The Money Puzzle

By The Australian

What's The Money Puzzle about?

The Money Puzzle covers all the important property, business, money and finance news.
With two episodes published every week, The Australian’s Wealth Editor James Kirby, along with business, property and finance experts share insights and information that you will use on your wealth building journey.
Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - [email protected]

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LAST EPISODE

How to Invest Like Taylor S...

06.01.2023

We're talking about how to tackle inflation as an active investor. We also deal with a question on discounted Listed Investment Companies which - believe it or not - leads us towards the Taylor Swift school of investing. It turns ...

The Money Puzzle episodes:

06.01.2023 How to Invest Like Taylor Swift (No Kidding) We're talking about how to tackle inflation as an active investor. We also deal with a question on discounted Listed Investment Companies which - believe it or not - leads us towards the Taylor Swift school of investing. It turns ...
05.30.2023 Why investors should pay a lower rate than home loan borrowers Investors pay a higher mortgage rate than home loan borrowers. However, this was not always the case – and there is now a solid argument to suggest that investors should pay less. In reality, the repayment statistics for investors are ...
05.25.2023 How about lending instead of borrowing? As the sharemarket drifts, investors are looking to ‘alternatives’ for returns: One of the most dependable alternative income investments is ‘secured mortgages’ where you get a high rate of return underpinned by property projects: This week we fish in a ...
05.23.2023 Why this property upturn will be very different The capacity to borrow will be the big difference in the next upward cycle of residential real estate prices. Property investors might be familiar with the challenges around locating and managing a successful property, but an entire generation of investors ...
05.18.2023 Bad For Landlords. Bad For Renters -Property Paradox As housing affordability bites hard and the rent crisis continues, many landlords are as frustrated as their tenants with the long-term realities of the property market: Could it work better and what would it take to move the dial? In ...
05.11.2023 Budget Special The Albanese government's first 'May Budget' elevates the risk of higher inflation and higher rates - it also signals further strong returns for miners and building stocks. In this week's episode, we cover the hits and misses of Budget 2023, ...
05.04.2023 Is a self managed super fund for you? Self Managed Super Funds are often associated with the very wealthy who have millions to spend, but new figures show the median amount for new SMSFs is $260,000. In this week's episode, we cover the advantages of an SMSF, why ...
04.27.2023 Why Aussie Small Cap Stocks Are Ready To Rebound Value investor Roger Montgomery is associated with blue chip companies, but that does not mean he looks exclusively at 'large caps': In fact, Montgomery says the small-cap selection on the ASX is emerging from the pandemic ready to beat all ...
04.20.2023 Why Impact Investing Is Ready To Go Mainstream Impact investing, where investors actively create ethical outcomes, has been growing steadily but the Albanese government's 'reconvening' of a task force on the issue is set to create a breakthrough. It's a great area... but can you make money from ...
04.13.2023 Buyer's Advocates: Should You Bother? Would you be better at a hotly contested auction than a buyer's advocate? How do they work and what do they charge? In today's show we cover how buyer's advocates operate and whether paying a fee or commission is better, ...
04.06.2023 The Millionaire Next Door This week we ask how will the new super changes work? And we meet a real-life 'millionaire next door’ (Australian style). Plus, we get to grips with new super tax changes, discuss borrowing for shares at mortgage rates and how ...
03.30.2023 What About My Bank Stocks? The credit markets have been shaken by the dual troubles of US and European banks. Crucially, the Credit Suisse rescue involved bondholders taking a rare ‘haircut’. What does it all mean for investors? In this week’s Money Cafe, we cover ...
03.23.2023 The lowdown on the high flyers of the Rich 250 The old guard are back - with a vengeance - miners, paper manufacturers and property developers regain a grip on the Rich 250 in 2023, Still, as the tech titans struggle (in relative terms!) the list has some very interesting ...
03.16.2023 Talking housing with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet In this special edition of Money Cafe we cover whether Sydney will be the first city to have a house price rebound, solving the rental crisis, the long-term economics of home ownership and why NSW premier Dominic Perrottet believes his ...
03.09.2023 Everything You Need to Know on the Super Changes What just happened in super? Is this about the 86,000 super investors above $3m - or is it the start of a new regime which will change how super works for a whole generation? Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest this ...
03.02.2023 Time for 'Big Super' to Bankroll Financial Literacy Industry super funds are the outright winners in the super system. The funds have thrived on the back of a simple law - every worker must put one dollar in ten they make into super. Yet, surveys show Australians are ...
02.23.2023 Super Cap Could Be A Property Trap Items covered in this episode include - Does property really double in price ever decade? The perils of trying to use a former SMSF property as a home, why using the home mortgage is the cheapest form of finance and ...
02.16.2023 The Problem With ETFs How can you go wrong with an Exchange Traded Fund? They match the market average, they have very cheap management fees and your financial adviser thinks they are the best thing ever...but there is no such thing as a perfect ...
02.09.2023 Investing in NDIS property - is it for you? Property developers are promising strong and stable returns from NDIS investments, but the risks are bigger than you might think. Topics covered in this episode include what every investor needs to know about NDIS property, the plan to reform financial ...
02.02.2023 Is Super Worth The Effort? Inside financial advice circles they call it the ‘black spot,’ the wealth level where government benefits fall away but annual investment income may be little better than pension. Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest this week is financial adviser, Liam Shorte ...
01.26.2023 Why Your Bank Stocks Are Buzzing The lift in bank stocks since the start of the year signals a change of heart in the residential property market. In this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby’s is joined by Will Hamilton of Hamilton Wealth Management. Questions always welcome ...
01.19.2023 Sorting out all your money issues in 2023 We're well and truly into 2023 now, are people still saying "happy new year?" ....in the last of our summer series with the Australian’s Wealth Editor James Kirby, James Gerrard of www.financialadviser.com.au is here to sort out your money issues ...
01.12.2023 Sorting out your property plans in 2023 With the news about the rental market, interest rates on the move and uncertainty ahead, The Australian’s Wealth editor James Kirby and special guest Stuart Wemyss of ProSolution have some commentary to get you thinking property through the summer. See ...
