Financial Autonomy

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 going to cut it. The carrot then, is tax concessions.    Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer

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, and roles that were once essential may no longer fit within the new direction.    While redundancy can bring about financial and emotional stress, including concerns about maintaining your lifestyle and finding new employment, it also presents opportunities. This transition can be the perfect moment to re-evaluate your career path and explore new possibilities that may have been out of reach before. Whether it’s pursuing a different career, starting your own business, or finding greater work-life balance, r

With an awareness of the challenges of high hiouse 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 Advice Disclaimer

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

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

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

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

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  

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

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 provide meaningful incentives in the form of tax concessions. There are tax concessions throughout the entire life of your superannuation journey. But I find that sometimes the biggest tax concession of all is overlooked or underappreciated. This week I want to ensure that you understand exactly where the greatest opportunity exists so that you are making the most of the superannuation tax concessions.    Subscribe to our weekly GainingCHOICE email General Advice Disclaimer

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

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, though it’s solution involves the deliberate undertaking of other risk. It’s an interesting one for sure, so let’s dive in.   General Advice Disclaimer

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

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 channel so you never miss a new episode.

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

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    

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 which you can borrow to invest in the stock market. Under a debt recycling approach, it is assumed you are using equity in your home. Borrowing to invest magnifies an the outcome. If you invest $1000 and it increases in value by 10%, you have gained $100 in wealth. If instead you matched that $1000 with an equal amount of debt, and your now $2000 investment grew by the same10%, your wealth has increased by $200, double that of the original example. Now of course you need to back out the cost of the debt, but this simple

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.   Subscribe to GainingCHOICE Disclaimer

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  

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