In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Mitchell Sneddon sits down with Mark Ambrose from Global Value Fund to unpack one of the more unusual deep value trades of the COVID era: buying into airplane leases when the aviation market looked uninvestable.

Mark explains why GVF was drawn to the setup. The fund was not trying to make a heroic prediction about airlines bouncing back overnight. Instead, the team focused on asymmetry, cash on the balance sheet, the behaviour of forced sellers and the gap between a panic price and a conservative base case. It is a practical look at how deep value investing works when uncertainty is extreme.

Mitch and Mark walk through Amadeo Air 4 Plus, how listed aircraft leasing funds were structured, why certain A380 sales mattered so much, and how bespoke valuation work helped frame the risk. They also discuss downside protection, why edge matters more than simply sounding smart, and how shareholder engagement and later takeover interest helped unlock value over time.

If you like contrarian investing, fund-manager process and real examples of asymmetric opportunities, this conversation is well worth your time.

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Visit TermPlus to learn more

– Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

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– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

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– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In this week’s 2 Sense episode of the Australian Investors Podcast, Owen Rask and Drew Meredith unpack the messy collision of budget politics, company results and AI hype shaping markets right now. They look at the latest tax chatter, the debate over whether Australia is getting better at redistributing wealth than creating it, and why policy headlines can shift investor behaviour long before the real-world outcomes are clear.

They also run through a broad batch of company updates, including Temple & Webster, Brambles, Commonwealth Bank and BHP, asking what actually matters and what is just noise during another busy stretch of reporting season. Along the way, they test the limits of tools like Claude and ChatGPT, debate whether AI can genuinely help investors think better, and explore where these tools still risk encouraging lazy decision-making or false confidence.

The episode finishes with practical listener questions on investment bonds, how to invest in your 20s versus your 60s, and how to balance growth, income and simplicity when markets feel messy. If you want a grounded Australian take on the budget, ASX results, AI and the real questions investors are asking in 2026, this is a strong episode to queue next, especially if you want a clearer framework for handling uncertainty.

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Visit TermPlus to learn more

– Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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AI can now generate prototypes, content and product ideas at speed — but Figma’s Andrew Hogan says the real edge is still human judgment.

In this episode, Owen Rask chats with Andrew about what AI is changing inside teams, why design is becoming more valuable, and how leaders are using better tools to communicate ideas with more clarity. They explore why senior designers may be worth more than ever, how non-designers are increasingly doing design work, and why businesses are taking on bigger projects because AI expands what feels possible.

If you want to understand where AI is creating value, how creativity is changing, and what this means for product teams, founders and investors, this is a sharp and practical conversation.

Resources for this episode

Show partner resources

Rask resources

– ⁠All services⁠

– ⁠Financial Planning⁠

– ⁠Invest with us⁠

⁠Access Show Notes⁠

⁠Ask a question⁠

⁠We love feedback!⁠

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: ⁠@rask.invest⁠

TikTok: ⁠@rask.invest⁠

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): ⁠https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In this week’s 2 Sense, Owen and Drew tackle a bigger question than one stock or one budget line item: is Australia getting worse at creating wealth?

Rask Wealth Checker: https://rask.au/wealth-checker

That opens a sharp conversation about tax chatter, policy drift and why uncertainty can make it harder for founders, investors and workers to build long-term value. The episode also revisits CSL, touches on private credit noise, and asks what matters when headlines get louder than fundamentals.

It is a useful reminder that great businesses can still be overhyped, and that policy settings can shape how willing people are to build, invest and take risk.

The listener question is a beauty: how do you value a private business? Owen and Drew explain why valuation is part maths, part judgement. They unpack EBITDA multiples, growth, repeatability, owner dependence and why what a business is worth to you can differ from what a buyer will pay.

If you want practical market commentary with a founder’s lens, this one delivers.

Episode resources

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Mitch sits down with Nick Sladen for a deep dive into Cogstate and why it may be one of the more compelling ASX healthcare names right now.

