There are many parts to building sturdy financial foundations, but it’s hard to argue against the importance of property in that mix.

This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by financial advisor and author, Helen Baker, to talk about her latest book ‘Money for life’ and the role of property in building financial security. They discuss:

• Five fundamental financial foundations
• Buying a home versus an investment property
• What buyers often don’t not know about property finance
• Property and opportunity cost
• The benefit of owning property in retirement

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #helenbaker #property

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

From mix-ups and records highs to new ETF listings, the past week has been full of action on the ASX.

On this bonus episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Samy Sriram, market analyst at Stake, to discuss the new exchange traded funds from Betashares and Global X and to provide an update on the performance of the local market.

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #samysriram #asx #etfs

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Balancing emotions, managing relationships, making practical financial decisions – dealing with an inheritance isn’t always simple.

On this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Melody Edwards, a senior financial adviser at Evalesco, to discuss the hidden costs of inheritance and aligning a windfall with your financial goals.

00:00 Introduction

02:52 Emotional and relationship dynamics of inheritances

07:43 Practical advice for managing an inheritance

10:08 Short-term and long-term financial strategies for inheritances

16:32 Final thoughts and tips

18:13 Conclusion and farewell

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #melodyedwards #inheritance

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

In this episode of the Friends With Money Podcast, Vanessa Walker, managing editor of Money, interviews Paolo Sironi, a global research leader in banking and finance from the IBM Institute for Business Value, about the transformative impact of AI on the banking sector, its innovations, and the emerging trends of digitalisation, personalisation, communication, and platformisation.

They also delve into the risks associated with AI, such as data breaches, and the importance of AI literacy and talent in the banking industry. 

Sironi provides insights on how Australian banks can stay competitive, especially by focusing on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) market, and the need to adapt risk management practices to leverage AI effectively. 

00:45 The evolution of banking with AI 

04:08 AI and customer security risks 

07:32 The rise of agentic AI in banking 

10:12 Australian Banks: staying competitive with AI 

15:27 Managing risk with AI 

18:45 Future innovations and opportunities 

#friendswithmoney #vanessawalker #paolosironi #aibanking

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

In this bonus episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with David Higgins, CTO at Eftsure, about the alarming rise in a scam known as ghost tapping.

Higgins explains what the new scam is, what to watch out for, and how to protect yourself.

#friendswithmoney #michellebaltazar #davidhiggins #hackers

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Volatility has been the major theme in investment markets during the first six months of 2025, but is that likely to continue?

On this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Jonathan Shead, Australian head of investments at State Street Investment Management, to discuss the recent performance of equity and fixed income markets and take a look at the months ahead.

01:52 Volatility, macroeconomics and geopolitics

05:48 Equity market performance

08:54 Fixed income insights

11:06 Gold analysis

13:51 Future forecast 

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #jonathanshead #investing #markets

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Bitcoin has notched yet another record high, but can the bull market continue or will prices come back down to earth?On this bonus episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Charlie Sherry, head of finance at BTC Markets, to discuss the latest surge in the price of Bitcoin and the drivers behind it.

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #charliesherry #bitcoin

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Interested in the idea of investing regularly, but don’t have tons of cash to contribute? Micro-investing could be the solution.

This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Kylie Purcell, investments analyst at Finder, to run through the ins and outs of micro-investing.

They discuss:

• How micro-investing differs from traditional investing
• The major micro-investing apps and platforms in Australia
• Which assets investors can trade on micro-investing platforms
• Some of the benefits and downsides of micro-investing
• Micro-investing fees and the impact on returns

#friendswithmoney #tomwatson #kyliepurcell #microinvesting

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

The RBA handed down a surprise cash rate decision on Tuesday, so why were rates held and what could be in store next month?

On this bonus episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Paul Bloxham, HSBC’s chief economist for Australia and New Zealand, to discuss the fallout from the RBA Monetary Policy Board’s July meeting. 

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

In this episode of the Friends with Money podcast, we explore the housing crisis in Australia and how renting out spare bedrooms could help provide more affordable housing.

Money's Ryan Johnson joins host Managing editor, Vanessa Walker, to discuss the housing shortfall in Australia. They talk about the factors contributing to the crisis, including lagging construction and policies that favour investors over first-time buyers. Ryan explains how the 13 million unused spare bedrooms across Australia are an untapped resource that could help ease supply constraints. We learn who owns these spare rooms, the barriers keeping them from renting them out, and how policies could incentivise making better use of this latent housing supply.

Key Takeaways:

2:30 - There is a 250,000 home shortfall between housing needed and current supply. Construction isn't keeping pace with demand.

5:15 - Older Australians own most of the 13 million unused spare bedrooms, often in large, empty nest homes.

8:00 - Emotional barriers like safety concerns and desire for privacy have kept seniors from renting out rooms.

10:30 - Clarification on how capital gains tax applies when renting out part of a home.

13:00 - How rental income affects pensions - calls for policy tweaks to incentivise room rentals.

15:30 - Bank now counts rental income toward mortgage eligibility.

To learn more about Australia's housing crisis and the spare bedroom solution, be sure to listen to this insightful episode!

#friendswithmoney #vanessawalker #ryanjohnson #housingcrisis #sparebedroom

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Money Website

YouTube Podcast Playlist

Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR