The Money Puzzle
Episodes
Fun Money 2: How to Build a Wine Collection
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second in our summer Fun Money series. There is money to be made and fun to be had collecting wine: But how do you get started? It's a t...
Fun Money 1: Whisky and a Good Book
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How about having fun and making money too - it's entirely possible if you become an expert collector of cars, art, wine, rare books...or maybe even wh...
How to buy a holiday home
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A spot by the sea? A place in the country? Can you do it...should you do it? The holiday home as a property investment enters the public imagination a...
The Smart Way to Buy a Car
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So you want that car? The problem is you know very little about it - and certainly not enough to deal with the guy with a devilish grin coming towards...
Why Sydney beats Melbourne out the door for property investors
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melbourne is growing faster than Sydney. In the next decade, the two cities are expected to draw level in terms of total population. So why is Sydney ...
Meet Our Billionaire Families
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who are the families behind Australia’s biggest companies? What are they like and what can we learn from them as investors?In today’s show, we cov...
Investors Are Back In The Property Market - Should You Join Them?
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is now hard evidence that investors are back in the residential property market. What's more, they are borrowing faster than owner occupiers and...
Artificial Intelligence : What to do Now ?
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We were told AI would take off as the investment theme of the year and it came to pass - that's why the NASDAQ has been about six times better than th...
Thanks Mum! Thanks Dad! - How the 'Bank of Mum and Dad' Will Underpin a House Rise of 2024
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of Australia's biggest banks but we never see any data from it - in fact, we heavily underestimate the role of family finance in helping firs...
Social Media for Investors - Good or Bad?
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many investors now rely heavily on social media influencers for investment guidance: But who are these operators and do they have your best interests ...
Property price drop in 2024? Not everyone agrees
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australian house prices could see a nationwide fall next year with Sydney leading the downturn on a forecast drop of four per cent, according to prop...
The 2024 case for bonds
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australian investors kept away from bonds for many years preferring instead ‘bond proxies’ such as the banks and telco fully franked shares. And t...
China property buyers are back...and making a difference
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For a while, it seemed as if the China buyer - a potentially powerful influence at property auctions -had left the scene. But in recent months Austral...
Big Super's plan to offer you financial advice
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The nation's super funds will be able to widen the range of financial advice they offer under the new Future of Financial Advice legislation: What doe...
Should First Time Property Investors Venture Interstate?
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone likes to think they know their own neighborhood: As a result ‘home bias’ is a major issue among property investors. For first-time invest...
Thinking of Spending Your Inheritance in Advance? Stop Right There
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are on the cusp of the biggest handover of wealth in the history of the nation: A wall of money- estimated at $3.5 trillion - from both wills and s...
Could CGT changes unlock the housing market?
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The housing market is in a state of paralysis. Renters can’t find accommodation yet investors are moving their money out. There must be a way to rev...
The Ozempic Effect - How the Wonderdrug is Hitting the ASX
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ozempic is causing a sensation in the health industry: Originally a weight loss treatment, it is now clear the so-called GLP-1 drug can have positive ...
Home equity: It's your money...use it!
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Across Australia home prices have lifted higher than anyone might have reasonably expected: it means millions of Australians have financial power lock...
Family Trusts - Not Off The Hook Just Yet
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The legal structure around family trusts in Australia has just survived a double stress test in the courts where the ATO tried to make changes in the ...
The property opportunity in your back garden
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With a rental shortage across the major cities, new research has revealed there are more than 600,000 spots across urban Australia where owners could ...
How to prepare for new super tax
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The government has finally outlined the details of the new super tax and it will hit many more investors than forecast initially. In particular the ef...
Why rents will stay high for years
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s immigration intake means a city the size of Newcastle has effectively arrived looking for accommodation within the nation’s existing h...
Twiggy Forrest, Escalante, Moving and Shaking
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s moves into renewables and Laurence Escalante’s VGW gaming empire are interesting insights into where some of the wea...
Does Airbnb still make sense with the new 7.5% income tax?
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria is the first Australian state to legislate a levy on revenue generated from short term accommodation platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz. The ...