Alzheimer's and broader central nervous system diseases are becoming more important as populations age, and Nick explains why that matters for Cogstate. The company plays a small but critical role in clinical trials, helping large pharmaceutical groups run cognitive testing with higher accuracy, cleaner data and stronger regulatory confidence. With more than 20 years of accumulated testing data, Cogstate has built an edge that is hard to replicate quickly.

Mitch and Nick also unpack the numbers behind the bull case. They discuss strong margins, net cash, a share buyback, dividend flexibility and why AI could improve throughput rather than undermine the business model. The conversation also goes beyond Alzheimer's into rare disease, depression, schizophrenia and sleep trials, plus the role partnerships like Medidata could play in widening the opportunity set.

They finish by testing the risks, including pharma spending cycles, execution, competition and the possibility that AI changes parts of the workflow over time. If you want a practical breakdown of a high-quality small-cap healthcare business with structural tailwinds, this episode is well worth your time.

Episode resources

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In this episode of 2-Sense, Owen and Drew ask a big question: is Warren Buffett falling behind in 2026, or is Berkshire Hathaway just investing on a different timetable to everyone else? They unpack Buffett’s huge Apple exposure, Berkshire’s growing cash pile and the broader debate around whether AI is changing the investing playbook or simply changing what investors are paying attention to right now.

The conversation then swings back to Australia, with a close look at Magellan’s decision to outsource management of its global equities funds. Owen and Drew explore what the move says about the business, why it matters when a once-dominant fund manager changes course, and what investors should watch from here. They also dive into the May budget chatter, from capital gains tax and negative gearing to new housing incentives and the knock-on effects policy changes can have on wealth creation.

There’s more on Bluey’s blockbuster economics, company news from Coles, ANZ and NAB, thoughts on Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, plus a practical buy, hold or sell-style discussion to round things out.

Episode resources

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Dimensional Fund Advisors has quietly built one of the most respected investment firms in the world on the back of Nobel Prize-winning academic research. In this episode, Mitchell Sneddon sits down with Bhanu Singh, Australian CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors and head of the world's largest active ETF manager, to unpack the philosophy, factors and discipline behind the firm.

Bhanu walks through the legendary names on Dimensional's board and advisory panel — Eugene Fama, Kenneth French, Robert Merton, Myron Scholes and Merton Miller — and explains how their work on efficient markets, the Fama-French factor model, options pricing and arbitrage shaped modern finance and indexing as we know it.

The Topics:

- How Dimensional translates academic research into real-world portfolios

- The five factors driving expected returns: market beta, size, value, profitability and investment

- Why market efficiency doesn't mean passive indexing

- How Dimensional trades 95% of equities in-house using its proprietary tick database

- Why 80%+ of active managers underperform their benchmarks over the long run

- The truth about home bias, yield obsession and concentration risk in Australian portfolios

- Why thematic ETFs are often sold, not bought

- The cultural reason Dimensional has never closed a fund

Resources for this episode

Speak with the Rask Advice team

Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

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ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

Visit TermPlus to learn more

Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

All services

Financial Planning

Invest with us

Access Show Notes

Ask a question

We love feedback!

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @rask.invest

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DISCLAIMER:

This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In this episode of the Australian Investors Podcast, Owen Rask and Drew Meredith tackle a question that would spook plenty of income investors: what should you do if your shares land on the most shorted list?

That opens a broader discussion about dividend traps, earnings risk and whether a big yield is actually a warning sign. The pair also dig into recent results from Tesla, Microsoft, American Express and Lululemon, and what those numbers may be saying about spending, margins, capital investment and market expectations.

Topics covered

- The most shorted ASX shares and dividend trap risk

- Tesla, Microsoft, American Express and Lululemon results

- Passive income ETF portfolios and why total return still matters

- When high yield becomes a warning sign for investors

- Property, CGT and shifting capital into ETFs

The back half of the episode turns practical, with Owen and Drew unpacking passive income ETF portfolios, liquidity, and how investors can think about income and diversification when cash rates are no longer near zero. They also tackle the CGT trade-off many Australians face when deciding whether to keep holding property or rotate some capital into ETFs.

