The ASX can return 10 per cent again in 2026...or maybe even more, says star stockpicker Jun Bei Liu...but what to buy? In this second part of our 2026 investment outlook, she outlines very clearly the red-hot sectors offering the top stock picks and also the parts of the market to avoid.

Jun Bei Liu of Ten Cap joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this episode 

In today's show, we cover:

•  How miners will make you money in the year ahead
• Banks, REITs and retailers could let you down
• Can CSL return to its glory days?
• Liu's stand out stock to consider...and one to avoid
  
  

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It looks like the sharemarket will once again be the place to make money in 2026, especially on Wall Street. But it's not going to be a smooth ride: In the first weeks of the year, the US has unleashed a wave of foreign interventions - and President Trump has subpoenaed Fed Reserve chair Jay Powell - triggering alarm bells on Wall Street.

Marc Jocum, investment strategist at GlobalX ETFs joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover

• The outlook for investment markets in 2025
• Forecasts for the ASX in the year ahead
• Key predictions for Wall Street 
• The improved prospects in wider global markets 

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In this episode of The Money Puzzle, The Australian’s Wealth Editor, Julie-anne Sprague, unpacks what it takes to be a great investor with one of the nation's top stockpickers, Jun Bei Liu. How did Liu learn to invest? What did she learn when things went wrong and what's her advice for everyday investors wanting to build their wealth?

Jun Bei Liu of Ten Cap joins Wealth Editor Julie-anne Sprague in this episode.

Please note, this is a repeat episode of The Money Puzzle. It originally aired in December 2024.

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If it wasn’t said by a top financial adviser, you might dismiss it as a quote out of context, but  Partners Wealth Group Jack Tossol is not kidding: He says a generation that has ‘sunk everything’ into the family home will miss the chance to have a successful tax-deductible investment plan.

It’s a provocative notion, challenging die-hard principles of money management, but with house prices moving higher again...you have to listen.

Financial adviser Jack Tossol of Partners Wealth Group joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby,  in this episode.

In today’s show, we cover

• No tax deduction, no income…Is home ownership overrated?

• Why ‘Rentvesting’ is worth revisiting

• Are you facing decades of ‘dead money' in your home mortgage?

• Challenging the ‘retirement sweet spot’

Please note, this is a repeat episode of The Money Puzzle. It originally aired in August 2025.

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What is the FIRE movement and how did it get started? It's not a club or a cult: It doesn't have a headquarters, rather it's a set of investment principles: And it just might be a breakthrough for you in the year ahead.

Lionel Lee joins  James Kirby in the episode.

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In today's show, we cover:

• The key principles of FIRE
• Getting the best from what the movement has to offer
• A case study that spans a lifetime
• The realities of  'firing up'

Please note, this is a repeat episode of The Money Puzzle. It originally aired in December 2024.

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Who doesn't love a good movie?  Power, romance, ambition, betrayal...actually, that sounds more like a classic 'money movie'. In this special holiday show, The Australian's film critic Stephen Romei,  guides us through the best movies about money. 

Stephen Romei, The Australian's film critic joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this special episode.

In today's edition, we cover:

• Money movies - Do they tell us anything useful?
• Margot Robbie's double act - How she features in two all-time greats
• 'The Bank' - Australia's unique contribution to money movies
• Movies you never thought were about money (but tell you more than Wall Street)

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Investment markets are sliding in the final days of the year with the ASX 200 looking like it will manage just 8 per cent in total returns: Even Wall Street has softened in the final quarter of the calendar year bringing home about 16 per cent. What a year for the active investor! How was it for you? 

James Gerrard of www.financialadviser.com.au joins Associate Editor, Wealth James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• Global markets pull us up
• The ASX - Large caps bad, small caps good
• Winners and losers in a volatile year
• Gold V Bitcoin - No further questions your honour! 
  
  
  

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Terry Ryder of the Hotspotting group is Australia’s top expert in choosing  locations for investors.Today he spells out his ‘simple formula’ for the everyday investor that offers opportunity across the national market.

Terry Ryder of the Hotspotting group joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this episode.

In today’s show, we cover:

• The Hotspotting formula for finding a successful investment property
• Which markets will suit the formula best in 2026
• Momentum accelerates in the first home buyer segment
• Has Adelaide property peaked?
  
  

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It sounds reasonable at first glance: Shares on the ASX are up more than 5 per cent over the year to date - add your dividends and you might get close to a 9 percent total return. But then we have a 17 per cent year-to -date return on Wall Street. This is not a once-off: Wall Street has beaten the ASX out the door for more than decade, will it ever change? 

Gemma Dale, head of investor behaviour at nabtrade joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• The hard evidence that local shares let you down Why Wall Street wins ...and it's not just Trump
• Gold puts crypto in the shade  
• Should SMSFs pay levy for bad advice? 
  
  

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Everyone is feeling the squeeze of sky-high property prices: At the same time, state governments across Australia are actively encouraging 'densification'. No wonder, more investors are looking at optimising the land value of their homes by building out the back.

Financial adviser Nathan Fradley joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby in this episode.

Here's a guide:

• Beyond the 'granny flat' - how tax benefits flow to intergenerational property 
• Can we get on...who pays for what? 
• How recent planning and tax changes make intergenerational living easier 
• Know your rights...why advice is crucial in this area.
  
  

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