Uranium Providing Glowing Returns for Investors
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Uranium exchange-traded funds have increased 20 percent in value over the past month and are up 50 percent over the past 6 months, making uranium a st...
How To Manage Property Investments - Property Basics No.4
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you successfully manage a property - or a string of properties? There are multiple risks and pitfalls in running a portfolio, but with a little...
Top Advisers List Edition - How To Find A Financial Adviser
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Australian publishes its annual Top Financial Advisors list this week - and it's the perfect time to find out how to select a financial adviser. ...
How To Find A Home Loan - Property Basics No.3
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you choose a home loan? What's on the menu...and how on earth do you pick the package that is best for you? In today's show we cover; how to ge...
How to Build a Share Portfolio Like a Professional Wealth Manager
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the past share market investors built their portfolios with individual stocks with a bias toward bluechip banking and mining companies. But today w...
How To Sell A Property - Property Basics No.2
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you sell a property? What are the essential moves to make to ensure you get the best deal for your home or investment? The choices have multipl...
The low-flying kangaroo – Qantas’ death spiral?
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Qantas is more than just an airline to Australians. But the way shareholders see the airline has diverged considerably from how customers do. That has...
How To Buy A Property - Property Basics No.1
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Buying a property? What are the first steps? What are the pitfalls? It's never easy whether you are buying a first home or adding another asset to you...
Your guide to the super fund performance tests
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The expanded performance tests for super from the government set a new milestone in our investment market: Just about every investor in Australia has ...
Do Property Investors Need Financial Advisors
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Active property investors are very often the same people who steer clear of shares and managed funds. At the same time, many advisors are heavily com...
The no-brainer income opportunity
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here's the puzzle: Should you depend on shares or cash for income? Well, your risky return from the ASX is represented by an average dividend yield of...
Looking to borrow for property? Listen up
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the residential property sector stabilizes, the banks have been playing some games in the lending market - if you are borrowing for a home or an in...
Unlisted Trusts: Why would you bother?
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The fashion for alternative unlisted investments is getting a reality check as investors can get a risk-free cash rate of more than four per cent. The...
Taking Stock of the Tiny House movement
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tiny houses are popping up all over Australia yet the movement remains a mystery to many in the property sector. These hybrid mobile dwellings cost ar...
The Black Spot in Super You Need to Know
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Life insurance is a big expense and most smart investors save money by purchasing it through their super fund. But the track record of big super funds...
How Industrial Property Became The Hot Spot In The Property Market
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Residential property isn't the only sector with exceptionally tight vacancy rates. Industrial property - warehouses and factory units at the edge of e...
Artificial Intelligence: The Best-Placed ASX Stock
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The excitement around AI has fuelled the 'magnificent seven' tech stocks on Wall Street and underpinned the 20 percent year-to-date return on Wall St...
Commercial property - is it for you?
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Investing in retail shops or industrial warehousing is a different ball game than buying the house around the corner. Longer leases and higher yields ...
The Most Promising Sector in the Share Market
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a better-than-expected year for the share market - especially on Wall Street. But where does it go from here? What is the one area of the ...
Buying Property With A Mate: Should You?
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps you cannot afford a first property, but if you combined with a mate it might be possible. In today's podcast, a question from a 21-year-old li...
Alternative Investments - How Much Can You Afford to Lose?
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Big super funds and high net worth investors are ever more keen on 'alternative investments' but are they for you? One of the nation's top female fina...
Is the Commercial Property Scare An Opportunity?
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The reckoning for office property values has finally arrived in the Australian market, a long time after they first hit the US - where listed values a...
Whatever Happened to the Superannuation Disruptors?
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For a short while it looked like the leviathans of the Australian super industry were facing a new breed of challengers. Start-up youth-focused super ...
Why 'cheaper to buy than rent' suburbs are everywhere
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You might have thought that the endless escalation of mortgage rates would finish the notion of a suburb where buying was cheaper than renting.Not so...
Why the Share Market’s 'Value Versus Growth' Debate is ‘Rubbish’
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year was meant to be all about ‘value’ on the share market: Rising rates were expected to hose down the demand for tech-focused growth stocks...
