Michael Thompson

Welcome to How Do They Afford That, the podcast that peeks into the financial lives of everyday Australians.

Welcome to Fear and Greed, business news you can use.

I'm Michael Thompson.

I'm an author and the co-host of the business news podcast, Fear and Greed.

Today, consumer sentiment hits 50-year lows while business confidence also takes a hit as one major bank now predicts the next move in interest rates will be down.

As always, I'm with Canna Campbell, financial planner and founder of Sugar Mama TV, the financial literacy platform covering YouTube and podcasts, obviously like this one, and Instagram and threads and TikTok and books like our upcoming book, 12 Months to Financial Freedom.

Apple credits Australia's social media ban as inspiration for new safety features on iPhones and football's World Cup is two days away as politics threatens to overshadow the sport.

Hello, Canna.

I'm going very well, a very topical episode today.

Plus...

The Federal Liberal Party flirts with One Nation and an iconic Aussie retailer set to close.

Yeah.

Property investing, which has changed a little bit this year, hasn't it?

It is Wednesday the 10th of June 2026.

Just a tad.

I'm Michael Thompson and good morning, Sean Aylmer.

Just a wee bit.

When people talk about property investing in Australia, the conversation has always gone towards negative gearing, just because it has been such a key part of that landscape.

Good morning, Michael.

Sean, the main story this morning, Australian consumers remain deeply pessimistic with consumer confidence falling further this month.