01.04.2023 Your shares in 2023 In this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is NABTrade’s head of investor behaviour, Gemma Dale. Discussing shares and the market ahead in 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.28.2022 Tax breaks beyond your Super In this episode of our Summer Series, Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is adviser Doug Turek, and we're getting Super set for 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.21.2022 Super for Starters Over summer The Australian's Money Cafe will be helping you get financially fit for 2023.....in this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest is adviser Bruce Brammall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.15.2022 What you must know about property next year Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest this week is Stuart Wemyss of the ProSolution group. They discuss the swing back to the city forecast for 2023, new 'rent bidding' reforms, how much higher mortgage rates and how apartments will get their ...
12.08.2022 Pay the mortgage or top up super - a new perspective Wealth Editor James Kirby is joined by James Gerrard of www.financialadviser.com.au. They discuss the new realities of higher rates and home mortgages, if ethical investing still offers an edge over conventional funds, unexpected tangles in the First Home Super Savers ...
12.01.2022 Forget the ASX forecasts and find the dividends In this episode Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest is Gemma Dale, Head of Investor Behaviour at NABtrade. They say the ASX will close in 2023 somewhere close to where it will close at the end of this month. Except, the ...
11.24.2022 Will the crypto crash make gold shine? James Kirby’s guest this week is Doug Turek, financial advisor at Minchin Moore. In this episode, topics for discussion include - Gold should be a winner in a market where shares are severely challenged, should you fix your mortgage now? ...
11.17.2022 Why property bargain hunters should bide their time James Kirby's guest on the podcast this week is adviser Bruce Brammall of Bruce Brammall Financial. The property market is down but not down far enough for bargain hunters - the cumulative strain of higher rates and lower prices is ...
11.10.2022 Could your bank be hacked? James Kirby's guest this week is Eric Johnston, Associate Editor and Business Columnist on The Australian. Cybersecurity has reached a new level with the spectacular blackmailing of Medibank Private...what's next? Also for discussion, the story behind the year's most spectacular ...
11.03.2022 Will we ever see a budget surplus again? Amy Auster, chief economist at PWC joins James Kirby Wealth Editor at The Australian on this week's episode. They discuss if we will ever see a balanced budget again, how super-low unemployment is not good for the economy, if our ...
10.27.2022 Budget Special: We read the measures, so you don't have to For discussion today.....tax, super and franked dividend issues in the budget, why property REITs don't pay dividends (it's distributions), investment bonds don't always work out and getting roubles out of Russia. Wealth editor James Kirby's guest this week is Will ...
10.20.2022 Who's afraid of the GST?.......The Sequel In this episode James Kirby and adviser Stuart Wemyss take a break from reporting on what the ALP says it won't do and concentrate on what needs to be done - in a word they have to broaden the tax ...
10.13.2022 Help! I'm in a financial hole...dig me out Financial advisers help you get rich and financial counselors deal with the less fortunate who find themselves in a hole – what can we learn from them? Financial counsellor Rob Burgess of Mortgage Stress Victoria joins Wealth Editor James Kirby ...
10.06.2022 The investment mistakes we all make Olivia Margana of Aspire Retire is a member of the Top 100 Advisers List. In this episode she and James Kirby discuss how too many investors rush to invest and make mistakes that cost time and money down the track. ...
09.29.2022 Is it a good time to buy property? House prices are falling across Australia, in this episode we take a closer look at the market and find out where the first bargains may emerge with Eliza Owen, head of research Australia for CoreLogic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
09.21.2022 Is that the end of the market sell off? Share markets have absorbed the latest Fed Fund rate hike quite well, with the US down 17% this year and the ASX down 12% we take the pulse for active investors In this episode James Kirby and Will Hamilton of ...
09.15.2022 So you still think rates are going to drop next year? This week's US inflation figure challenges the fragile consensus that inflation and rates are about to drift lower - for investors it's time to tune in. In this episode James Kirby and economics correspondent Pat Commins look at the following ...
09.08.2022 Why you DON'T have to fear our high inflation rate Super fund CEOs are warning inflation will erode returns and they can't be expected to do as well as recent years: But private investors are not under the same stress, they just need to get it right over the long ...
09.01.2022 Hunting for high paying hedge funds The Future Fund’s CEO Raphael Arndt and chairman Peter Costello are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to which investments win or lose for the nation’s most important investment vehicle each year. But this year they outlined how hedge funds had ...
08.25.2022 Around the world with the Money Cafe -Ex-pat special episode This week's special episode covers money issues for Australians abroad or anyone who has international investment queries. Financial adviser, Dr Doug Turek of Minchin Moore, joins James Kirby to discuss how to manage your Super if moving overseas, checking out ...
08.18.2022 The investment fund that's become a charity powerhouse Caroline Gurney the CEO of Listed Investment Company, Future Generation, joins The Australian's Wealth Editor James Kirby in this episode. Discussing listed investment companies...how they work, 'Untied funding' - trusting the charity to do the right thing and what happens ...
08.11.2022 The advisor's guide to finding financial advice James Kirby talks to Tim Mackay, advisor at Quantum Financial Services. Topics discussed include the qualification you want your advisor to have, should you bother becoming a Sophisticated Investor? Why four out of ten financial advisers have quit the industry ...
08.04.2022 Spotting the red flag for fraud in Super Leah Bennett, financial crime manager at Australian Catholic Super and a member of the First Nations Foundation joins The Australian's Wealth Editor James Kirby on this week's show. They discuss how super access schemes kick-started a fraud frenzy, the single ...
07.28.2022 Pay the mortgage or top up super? Financial adviser and author Bruce Brammall joins The Australian's Wealth Editor James Kirby on this week's show. They discuss how the RBA got it so wrong, tracking down listed investment companies and the latest on the bond market scams. See ...
07.21.2022 New financial year tax changes you should know Financial advisor Liam Shorte of the Verante Group joins The Australian's Wealth Editor James Kirby on this week's show. They discuss updates on changes to super, home grants and downsizing, bond funds fraud alerts, chasing overseas and the perils of ...
07.14.2022 Tech Titan Bargain Basement? Danielle Ecuyer, author of Shareplicity joins The Australian 's wealth editor James Kirby on this week's show. They discuss if the 50% discount on Facebook or Atlassian is enough, the investment income rising by double digits, 'cost-plus' building contracts and ...
07.07.2022 Yes, the markets could get worse... here's why Will Hamilton of Hamilton Wealth Management joins The Australian's wealth editor James Kirby on this week's show. They discuss why the markets could get worse, the biggest mistake the RBA ever made, government bonds and what would make an ideal ...

