Friends With Money

Just what inspires an Aussie teacher to pursue the dream of early retirement?

It’s the freedom, flexibility, and the example set by a Canadian-born blogger known as Mr Money Mustache.

In successfully retiring from an IT career at 30, he has inspired a growing movement around the world of people who are saving hard and investing now for their ultimate goal: a want a comfortable lifestyle without the 9-5 grind.

So how much do you need to retire early? Is it possible on a modest income? And how can you juggle the dream of early retirement with having children?

From single mums to young families, and from those who are living frugally to those who want to maintain their standard of living, the financial independence, early retirement (FIRE) stories we’ve shared with you demonstrate one thing: it all comes down to your personal circumstances.

In this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money magazine’s Julia Newbould talks to teacher and millennial FIRE convert Emily Smith, also known as BabyFIRE30, about what got her started, her experiences as a young member of the community, and what motivates her to succeed.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the exchange traded fund (ETF) market in Australia and coincides with a period of incredible growth for these investments over recent years. Going back two decades, who would have thought that a tradable basket of securities would become one of the most innovative and sought-after products for Australian investors? Many financial advisers now recommend ETFs to their clients as part of a balanced portfolio strategy, and individual investors can gain cost effective exposure to a broad range of asset classes that include shares, fixed interest, property and global currencies, to name just a few. Younger investors are also embracing thematic ETFs, from technology to ESG.

In this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, journalist David Thornton is joined by Meaghan Victor, the head of SPDR ETFs for Asia Pacific at State Street Global Advisors, to discuss the rising popularity of ETFs, their future in the Australian investment landscape, and what sets them apart.

For more money tips head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our weekly newsletters.

How do you pivot from building sets for Ninja Warrior to producing desks for a nation stuck working from home?

More than a third of Aussie businesses have struggled financially since COVID-19 restrictions began last year, with small businesses in particular under pressure just to stay afloat. As our lifestyles and shopping habits have changed, many of these businesses have also found themselves branching into new projects.

In this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Julia Newbould is joined by Jeremy Fleming, founder and CEO of StageKings, a company that specialises in designing and building sets for major events. The cancellation of these events due to COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 initially devastated StageKings, until Jeremy successfully pivoted the business to keep revenue coming in and keep his team employed. Their new mission: creating the innovative ISOKing range of furniture and accessories. 

Here, he talks about the art of pivoting in response to COVID-19 and shares some of the valuable lessons he and his team have learnt along the way.

Similar articles on this topic -

https://www.moneymag.com.au/tag/making-it-work

https://www.moneymag.com.au/making-it-work-stagekings

For more money tips head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our weekly newsletters.

Super. We all have it and should all be doing our best to look after it. For the most part, our thoughts revolve around how much we actually have in our superannuation accounts, how much it has grown over time, or where it is invested. Then there are the benefits of organising insurance through your super, the life insurance component of which can represent a large sum of money intended to look after those left behind. But who can you nominate as a super beneficiary? What if you’re single, widowed, or have a blended family?

Who you choose to nominate as a superannuation beneficiary has become an increasingly important issue with more and more instances of superannuation benefits being challenged in the courts. One recent example of this is the tragic case of Ashleigh Petrie who had allegedly tried to leave her superannuation death benefit to her struggling mother, only to have her 68-year-old magistrate fiancé successfully challenge the payout.

In this episode of Friends With Money, Julia Newbould is joined by Peter Bobbin, principal of Coleman Greig Lawyers, to discuss who you should nominate as a superannuation beneficiary, the difference between a binding and non-binding nomination, and whether or not your will can override your choice.

For more money tips head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

More than just a billionaire’s playground, space offers investment opportunities along the entire supply chain, from government defence spending right through to Australia’s bread and butter, mining. 
According to KPMG, Australia's space industry will provide fertile ground for retail investors, who can already gain exposure through superannuation funds and ETFs.   
In this episode of Friends With Money, David Thornton is joined by Mike Kalms - lead partner for defence and space industry at KPMG Australia, and colleague Jacob Hacker - space industry account lead, to discuss their findings and more.

