WestPac Wealth Investments

What are the rules that should never be broken when building an investment portfolio?

In this episode of the WestPac Wealth Investments Podcast, Joe DeLisi shares the investment principles he considers non-negotiable. Drawing a parallel between successful business operations and successful investing, Joe explains why disciplined portfolio construction matters and why "winging it" is rarely a winning strategy.

Joe discusses the difference between investing and speculation, the importance of having a repeatable process, and why some decisions should not depend on market headlines, emotions, or short-term trends. He also shares insights from speaking to thousands of financial advisors across the country and explains the principles he believes should guide investors regardless of age or market conditions.

Whether you're building wealth, preparing for retirement, or simply trying to become a more disciplined investor, this conversation offers a practical framework for making better financial decisions.

Topics Discussed:

• The non-negotiables of portfolio construction
• Investing vs. speculation
• Why discipline matters more than predictions
• Lessons from successful business operators
• Common mistakes investors make
• Building a repeatable investment process
• Long-term wealth creation strategies

In this episode, Joe DeLisi shares the story behind the investment philosophy that guides his work today and why it took years to fully develop. From his early days entering the financial industry without a finance degree to discovering evidence-based investing, Joe explains the experiences that changed how he thinks about markets, portfolio construction, and long-term investing.

Joe also discusses the growing interest from younger advisors who want to understand not only what works in investing, but why. Along the way, he reflects on the mistakes, assumptions, and industry influences that shaped his perspective over nearly three decades.

This conversation offers valuable insight for investors, advisors, and anyone interested in how financial philosophies are formed over time.

In this episode of the Westpac Wealth Investment Podcast, host Joe Dalisi sits down with Nash Subotic, Founder and CEO of WestPac Wealth Partners, to dive deep into the firm’s investment philosophy and how it drives better long-term outcomes for clients.

Nash shares the core principles that guide Westpac Wealth’s portfolios:

• Why a long-term, history-driven, science-based approach beats short-term speculation
• The importance of global diversification — including international stocks, small-cap value, and emerging markets
• How the firm’s portfolios performed through the 2020 crash and the 2022 bear market
• Why staying invested and even adding capital during market declines creates significant wealth over time
• The power of disciplined asset allocation over chasing hot trends like crypto or “this time is different” narratives

Nash also discusses how WestPac Wealth puts clients’ long-term interests first — even when it’s unpopular — and why protection-first planning, risk management, and comprehensive wealth strategies are just as important as the investment side.

Whether markets are booming or in turmoil, this conversation delivers clear, timeless investment wisdom straight from the leader of one of the fastest-growing wealth management firms in the country.

Headlines about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz have many investors asking the same question: What does this mean for my money? In this episode, we explore how geopolitical risk can impact markets, why uncertainty is always part of investing, and how a disciplined long-term strategy can help investors avoid costly emotional decisions.

In Part 2 of our Next Generation series, we continue the conversation around how young adults can begin making sound financial decisions early, before costly mistakes take root.

Today’s environment presents more access to information than ever before, yet many young investors still lack clarity on what truly drives long-term success. In this episode, we focus on the foundational principles that matter most: developing disciplined habits, avoiding common pitfalls, and understanding the importance of a long-term perspective.

Rather than chasing trends or reacting to short-term market movements, this discussion centers on building a framework for decision-making that can serve young adults throughout every stage of life.

This episode is valuable not only for young professionals getting started, but also for parents and families seeking to guide the next generation with intention and wisdom.

Many long-time clients eventually reach a new stage of life, when their children become young adults and begin making financial decisions of their own.

In this episode, Joe DeLisi discusses a growing trend he has seen over the past several years: parents asking their advisor to speak with their adult children about money, careers, and financial responsibility. These conversations look very different from traditional financial planning discussions with established professionals, but they can be just as important.

Joe explains how financial guidance changes when working with someone in their early 20s, the kinds of questions young adults are asking today, and why learning sound financial principles early can have a lasting impact.

Whether you’re a parent hoping to prepare your children for financial independence or a young adult beginning to think about money for the first time, this episode explores the importance of building a strong financial foundation early in life.

With headlines about rising tensions between the United States and Iran, many investors are asking the same question: What does this mean for my portfolio?

In this episode, Joe takes a break from the usual studio setting to address the uncertainty surrounding global conflict and the impact it may—or may not—have on financial markets. Rather than focusing on politics or speculation, Joe looks at the data and historical context to help investors understand how markets have responded to geopolitical events in the past.

You’ll hear why reacting emotionally to breaking news can be one of the most damaging decisions an investor makes, and why a disciplined investment strategy is designed to weather periods of uncertainty.

If you’ve been feeling uneasy about the headlines or wondering whether you should make changes to your investments, this episode will help put current events into perspective.

In a recent episode, Joe shared a story about “the worst decision a client ever made” — and the response was bigger than expected. But some listeners walked away with the wrong takeaway.

In this follow-up, Joe clears it up.

This episode breaks down the real difference between owning an individual stock and owning the broader market through an index like the S&P 500. What actually happens if a single company goes to zero? What would it mean if the entire market did? And why does that distinction matter when building a portfolio designed to last decades?

If you’ve ever held onto a stock because you “know the company,” believe it’s too big to fail, or feel confident it will always bounce back — this conversation is for you.

Joe explains risk in plain language, without hype, and reinforces the discipline behind diversification, long-term thinking, and avoiding unnecessary speculation.

This episode is about understanding what you truly own — and making decisions that align with long-term stewardship, not short-term emotion.

Is low-cost indexing enough? Or are investors missing the bigger picture?

Index funds have transformed investing. They’re efficient, inexpensive, and widely accessible. But focusing solely on cost can oversimplify how portfolios actually generate returns.

In this episode, we examine why the cheapest index fund may not represent a complete investment strategy. We discuss expected returns, risk premiums, diversification, and the importance of thoughtful portfolio design.

Rather than chasing the lowest expense ratio, successful long-term investing requires understanding risk, discipline, and proper allocation. This conversation explores the principles behind structured portfolio construction and how investors can think more strategically about risk and return.

If you want to better understand the academic foundation of investing and how it applies in real markets, this episode provides valuable perspective.

If not for bad predictions, we might not have predictions at all.

In this episode, Joe revisits a 2002 white paper titled “What Risk Premium Is Normal?” by Rob Arnott and uses it as a lens to examine one of the most persistent problems in investing: overconfidence in forecasts.

From the “new economy” mindset of the late 1990s to today’s bold market projections, Joe breaks down why long-term return predictions are so often wrong, how expectations get distorted, and what investors should focus on instead. This is a grounded conversation about realism, discipline, and the danger of building financial plans on optimistic assumptions.

If you’ve ever wondered why expert predictions miss the mark or how to invest intelligently when the future is uncertain this episode will help reset your expectations and sharpen your strategy.

Topics covered:

• Why market predictions are consistently unreliable
• Expected vs. actual equity returns
• Lessons from past market cycles
• How investors should think about risk and long-term planning
• What really matters when forecasts fail