Resources for this episode

Speak with the Rask Advice team

Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

Visit TermPlus to learn more

Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

All services

Financial Planning

Invest with us

Access Show Notes

Ask a question

We love feedback!

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @rask.invest

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DISCLAIMER

This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for your situation before acting on it. If you’re unsure, consult a licensed financial planner. The Rask Group Pty Ltd is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial adviser, or tax professional. You can access The Rask Group’s Financial Services Guide (FSG) here: https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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In May 2026, Jerome Powell's tenure as chair of the US Federal Reserve comes to an end. His replacement is Kevin Warsh — a former Fed governor and Donald Trump's hand-picked choice to lead the world's most powerful central bank. The appointment has been anything but quiet, arriving against a backdrop of sustained political pressure from the Trump administration, public attacks on Powell, and a criminal investigation into cost overruns at the Fed building.

But beyond the politics, what does the leadership change actually mean for US monetary policy, for inflation, and critically, for Australian investors and retirees?

To break it all down, Mitchell is joined by Kris Bernie, portfolio manager at fixed income specialist Kapstream Capital. Kris is responsible for macroeconomic research, asset allocation, and interest rate and foreign exchange trading — which means he watches the Federal Reserve more closely than most.

What you'll learn in this episode

- Why the Fed chair matters to Australians — from equity markets and the Aussie dollar to term deposit rates

- Who Kevin Warsh is and why Trump picked him

- How Warsh's inflation-focused philosophy differs from Powell's dual-mandate approach

- The political pressure Warsh is likely to face — and its limits

- Why he's still just one vote of twelve on the FOMC

- The difficult environment he's inheriting: sticky inflation, a bloated Fed balance sheet, and stagflation risk

- What happens to Australia if the US consumer runs out of steam

Topics covered

- Why the Fed chair matters to Australian investors and retirees

- Who is Kevin Warsh, and why did Trump pick him?

- How Warsh's philosophy differs from Powell's

- Rules-based vs discretionary monetary policy, and what the Taylor Rule actually means

- How much influence can Trump realistically exert over the Fed?

- The stagflation risk: tariffs, oil prices, and second-round inflation effects

- The US consumer: how tapped out are they, really?

- Australia's idiosyncratic inflation problem and the RBA outlook

- How Kapstream is positioning across credit spread duration and rates duration

- Can AI productivity gains actually move the dial on inflation?

- Kapstream's listed ASX products, including XCAP

Episode Resources

Kapstream Website

Speak with the Rask Advice team

Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

Visit TermPlus to learn more

Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

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Financial Planning

Invest with us

Access Show Notes

Ask a question

We love feedback!

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @rask.invest

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DISCLAIMER:

This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

KAPTREAM DISCLAIMER:

This is general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on the information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and target market determination (TMD) on our website. Fidante Partners Limited ABN 94 002 835 592 AFSL 234668 is the responsible entity and issuer of interests in the Kapstream Absolute Return Income Fund and the Kapstream Absolute Return Income Active ETF.

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In this 2 Sense episode of the Australian Investors Podcast, Owen Rask and Drew Meredith move from practical investing questions to the bigger forces shaping portfolios right now. They settle the active ETF vs managed fund debate, run through the latest from Intel, Netflix and JP Morgan, pick the sectors they reckon will shine over the next decade — and ask the big one: could Warren Buffett have pulled it off if he'd grown up in Australia?

Topics covered

Resources for this episode

Speak with the Rask Advice team

Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

Visit TermPlus to learn more

Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May)

Rask Resources

All services

Financial Planning

Invest with us

Access Show Notes

Ask a question

We love feedback!

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @rask.invest

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DISCLAIMER:

This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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