Renovators Delight - The Properties Nobody Wants
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The residential market in 2023 is most unusual - prices are rising while interest rates are increasing; Up to a third of buyers don't need a mortgage ...
The Biggest Tax Break of the New Financial Year
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The new financial year begins on July 1 and a range of key 'caps' come into play. But the outstanding item of personal tax news is that you can have...
Why one in four property buyers don't care about interest rates
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You might think higher rates keep buyers away from the property market but a remarkable 25 percent of purchasers buy outright - with no mortgage! It’...
Artificial Intelligence Special Edition - Don’t Miss It!
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The excitement around artificial intelligence has propelled the US sharemarket this year. That’s why returns stateside are three times better than t...
Do 400,000 new arrivals change the property market? (you bet they do)
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest factor ‘new’ factor in the property sector is the remarkable change we will see from the arrival of 400,000 people into a market popul...
The Biggest Money Mistake That couples make
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Leave the investment to me, darling! It’s still a refrain in household finances and letting one person handle all money matters is the single bigges...
How you can use your Super to play the property rebound
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
They don't make it easy, but any investor can directly enter the property investment market using their super. In fact, any investor with a Self Manag...
Is it Time to Take Money From Super to Pay Part of Your Home Loan?
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, we talk about whether the Australian share market is likely to finish the year in the black. We also discuss ways that investors ...
From the Auction Frontline
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's the temperature in the market at the moment? How are the Saturday mornings for the buyers, sellers and even the auctioneers? With clearance rat...
How to Invest Like Taylor Swift (No Kidding)
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're talking about how to tackle inflation as an active investor. We also deal with a question on discounted Listed Investment Companies which - beli...
Why investors should pay a lower rate than home loan borrowers
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Investors pay a higher mortgage rate than home loan borrowers. However, this was not always the case – and there is now a solid argument to suggest ...
How about lending instead of borrowing?
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the sharemarket drifts, investors are looking to ‘alternatives’ for returns: One of the most dependable alternative income investments is ‘se...
Why this property upturn will be very different
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The capacity to borrow will be the big difference in the next upward cycle of residential real estate prices. Property investors might be familiar wi...
Bad For Landlords. Bad For Renters -Property Paradox
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As housing affordability bites hard and the rent crisis continues, many landlords are as frustrated as their tenants with the long-term realities of t...
Budget Special
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Albanese government's first 'May Budget' elevates the risk of higher inflation and higher rates - it also signals further strong returns for miner...
Is a self managed super fund for you?
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Self Managed Super Funds are often associated with the very wealthy who have millions to spend, but new figures show the median amount for new SMSFs i...
Why Aussie Small Cap Stocks Are Ready To Rebound
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Value investor Roger Montgomery is associated with blue chip companies, but that does not mean he looks exclusively at 'large caps': In fact, Montgome...
Why Impact Investing Is Ready To Go Mainstream
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Impact investing, where investors actively create ethical outcomes, has been growing steadily but the Albanese government's 'reconvening' of a task fo...
Buyer's Advocates: Should You Bother?
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Would you be better at a hotly contested auction than a buyer's advocate? How do they work and what do they charge?In today's show we cover how buyer'...
The Millionaire Next Door
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we ask how will the new super changes work? And we meet a real-life 'millionaire next door’ (Australian style). Plus, we get to grips with...
What About My Bank Stocks?
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The credit markets have been shaken by the dual troubles of US and European banks. Crucially, the Credit Suisse rescue involved bondholders taking a r...
The lowdown on the high flyers of the Rich 250
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The old guard are back - with a vengeance - miners, paper manufacturers and property developers regain a grip on the Rich 250 in 2023, Still, as the t...
Talking housing with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition of Money Cafe we cover whether Sydney will be the first city to have a house price rebound, solving the rental crisis, the lon...
Everything You Need to Know on the Super Changes
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What just happened in super? Is this about the 86,000 super investors above $3m - or is it the start of a new regime which will change how super wor...
