Today, Charter Hall is Australia's leading property fund manager, managing more than $22 billion in property, but a glance back 30 years doesn't show its founders chasing dreams of becoming the big property players. Instead, they were simply trying to survive in the property environment of that time and were simply looking at offering what was needed. In this episode of the Nest Egg podcast, co-founder Cedric Fuchs joins host David Stratford to discuss the changes that he has seen throughout his time in the real estate sector from 1991 where vacancy rates were enormous and tenants were being offered rent free leases, to current day and into the future. Cedric will also unpack the basics of starting and running a successful business, share his advice for those looking to grow their nest egg and analyse what you should consider if contemplating taking on debt.

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With the Australian market in a constant state of change, up to date information is paramount in turning your investment into dollars. In this episode of the Nest Egg podcast Adam Truelove, global trading director at Learn to Trade unpacks how you can protect yourself and continue to make money in the current finance market and shares how investors can find new revenue streams to increase their return. Adam also discusses the importance of always "being the student" and shares the key points investors need to know to make money on the stock market at the moment, while looking at what's coming next.

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Just 5 per cent of Australians think they have gained a lot from the last 26 years of economic growth and this tells an interesting story about us. In this episode of the Nest Egg podcast, independent economist and vice-chancellor's fellow at the University of Tasmania Saul Eslake joins host Lucy Dean to discuss the report, unpack how the mining boom and a slow growing economy may be fuelling this public attitude and compare Australian economic growth with other Western countries. He also talks about:

- The reasoning behind the recent income tax cuts; - How the tax cuts will impact the economy; and - Whether small businesses really are hard done by

The peer-to-peer lending space is "littered" with stories of lenders losing out to poor quality borrowers, so it may be time for a strategy rethink. That's according to Bigstone executive chairman Robert Spano. Speaking to the Nest Egg podcast team, he said these stories are why fractionalisation, partnered with the ability to sniff out the difference between a bad egg and someone down on their luck is important. "What we have to stop is allowing investors to invest in singular loans," he said. "I think fractionalisation, which means taking a small percentage of a great number of loans, has to be in place to allow investors to invest over a spread of loans, not one individual loan." Mr Spano also spoke to Nest Egg about: · Commercial lending in the wake of the royal commission; · The difficulty small businesses have in accessing finance; and · Returns or protection – what do investors really want? Thanks Robert, for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Robert and Bigstone are up to at bigstone.com.au/hub Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

While still struggling to diversify, Aussie SMSFs are getting better at reading the market, the director of an online broker has said. Speaking on the Nest Egg podcast, Bell Direct director and chief executive Arnie Selvarajah said Aussie SMSFs are still heavily skewed towards domestic equities and it's not "where we need to be as a sector". "Today I see that when the market goes down, most people buy. So, they've really understood now the opportunity from a moving market and the volatility in the market rather than being fearful of it," he said. "I think that's a good sign. I think that means that people are understanding the market a bit better, understanding and accepting the volatility and using that volatility to actually make good investment decisions." Mr Selvarajah also spoke to Nest Egg about: - Why you need to set an objective for your SMSF; - The difference between engaged and active management in retirement; and - The importance of cutting down on time spent on SMSF administration. Thanks Arnie, for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Arnie and Bell Direct are up to here. Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

The science to significantly prolong lifespans is within reach, but it'll take individual belief and investor action to make it a reality, leading ageing researcher Aubrey de Grey has said. According to biomedical gerontologist and founder of the SENS regenerative medical research foundation, Dr Aubrey de Grey, the financial services' burgeoning willingness to engage with the possibility of massively extended lifespans is an encouraging trend signalling the future of anti-ageing science is bright. Speaking to the Nest Egg podcast team at the Actuaries Institute Financial Services Forum, Dr de Grey explained that the next 30 years will likely see the development of therapies to increase a lifespan by 30 years. However, individual and industry belief in the possibility is lower than it should be. "When you come along and say anything quite so dramatic as this, there is a tendency to first of all just not listen, and then not believe that this could possibly be true," Dr de Grey said. He also spoke to Nest Egg about: - Why investors should be investing in liquid nitrogen; - The labour market of the future; and - The world's changing population capacity. Thanks Aubrey for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Dr de Grey and the SENS Research Foundation are up to here. Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