For more money tips head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

Related KPMG links - https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/insights/2020/05/30-voices-on-2030-future-of-space.html 

People tend to see financial advisers as they near retirement, but the reality is that many gen X, millenials and even gen Zs can benefit from advice when making life's big decisions such as starting a new job, getting married, buying a house or investing for a secure future. After seeing a gap in the market needing advice in navigating through life stages, Glen Hare and business partner Jessica Brady built on their experience working for big financial firms and formed Fox and Hare, their own financial planning business targeting millennials like themselves.

So what do financial advisers offer millennials? In this episode of Friends With Money, Julia Newbould is joined by Glen Hare to talk about his business and how starting those important financial conversations is helping his clients to reach their wealth management goals.

For more money tips head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

Contracts for difference, also known as CFDs, are derivative investments that have long been used by professional investors to gain leveraged exposure to a broad range of securities. More recently, with an increase in the number of direct market access in the retail market they have soared in popularity with investors seeking strong returns. But are the risks really worth the rewards? In this episode of Friends With Money David Thornton is joined by Peter Campbell, senior financial adviser at Merideon Wealth Strategies, to discuss the surge in CFD trading and the realities of using CFDs as an investment.

For more Money tips, head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

With the advent of 5G as the next generation of broadband technology, the way we work, play and even invest is set to be fundamentally revolutionised. At a basic level, this kind of generational change in technology means greater bandwidth and a vast increase in data speed to go with it. The benefits for domestic use are clear, particularly as COVID-19 changes how the world communicates. But there are also much broader implications for both government and commercial settings with enormous potential to boost the economy. In this episode of Friends With Money, David Thornton is joined by Kanish Chugh, head of distribution at ETF Securities, to discuss the impact of the 5G megatrend, and explore how investors can gain exposure to benefit from its role in the business ecosystem.

For more Money tips, head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

Fashion industry icon Colleen Callander is a "leader by design", which happens to be the title of her new book. She believes leadership is something everyone can learn. In her book she shares her insights from 30 years in retail, including 13 years as CEO of popular fashion brands. Her experience runs from leaving school at 16 to suffering burnout from her workaholic ways to moving up the ladder and not being afraid to ask for her worth. Callander left the retail world in 2019 to experience the next chapter of her life - to follow her passions and travel - but when COVID-19 hit she launched a new business, which happened to be in the right place at the right time. She now mentors and coaches others to achieve their own success. In this special episode of Friends With Money, Colleen Callander takes the hot seat to talk about money.

For more Money tips, head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.

“31 degrees. Sun on my face. Sand between my toes. Life was pretty relaxed as we lay on a beach in Kos, in the Greek Islands. It was 2016 and Mina and I were relishing a six- month break from Australia.”

What a hook – isn’t it the dream – to be able to retire to a Greek island? The couple thought they’d hit the jackpot, retiring from your day job at age 28 owning 25 residential and commercial properties scattered across four states.

On this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, host and Editor at Large of Money magazine Australia, Julia Newbould, is joined by successful property investors and authors Scott and Mina O’Neill.

Mina and Scott O’Neill are professional property investors – they run a buyer’s agency for commercial property investors and have to date helped more than 2000 clients purchase well over $1 billion in Australian real estate.

They started their own property investing early and have just published their first book – Rethink Property Investing.

The couple worked hard, saved for many years and obsessed over every property decision. However, when they returned from their Greek Island holiday, one they had enjoyed every summer for several years, the O’Neills were not ready to retire.

They started to transition their portfolio into commercial property, and then realising that their knowledge of the commercial property market could help others get their start. They found most people didn’t know what commercial property included, what the advantages and disadvantages were and when they were ready to buy weren’t sure where to start.

This realisation prompted the O’Neills to start their own buyer’s agency to help people make their first moves into commercial property. The couple is now busier than ever and through their book Rethink Property Investing – they are able to tell their story and spark even greater interest in commercial property.

For more Money tips, head to moneymag.com.au to subscribe to our regular weekly newsletters.