The Money Puzzle

You can’t have a run of interest rate hikes and expect property to shoot out the lights. The chances are we are going to see a price slowdown in the major cities later this year…especially at the top end. But a string of factors point to serious resilience at the other end of the market.

Independent housing analyst, Eliza Owen, joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode 

In today’s show, we cover:

• The key factors keeping demand strongest at the entry level
• How the 5% home deposit scheme skewed house prices
• A new CGT discount rate of 33% is now the most likely Budget change
• The problem with ‘grandfathering’ 

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What are investors doing in reaction to the shocking turn in markets during the first three months of 2026? 

One of the first moves is a distinct retreat from Wall Street back to the ASX, as investors seek mining and energy stocks along with blue chips that can deliver reliable dividends. It's early days but we are also seeing a pick-up in defensive investments such as infrastructure and a little less enthusiasm for gold.

David Bassanese, chief economist at ETF provider Betashares, joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• The surprise swing back to the ASX
• Where to invest now?
• The continuing case for gold (despite a bad run)
• CGT - To grandfather or not to grandfather? 

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If you want to get advice from today's guest, Ben James of Escala Partners, you need to have at least $5m in your investment portfolio. In other words, his clients are strictly from the top end of town. So what have his clients been doing since the Iran crisis broke in February, and what is he telling them to do next?

Ben James, CEO of Escala Partners, joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode 

In today's show, we cover:

• The inflation shock to markets and what you must do next?
• Liquidity beyond cash for the everyday investor
• The next hot spots for active investors 
• Are dividends vulnerable in the months ahead 
  
  

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Buyer's agents armed with rubber-stamp qualifications are herding investors into overpriced regional hot spots just in time for a looming wave of rate rises...it's an accident waiting to happen.

Veronica Morgan from Good Deeds Property Advisors joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover

• A warning for investors buying outside their home markets 
• The off-the-shelf buyer's agent qualification you should know about 
• Crunch looms for first home buyers on the 5% home deposit scheme
• Why property owners may sell up prior to CGT Budget change 

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What do the super-rich have in common? The everyday investor might never be a dealmaker, but they can learn a lot from the discipline, focus and confidence common to the cohort on this year's Rich 250 list.

John Stensholt, Rich 250 Editor joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• The common traits among the Rich 250 
• Who's who on the list and why they make the cut 
• How the share market AI v Software battle reshapes the list
• Couple-power...the underrated factor in building wealth 

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Cash rates are now more than 4 per cent and your mortgage is around 6 per cent: What's more, it looks very much like the hiking cycle is far from over, so should you fix at these levels?

Stuart Wemyss of the Prosolution Private Clients group joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• To fix or not to fix...the dilemma bites 
• Surprise good news for older cash hoarders 
• SMSF property lending cleared for take off 
• How much insurance do you really need? 

 

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Former AFL star Chris Judd has become a fund manager specialising in 'small cap' stocks: No surprise, he's got some clear views on the share market and what investors should be doing as higher interest rates loom.

Chris Judd of the Cerutty Macro Fund joins Associate Editor - Wealth, James Kirby, in this episode .In today's show, we cover:

• The share market according to Chris Judd 
• How Judd's Cerutty Macro Fund finds stocks
• The stocks he is concentrating on in 2026
• A once-in-blue-moon Money Puzzle footy tip! 
  
  

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"Rentvesting' is increasingly popular where wannabe home owners move first to buy a rental property and later to use their accumulated equity to buy 'a forever family home.' But putting some of your capital into the sharemarket, rather than the property market may be much more lucrative...and even better if CGT tax is raised in the near future.

Author Jacqui Clarke, Your Personal CFO joins associate editor, James Kirby on this podcast episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• Rentvesting  - It takes longer than you think
• CGT changes - How they will impact house prices, according to CBA
• Fixed rate mortage break costs - The bank that is not charging at all
• Medicare Levy Surcharge...watch out for this trap 

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These are very early days in the Iran war and the impact on share markets is far from clear. But already we can see there is upward pressure on interest rates around the world, there is also a clear risk of an inflation spike due to oil supply.

Will Hamilton of Hamilton Wealth Partners joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode.

In today's show, we cover:

• Why the Iran war will push rates higher
• The bull market for global shares is now under serious pressure
• How AI is especially vulnerable to increased energy prices
• Private credit is a flash point in a volatile market 
  
  

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Though 80,000 investors own more than two negatively geared properties, the reaction to news that the government is planning to ‘cap’ the tax break has been low-key. Perhaps that’s because losing money on an investment property should not be the first aim of an investor.

Jarrod McCabe of the Wakelin Advisory Group joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode

In today’s show, we cover:

• How will a negative gearing cap affect the market?
• Finding value where first-home buyers have reached their limits
• Can Adelaide hang on to its promotion as a top investor location?
• Defence site sales loom across the nation

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