ETFs have been treated like "pariahs" but that's neither fair, nor true, the CEO of ETF Securities Australia has said, while dispelling myths surrounding the growing investment vehicle class. Speaking on the Nest Egg podcast, ETF Securities Australia's Kris Walesby said criticisms of ETFs as driving the market in certain directions are unfounded as ETFs, by nature, track. "ETFs cover a lot of different things. If a product provider's provided something that is on a highly volatile product and then you've tripled it, whether that ETF should be there or not is a separate discussion, but the ETF actually did exactly what it was meant to do," Mr Walesby said. "People are resentful because they've lost their money, but actually, it's not the fault of the ETF." He also spoke to the team about: · Why there's no reason to be scared of ETFs; · Choosing between active and passive managers; and · Why being able to trade an ETF during the day is an "amazing risk mitigation factor". Thanks Kris, for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Kris Walesby and ETF Securities Australia are up to here. Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

Investors may believe a commercial property investment is unattainable, but according to an expert in the space, not only is it attainable, it also helps portfolios diversify. Speaking to the Nest Egg podcast team, head of direct property at Charter Hall Steven Bennett said many people think commercial property investing is limited to multi-story office blocks or new projects. However, he said it's much broader than that and said retail investor interest in the space is growing. He also spoke to the team about: · Why investing in commercial property is more attainable than you might think; · The importance of 'getting behind the data' to understand the different commercial markets; and · The diversification benefits investing in commercial property brings. Thanks Steven for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Steven Bennett and Charter Hall are up to here. https://www.charterhalldirect.com.au/news/ Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

If you've got tennis elbow and your doctor suggests cutting your arm off, you'd seek a second opinion. So why wouldn't you do that with questionable financial advice? That's the argument put forward by Dr Dennis J. Maddern, independent financial adviser and founder and executive chairman of Maddern Financial Advisers. Dr Maddern told the Nest Egg podcast team that the barriers of entry to becoming a financial adviser are too low in Australia and, as the royal commission is revealing, Aussies are being stung. "They then should have confidence in that care. There should be no Storm Financials. There should be no Four Corners programmes," he said. "There should be no royal commissions. There should be no conflicted advice. The general public must be horrified at what they're seeing and hearing at the moment." He also spoke to the team about: · Why Australians shouldn't be afraid of seeking second opinions on financial advice · How to spot a truly independent financial adviser · Why even self-styled "Warren Buffetts" shouldn't be afraid of seeking advice Thanks Dr Maddern, for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Dr Maddern and Maddern Financial Advisers are up to at https://bit.ly/2JkCskp

Trying to navigate the disruptions of AI, online retail and energy innovations? Look to the Canon v Kodak late '80s showdown for a history lesson, a fund manager has said. Speaking to the Nest Egg podcast team, Peters MacGregor Global Investing's founder Wayne Peters said his experience of helming, and later selling Kodak Express was an example of the power of technology and the importance of sustainable investment decisions. Explaining that he sold the Kodak Express chain in 1989 with the arrival of Canon's first digital camera, he said when he first saw the digital camera, he realised it would not be too good for the Kodak business. "I sold the chain, and interestingly, two years later, Bill Gates came out and said Kodak was toast. "At that stage, Kodak was the second most valuable brand in the world. A very early lesson on how technology can change very quickly and impact values." With this lesson in mind, Wayne also told the Nest Egg team about: 1. Peters MacGregor's three key portfolio themes 2. How he navigates the proven track record versus future dividend opportunity divide 3. And the European bank recovery story Thanks Wayne, for sharing your insights with the Nest Egg podcast team! You can stay up-to-date with what Wayne and Peters MacGregor Global Investing are up to here. Have an investment story to share? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.