is about gaining control and choice over your life – not enduring a working life that is unfulfilling. It’s about getting the most out of the one precious life that we are allotted. In this post, we’re going to look how an investment in your education, could help you gain that choice and control....
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY For many people, thinking about superannuation is the go-to cure for insomnia. This isn’t all bad, in that so long as your superannuation foundations are set-up right, it is something that needs to be left alone to grow – too much fiddling around can be extremely costly. But ignoring your superannuation savings completely is a mistake. Your superannuation savings are likely to be either your largest or s...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Have you ever surfed the internet and seen something like “don’t pay thousands of dollars to a dentist to fix that sore tooth, download my free ebook – do it yourself dentistry , for everything that you need to know”? Or how about “people who tell you you need a qualified electrician to hook up your solar panels are just trying to steal your money. Take my 3 part mini course and do it yourself. I haven’t...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY In this episode, we explore how you can convert the knowledge you already possess into dollars in your pocket. The experiences and knowledge Ronan shares in this episode: How mastermind group works Taking advantage of your Return of Intellect How to unleash your own Return of Intellect Turning your experiences into profit....
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY As we’ve explored in past episodes, a Side Hustle can be the key that unlocks Financial Autonomy for you. That little side business that brings in some extra cash, turbo charges your learning, and has the potential to enable a total career reinvention. An extra $10k earned through your Side Hustle and paid off your mortgage each year, could see you debt free years earlier than previously thought possible...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY A key change in the working environment that has enabled greater choice, has been the explosion of the freelance economy and the rise of the solopreneur. But for all the positives that this change brings, primarily around flexibility, there is at least one potential downside – loneliness. So in this post, we’re going to explore this issue and consider some ideas you might like to implement to combat the ...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY A discussion on property is well overdue here at Financial Autonomy. So I've roped in Buyers Advocate Emily Wallace to share with us her expert tips and advice for buying a property in Australia. She's lived in 23 properties in 25 years. Property investment is well and truly in her blood. The experiences and knowledge Emily shares in this episode: -How she became a buyers advocate (and what a buyers advo...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY According to Forbes magazine “the world has changed dramatically in the past several decades with more and more of a company’s value attached not to factories, machines, or hard assets but rather the companies’ ideas, processes, and designs – their intellectual property.” Intellectual property (IP) can take a range of forms – writing, music, design, inventions, or software are all examples. The digitisat...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY My parents, like many of their peers, bought a caravan shortly after retiring. Each winter they escape a cold Melbourne, and head north, to explore the vastness of our nation and enjoy the agreeable climate on offer. They’re onto their second caravan now, and whilst their preference has evolved to staying in the one spot for an extended period rather than travel around, the winter escape remains a perman...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Debt is like the leg irons worn by convicts – it holds you back from gaining choice in life, from achieving Financial Autonomy. Yet if we aspire to own a home, then in all likelihood we’re going to need to take out a very significant loan – a home loan. So given the conflict between: Our goal here at Financial Autonomy is to help you gain choice in life, and The majority of you will at some point take on...
It's a scenario many of us face - experiencing professional success in the corporate world, yet finding it's not making you happy in broader life. In this episode, Fraser Cameron shares his journey. How he left the corporate environment and founded a coaching business helping others achieve their potential. Oh, and along the way he moved his family from New Zealand to Southern France. The experiences and knowledge Fraser shares in this episode: -Why he needed to escape corporate life, and his jo...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Job security isn’t what it once was. The trend toward contracting, outsourcing and the gig economy, combined with technological automation and increasingly, artificial intelligence, means the need for us to be emotionally and financially resilient has never been higher. Emotional resiliency isn’t something I’m qualified to speak on, but financial resiliency – financial independence - is of course what we...
A centrepiece of workforce change over the past 20-30 years has been the rise of the independent contractor – the freelancer. It’s no coincidence that this rise has occurred in parallel to the global expansion and adoption of the internet. The internet has enabled people to work together, and find one another, whether they are in the same city, or the other side of the world. Creatives such as graphic designers have long been the poster child of this workforce revolution, but scratch the surface...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Joanna Penn’s journey is a fascinating one. From consultant to business owner, to writer and entrepreneur, she's certainly packed plenty into her life. Today she runs a multi six-figure company with multiple streams of income. This one episode you definitely won’t want to miss. The experiences and knowledge Joanna shares in this episode: Her evolution from day job to being self-employed. Recognition of h...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY If retirement is a decade or more away, it’s tempting to look at your parents and perhaps grandparents in retirement and figure, well, they seem to be getting along fine, I’ll just have what they’re having. But there’s two key factors that have underpinned your parents retirement, that will look vastly different in your retirement – the Age Pension, and a huge increase in wealth due to rising property pr...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY In the last post - How to start an Investment Portfolio - we looked at the steps and mechanics involved in creating your first investment portfolio. So we covered - setting your Objectives, determining how much Risk you will take on, your investment Time Frame, and Opening a share trading account. This week we'll progress from this set-up phase, to explore how you then build an investment portfolio. We t...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY This is the first of a two-part series. In this post we will explore what are the actual steps and mechanics involved in starting an investment portfolio? In the next post, I’ll explore how you should go about building your portfolio. I’ve been building investment portfolios for clients for 20 odd years now. What I’m going to share with you are the actual steps we use to deliver successful outcomes for o...
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY We are joined today by Shaun Farrugia from Optimised Accounting and Finance to talk about the essential things you need when you move to self-employment. In this episode we cover the challenges and knowledge Shaun shares about being self-employed: Getting the clarity of knowing why you need to move to self-employment. Keeping the proper financial record and the challenges encountered with record keeping....
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY One of the best ways to gain choice in life is to become self-employed, and a great way to bring that aspiration to life is by trying your hand at a Side Hustle. For the uninitiated, a Side Hustle is a business that you create as a second income to your primary source of making a living. It can be used to pay off some debt or build an investment, but it can also be a way to test out a business idea that ...
Episode 75 – When investing, focus on what really matters SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY I remember reading once the advice of someone who had achieved success in their field. Their key observation was, “in life, you will occasionally be faced with times where you have to make a choice. One path will be easy, and the other harder. I’ve been successful because whenever I faced those choices, I chose the harder path”. Now I think there ...
Episode 74 – How to get your partner engaged in your Financial Autonomy goal SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL “GAINING CHOICE” TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY A significant reason many people don’t achieve Financial Autonomy is because they get pigeonholed into a certain life. They define themselves in certain ways, and often this flows from the role they’ve developed in their marriage or significant relationship. Some people worry about how their partner will react if they want to ch...
Episode 73 - The pay yourself first strategy Have trouble building up a nest egg? Struggling to build up enough cash to start investing? Hate the idea of a detailed budget? If you answered yes to an y of these questions, then the Pay Yourself First strategy could be for you . The idea of Pay Yourself First is not new – Google tells me the term was first used all the way back in the 1920’s by an American publisher. But it’s even easier to apply today thanks to the advent of internet banking. Let’...
