Her Money Matters

In Episode 72, Helene put Naomi in the hot seat to walk through the eight money weeks of our 12-week Her Money Masterclass. This week the tables turn. Naomi asks Helene, our resident therapeutic coach, why she’s part of a money course at all, and Helene takes us through the four money mindset weeks that round out the course. 

She also shares her own story of making money decisions on her own for the first time after her divorce, and what she wishes someone had told her back then. In this episode we cover:

Helene’s first step for you is to write down three sentences that start with “Money is…”, without overthinking them. Then pick one and ask yourself where you learnt it, how old you were, and whether it’s actually true. Next, choose your top three values. A good hint is to look at where you’re spending most of your time, energy and money right now. 

To get you started you can download a copy of some of the common values:

https://241927930.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/241927930/Episode%2077%20-%20Common%20Values.pdf

If you missed Part 1, head back to Episode 72 for the eight money weeks.

If this has you curious about doing the course yourself, we’re registering interest for our next intake in February/March 2027. Head to https://www.hermoneymatters.com.au/courses to join the waitlist.  We’d love to have you join us 😊.

This episode contains general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not financial product advice, nor is it medical, psychological or therapeutic advice. Before acting on anything discussed, consider whether it’s appropriate for your circumstances and seek advice from a qualified professional. Naomi Holmes and Her Money Matters are licensed by Alethea Partners Pty Ltd, AFSL 557729. NGS Super is a sponsor of this episode. Sponsorship does not influence the general information we share, and nothing discussed is a recommendation of any NGS Super product specifically.

This is part one of a two-part series focusing on Family and Domestic Violence.  Did you know that 27% of Australian women over the age of 15 have experienced violence, emotional abuse or economic abuse from a partner which represents 1 in 4 women.  Breaking that down a little further,

This means that women that have been subjected to this type of abuse are sitting in our friendship groups, our workplaces, and very likely, listening to this podcast right now.  This is a highly sensitive, multi-faceted and complex area, and the women that are victims may or may not recognise what is happening.  Physical abuse is obvious and abhorrent, however the more coercive types of abuse such as emotional, technological and financial abuse may be more subtle and patterns from the perpetrator may evolve over time.  

So often we hear "I wish someone had taught me this at school,”.  It's the single most common piece of feedback Naomi and Helene hear they are having a bit of fun with this episode and going back to their 21-year-old selves and handing over the six money lessons they wish they'd known sooner: Three from Naomi and three from Helene. 

This is a great episode to share with your kids / kidults and to share some of this really important money lessons we all wish we had known much earlier in life.

1. Start saving from your first pay cheque. The habit matters more than the amount. Automate a transfer the day you get paid, even if it starts small — the earlier the habit forms, the less it ever has to compete against a lifestyle that's already grown to fill the gap.

2. Understand what refinancing your mortgage actually resets. Every home loan is front-loaded with interest, and refinancing back to a fresh 25 or 30-year term resets that interest-heavy curve all over again. Naomi explains how to refinance for a better rate without quietly resetting the clock every few years.

3. Start investing early — even in tiny amounts. A micro-investing account lets you build comfort with market movement while the stakes are still small, so investing feels normal well before you have "real money" to put in.

4. Compound interest is more powerful than it feels when you're young. You don't need a meaningful amount to start — the magic is in the time, not the size of the deposit. Helene's advice: start absurdly small and let time do the rest.\

5. Super is the one she wishes she'd paid attention to sooner. Helene shares that she wished someone had talked to her about the importance of super so much earlier.  Super became compulsory in 1992 and had she paid attention to it all the way back then, she would have been in a significantly stronger position today.

6. Budgeting is a habit worth building early. For Helene, budgeting is about information: knowing where your money actually goes, so you get to make decisions on purpose. Building that habit young means you get take make the most of that information much earlier in life.

This episode is sponsored by NGS Super. Sponsorship does not influence the general information shared in this episode, and nothing discussed should be taken as a recommendation of any NGS Super product or service. This content is general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs — it is not financial product advice. Naomi Holmes and Her Money Matters are licensed by Alethea Partners Pty Ltd, AFSL 557729.  Past performance in not an indicator of future performance.

Is your trust still worth having? That's the question Naomi puts to Justine Wilson, Director at Altus Financial, in this deep dive into two of the biggest changes to come out of the May 2026 Federal Budget — the proposed 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts, and the change to how capital gains tax is calculated on assets you already own.

Naomi and Justine get into who these changes were designed to target, and who is actually likely to feel them. If you have a trust, you're thinking about setting one up, or you just want to understand what's settled law versus what's still just a proposal, this episode is your plain-English guide.

Justine Wilson is the Director of Altus Financial, where she works with clients on structuring, tax and asset protection decisions — including whether a trust is the right vehicle for their circumstances. Justine has been closely following the development of the 2026 Budget trust and CGT measures as they move through consultation.

You can find Justine at [email protected], and https://www.altusfinancial.com.au/.

If this episode helped make sense of what's actually changing — and what isn't — the best thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen. It takes less than two minutes and helps more women find this show.

And if you know someone who's been asking "should I still have a trust?", send them this episode.

This episode contains general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not financial product advice. Before acting on anything discussed, consider whether it's appropriate for your circumstances and seek advice from a qualified professional. Naomi Holmes and Her Money Matters are licensed by Alethea Partners Pty Ltd, AFSL 557729.

This episode is sponsored by Global X ETFs. Sponsorship does not influence the general information shared in this episode, and nothing discussed should be taken as a recommendation of any Global X product or service.

A note on legislative status: the negative gearing and CGT cost base indexation changes discussed in this episode passed Parliament and received royal assent on 25 June 2026 as the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 — these are now law. The proposed 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts is a separate measure from the same Budget that has not yet been legislated — Treasury's consultation process closed 31 July 2026 and exposure draft legislation has not yet been released. Everything discussed about trusts in this episode reflects the current best-available information at time of recording and is subject to change.

Almost every woman going through a divorce has this conversation. Not about the superannuation. Not about the investments. About the house. And it usually sounds something like — I don't care about anything else. I just need to keep the house.

In this episode Helene shares her own experience — and the very real cost of the decision she made — to have an honest conversation about what's really driving that need, and what it might actually be costing you.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL HEAR:

THE STATS

A USEFUL EXERCISE

"I believe I need to keep the house because..."

Whatever came up — that's the belief worth looking at.

THE QUESTIONS TO SIT WITH BEFORE YOU DECIDE

RESOURCES MENTIONED

CONNECT WITH US

Naomi Holmes — Her Money Matters

DISCLAIMER

The information shared in this episode is general in nature and does not constitute legal, financial or therapeutic advice. Please seek appropriate professional advice for your specific circumstances.

This episode covers the property tax measures from the 2026-27 Federal Budget, including the abolition of negative gearing for established residential property and the replacement of the CGT discount with cost base indexation. Both have since passed into law as the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, effective 1 July 2027. Related measures — including the treatment of discretionary trusts and a fix for the co-ownership "widow's tax" issue — are still being finalised in follow-up legislation and were not yet settled at the time of recording.

Podcasts are a great place to start, but when it comes to your own finances, super or lending position, please get guidance from a qualified professional. If you'd like more support, Naomi offers one-on-one coaching and financial education courses, and Her Money Matters has a panel of licensed financial advisers who can help with personal advice. Naomi Holmes and Her Money Matters are licensed by Alethea Partners Pty Ltd, Australian Financial Services Licence 557729.

Your money matters. Your future matters. And you? You matter.