Dollars and Making Sense

Simon Madden, AFL legend and business specialist speaker returns to continue our discussion about men's mental health.  This includes Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual that covers what you do, what you think, what you feel and what you believe.  They are all interconnected and what you can do to improve all of them - both in and out of the workplace.  The linkage between them is important, and when you've excelled at the top of your game, I guess you are in a position to advise on how best to achieve on all fronts.  Join us in this fascinating interview.

With a looming federal election within the next 6-9 months, there is agitation in Canberra and we welcome Peter Johnstone, executive director of the Association of Independently Owned Financial Professionals to discuss their national conference later this year to be held in Canberra.  There are a number of key initiatives to be wrangled and fought for, and having the ear of elected officials in marginal seats appears one strategy that appears to work.  Tune in to find out what's hot on Peter's agenda.

Justin Bott from Services Australia (Centrelink) is with us again to explain the changes to age pension as the indexation rate changes the payments on 20 September for all recipients.  There is much to consider and we learn in today's show there are substantial benefits to claim even if you are earning a reasonable amount of income.  Assets are big on our discussion, so whether you are retired, about to or have parents/family in this situation, tune in to learn what our government is providing our senior citizens.

We welcome back Philippa Hunt from Wise Girls Money Academy on the unsavory topic of women, divorce and finances. It is indeed a sad fact in Australia domestic violence is happening all too frequently, and hand in hand with this violence comes financial abuse that in most situations land poorly on women. From financial hardship, loss of assets, access to housing and ongoing support, we discuss with Philippa what is the current state of play, and the first steps to take if you are in this kind of bind.

George Haramis, CEO and founder of moneyGPS joins us this week to parse the difference between fintech, roboadvice and AI.  And while you might be thinking AI is going to solve the world's problems, that ain't necessarily so in the space of personal financial advice. Tune in to understand the key differences and why the human touch will continue to remain all important when thinking about your financial journey.

The new financial year is upon us, and we're chatting with Natasha Panagis of the Institute of Financial Professionals Australia, resident subject matter expert on all matters Superannuation.  APRA super funds are out trying to educate their clients on what's in super including insurances, returns and contribution rules.  Are we really getting "qualified advisors", or more of the same unprofessional approach to industry qualifications.  All that and more, on Dollars & Making Sense, a weekly show about finance, money and investing.

Paul Mather of FBT Solutions joins us again to continue our discussions about Fringe Benefits Tax and how Salary Packaging might impact your take home pay.  There are a number of considerations when including vehicles, meals, gym memberships, airport lounge memberships into a salary offering.  We also work out the difference between a meal being sustenance rather than entertainment.  Dollars & Making Sense, helping make heads and tails of FBT tax complexity.

We welcome Paul Mather, principal of FBT Solutions to discuss Fringe Benefits Tax.  What is FBT, and how long has it been around?  What the common misconceptions surrounding FBT, avoidance and the dreaded Tax Office audit?  Paul is an industry expert of over 25 years experience and a member of the ATO consultative panel on FBT since 2005.  We discuss the basics as well as common mistakes small businesses and employees make.  Tune in, it might save you some time and money!

Andrew Inwood, CEO of Coredata is no stranger to data and statistics and today, we're teasing out some devil in the detail regarding a recent presentation about "looking for alpha", and what exactly means.  The wealth of information at Andrew's fingertips is worth a listen as we ponder the difference between alpha & beta investing, active & passive management, and where the uber wealthy are putting their money. And it's not as complex as you might think.

Apologies for this week's Dad joke, but we have Katrina McPhee, Chief of Staff of Aware Super, Australia's 3rd largest super fund on the show to chat to us about super and performance.  The key is not focusing on the short game, that's the trick, your super is a long term play, whether you are 25, 45, 65 or 85 for that matter.  Kat is with us today to help educate all of us about the great things super can do, and the even greater things that can happen if you manage and care for it!