Time for 'Big Super' to Bankroll Financial Literacy
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Industry super funds are the outright winners in the super system. The funds have thrived on the back of a simple law - every worker must put one doll...
Super Cap Could Be A Property Trap
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Items covered in this episode include - Does property really double in price ever decade? The perils of trying to use a former SMSF property as a home...
The Problem With ETFs
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can you go wrong with an Exchange Traded Fund? They match the market average, they have very cheap management fees and your financial adviser thin...
Investing in NDIS property - is it for you?
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Property developers are promising strong and stable returns from NDIS investments, but the risks are bigger than you might think. Topics covered in th...
Is Super Worth The Effort?
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inside financial advice circles they call it the ‘black spot,’ the wealth level where government benefits fall away but annual investment income m...
Why Your Bank Stocks Are Buzzing
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The lift in bank stocks since the start of the year signals a change of heart in the residential property market. In this episode Wealth Editor James ...
Sorting out all your money issues in 2023
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're well and truly into 2023 now, are people still saying "happy new year?" ....in the last of our summer series with the Australian’s Wealth Edit...
Sorting out your property plans in 2023
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the news about the rental market, interest rates on the move and uncertainty ahead, The Australian’s Wealth editor James Kirby and special gues...
Your shares in 2023
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is NABTrade’s head of investor behaviour, Gemma Dale. Discussing shares and the market ahead in ...
Tax breaks beyond your Super
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of our Summer Series, Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is adviser Doug Turek, and we're getting Super set for 2023. See omnystud...
Super for Starters
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over summer The Australian's Money Cafe will be helping you get financially fit for 2023.....in this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is ad...
What you must know about property next year
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest this week is Stuart Wemyss of the ProSolution group. They discuss the swing back to the city forecast for 2023, new ...
Pay the mortgage or top up super - a new perspective
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wealth Editor James Kirby is joined by James Gerrard of www.financialadviser.com.au. They discuss the new realities of higher rates and home mortgage...
Forget the ASX forecasts and find the dividends
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest is Gemma Dale, Head of Investor Behaviour at NABtrade. They say the ASX will close in 2023 somewhere...
Will the crypto crash make gold shine?
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
James Kirby’s guest this week is Doug Turek, financial advisor at Minchin Moore. In this episode, topics for discussion include - Gold should be a w...
Why property bargain hunters should bide their time
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
James Kirby's guest on the podcast this week is adviser Bruce Brammall of Bruce Brammall Financial. The property market is down but not down far enoug...
Could your bank be hacked?
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
James Kirby's guest this week is Eric Johnston, Associate Editor and Business Columnist on The Australian. Cybersecurity has reached a new level with ...
Will we ever see a budget surplus again?
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Auster, chief economist at PWC joins James Kirby Wealth Editor at The Australian on this week's episode. They discuss if we will ever see a balanc...
Budget Special: We read the measures, so you don't have to
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For discussion today.....tax, super and franked dividend issues in the budget, why property REITs don't pay dividends (it's distributions), investme...
Who's afraid of the GST?.......The Sequel
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode James Kirby and adviser Stuart Wemyss take a break from reporting on what the ALP says it won't do and concentrate on what needs to be...
Help! I'm in a financial hole...dig me out
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Financial advisers help you get rich and financial counselors deal with the less fortunate who find themselves in a hole – what can we learn from th...
The investment mistakes we all make
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Olivia Margana of Aspire Retire is a member of the Top 100 Advisers List. In this episode she and James Kirby discuss how too many investors rush to i...
Is it a good time to buy property?
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
House prices are falling across Australia, in this episode we take a closer look at the market and find out where the first bargains may emerge with...
Is that the end of the market sell off?
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Share markets have absorbed the latest Fed Fund rate hike quite well, with the US down 17% this year and the ASX down 12% we take the pulse for active...
So you still think rates are going to drop next year?
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's US inflation figure challenges the fragile consensus that inflation and rates are about to drift lower - for investors it's time to tune i...
Why you DON'T have to fear our high inflation rate
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Super fund CEOs are warning inflation will erode returns and they can't be expected to do as well as recent years: But private investors are not under...