Older episodes

The Money Puzzle

What's The Money Puzzle about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Money Puzzle episodes:

How to Invest Like Taylor Swift (No Kidding)

Why investors should pay a lower rate than home loan borrowers

How about lending instead of borrowing?

Why this property upturn will be very different

Bad For Landlords. Bad For Renters -Property Paradox

Budget Special

Is a self managed super fund for you?

Why Aussie Small Cap Stocks Are Ready To Rebound

Why Impact Investing Is Ready To Go Mainstream

Buyer's Advocates: Should You Bother?

The Millionaire Next Door

What About My Bank Stocks?

The lowdown on the high flyers of the Rich 250

Talking housing with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet

Everything You Need to Know on the Super Changes

Time for 'Big Super' to Bankroll Financial Literacy

Super Cap Could Be A Property Trap

The Problem With ETFs

Investing in NDIS property - is it for you?

Is Super Worth The Effort?

Why Your Bank Stocks Are Buzzing

Sorting out all your money issues in 2023

Sorting out your property plans in 2023

Your shares in 2023

Tax breaks beyond your Super

Super for Starters

What you must know about property next year

Pay the mortgage or top up super - a new perspective

Forget the ASX forecasts and find the dividends

Will the crypto crash make gold shine?

Why property bargain hunters should bide their time

Could your bank be hacked?

Will we ever see a budget surplus again?

Budget Special: We read the measures, so you don't have to

Who's afraid of the GST?.......The Sequel

Help! I'm in a financial hole...dig me out

The investment mistakes we all make

Is it a good time to buy property?

Is that the end of the market sell off?

So you still think rates are going to drop next year?

Why you DON'T have to fear our high inflation rate

Hunting for high paying hedge funds

Around the world with the Money Cafe -Ex-pat special episode

The investment fund that's become a charity powerhouse

The advisor's guide to finding financial advice

Spotting the red flag for fraud in Super

Pay the mortgage or top up super?

New financial year tax changes you should know

Tech Titan Bargain Basement?

Yes, the markets could get worse... here's why