Employment Law can sometimes be seen as the 'not so exciting' side of the legal world. However, it is undeniably one of the most important!

There are so many "things" that fall under the employment law umbrella and it doesn't have to be a dreaded conversation. "Things" such as employment agreements, maintaining your obligations under the national employment standards, leave entitlements, redundancy and more (oh my!)

Touching on what it means when it comes to employing someone and your responsibilities as an employer and also on the flip side, what you're entitled to from your employer as an employee. Plus, we throw in our top five tips to know that you're on the right track!

Joti Financial's Kim Bradbury joins us to chat about all things mortgage broking. From the difference between being "loyal" to your bank and what they can actually offer you to why you should at the very least consider seeing a mortgage broker. A good mortgage broker is worth their weight in gold - which could eventually mean that you are in a position to buy gold!

We chat to Kim about the nitty gritty's of the mortgaging broking industry, what she does for her clients and why it sets her above the rest in the industry!

We're back for a fourth season and this time we're kicking things up a notch and getting our hands dirty with Commercial Law!  Gabrielle Andersen is our leading lawyer when it comes to Commercial Law and she has hit the ground running with our clients.  From understanding the breadth of Commercial Law to how it is vital for all business owners (big or small) to ensure they are maintaining their legal requirements, we're covering it all.

Right Mate was founded by a desire to change the narrative when it comes to men's Mental Health.

Driven by lived experience, founders Chris and Luke are passionate about not only encouraging the conversation but understanding the actual issue and offering avenues for solutions.  Their aim is to build a community of Men who not only look out for each other but are comfortable in their skin and ultimately have the skills to encourage others to do the same.

We sat down with Chris and Luke to have a chat about Right Mate, the community they're raising awareness in and how they are making an impact on the Geelong and surrounding men in our community.

Today we're talking about Aged Care... and specifically, if this is something that you need to get financial advice for!?  Aged care is a really complex area, it's something that everyone, unfortunately, will most likely have to face at some point.  Financial advice on Aged Care is a specialist area and not all Financial Advisers are able to give advice in this area - but we are.

One of the most common questions we are asked when it comes to aged care is, "what happens to the family home" so, in this episode, we're diving deep into this question.

With the end of the financial year just around the corner, we're not wasting any time helping you get on the front foot for tax time 2022.

Each year the ATO has specific items that they put under the microscope and watch closely in the way of tax deductions, and this year is no different.  

In this episode, we touch on bringing the same deductions across from the previous year's tax return, the shoebox full of receipts, working from home expenses, and how the ATO has the ability to cross-check your deductions, rental property income and deductions as well as the big area of capital gains from cryptocurrency, property and shares!

Who doesn't love a little tax planning in their lives if it's going to save them the stress and sometimes the shock down the track when it comes to lodging your tax returns?

Starting season three off with a bang, our Accounting superstars, Jamie Arrington and Adam Ramage go into why you need to plan for tax and that it isn't just something that is taken out of your wages every week as well as the relevance of tax planning and the state of the world over the last two years *cough cough global pandemic*.

We also cover what tax planning means for you - if you're a business owner, the trusty use of a logbook, purchasing of new equipment, rental properties as well as understanding what a bucket company is and how it can help you and your business in the long run.

Ever wanted to know if you have a leg to stand on when it comes to contesting an Estate?

Previously we've spoken a lot about how to protect your estate from being contested but in this episode, we're doing a 180 and getting into a different avenue when it comes to estates and whether or not you are entitled to make a claim.  It's not as simple as wanting a piece of the pie from your mate down the road who lent you a whipper snipper three years ago, there are specific requirements that you would have to meet to be entitled to make a claim towards contesting someone's estates.

We touch on the process from start to finish, including a basic roadmap of what it would look like to contest an estate, who is involved in the process when the court starts to be involved as well as the length of time that this can take from start to finish. 

There are lots of specialised areas when it comes to practising the Law; Wills and Estates, Litigation, Contracts and Employment - the list goes on!  Something that sets our legal team apart from the rest is the fact that our Senior Lawyer, Karlene Wightman specialises in Special Disability Trusts.  Organising a time to see a lawyer to get your life plan down on paper can be a little daunting, to say the least, but when there is someone with a disability involved, it is important to understand that that process changes and you need a specialist lawyer.

In this episode, we cover off in "layman's terms" what a Special Disability Trust (actually) is and how you start the process of finding out if you or your loved one would qualify and/or be eligible for a Special Disability Trust.  We touch on what can and can't go into this trust as well as the current restrictions, what the other options are if you don't qualify and what is the likelihood of a Special Disability Trust being contested.

Let's talk INVESTMENT PROPERTIES... the hot topic with even hotter (and lowest ever) interest rates!

In this episode, we're joined by Director, Amanda Wilkens to deep dive into what all the fuss is about, with voluntarily putting up your hand to pay off a second mortgage.  We go in-depth around the tax incentives that come with investment properties as well as what this means for your tax return at the end of each financial year.  And we can't forget "those words" that are on everyone's lips after an investment property has come up in the conversation, good old capital gains tax!  

With an investment property comes extra risk, it's basic maths.  We also cover off what you need to have in place, in the bigger picture side of things, so that if things start to take a wrong turn, you have the right protection in place.