Financial Autonomy

What if one of the biggest changes to how Australians invest is about to happen, and hardly anyone here is talking about it? 

US sharemarkets are moving towards near-24-hour trading, which could make it much easier for Australians to invest directly in the world's biggest companies during our own business hours. For anyone who has built their portfolio through the ASX, that raises some uncomfortable questions about what comes next. 

Could investing overseas become cheaper and easier? Does the exchange you use even matter anymore? And if Australian investors have fewer reasons to stay local, what happens to the ASX itself? 

Paul has a strong view on where this could be heading, and it is not one you hear every day. 

Then Nick and Paul turn to property, where another long-held Australian assumption is being tested. House prices are falling in some markets, which can feel alarming when a huge chunk of your wealth is tied up in your home or investment property. But if we want housing to become more affordable, can prices really keep climbing forever? 

This episode is about looking past the headlines and asking what these shifts could actually mean for the way you build and protect wealth. 

Why the ASX could become far less important to your portfolio than it is today  


The shift that could make investing directly in the US cheaper and easier than you expect  


The hidden risk you take on when more of your money moves into overseas markets  


Why a falling property price does not always mean you are financially worse off  


The assumption about property that could be distorting the way you build wealth 


 If a large part of your wealth sits in Australian shares or property, this is a conversation worth hearing before assuming the old rules will keep working the same way. 

FURTHER LISTENING You can find our playlist full of episodes about investing here.  

WANT PERSONALISED ADVICE FOR YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY?: Book an appointment with Guidance Financial Services here.   READY TO SORT YOUR FINANCES AND BUILD WEALTH WITH A CLEAR PLAN?: Wealth Builder is our specialised 12-month financial advice program for people in their 30s and 40s. You can learn more about it here.   FOLLOW NICK ON LINKEDIN HERE.  WANT TO STAY ACROSS WHAT'S MOVING THE MARKETS?: Subscribe to GainingCHOICE, our weekly email unpacking the key headlines and what to pay attention to. 

GOT A FINANCE QUESTION FOR PAUL?: Send it to paul@financialautonomy.com.au, and it could be featured in his Ask an Expert column each Sunday in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. 

You can also find all our links here  General advice disclaimer

Want to retire earlier, cut back your hours or reach the point where work becomes optional? 

A lot of people in their 40s and 50s assume financial independence is still years away because they do not have millions sitting in an investment portfolio. 

But that may be the wrong number to focus on. 

If your super is on track to support you from 60, the real challenge may be much smaller: how do you fund the gap between the age you want to step back and the age you can access super? 

That shift can completely change what financial independence looks like. 

In this episode, Paul breaks down the decisions that can bring that point closer, from how much debt you carry and where your wealth sits, to whether you really need to live only off investment income. 

Inside this episode: 

The shift in thinking that could make retiring earlier feel far more achievable 


Why chasing a huge passive-income portfolio may be making the goal harder than it needs to be 


The role your super balance plays in whether you can afford to step back before 60 


How your mortgage could be the biggest thing standing between you and more freedom 


Why drawing down investments can sometimes get you to financial independence years sooner 


The alternative to full retirement that could give you most of the freedom you actually want 


If you are earning well but starting to wonder how long you really want to keep working at the same pace, this episode will help you think about what would need to change to give yourself more choice before 60. 

WANT A PLAN TO WORK LESS OR RETIRE EARLIER? At Guidance Financial Services, we can help you build a financial plan around the life you want, bringing together your super, debt, investments and future income so you can work towards having more choice before 60. Book your appointment here.   WANT TO STAY ACROSS WHAT'S MOVING THE MARKETS?: Subscribe to GainingCHOICE, our weekly email unpacking the key headlines and what to pay attention to. 

GOT A FINANCE QUESTION FOR PAUL?: Send it to paul@financialautonomy.com.au, and it could be featured in his Ask an Expert column each Sunday in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. 

You can also find all our links here. 

General advice disclaimer

Australian investors have spent decades being told there are good reasons to keep a big chunk of their money at home. 

We've got franking credits, familiar companies, and the big banks and miners. 

But what if that old investing playbook is starting to work against you? 

Over the past decade, the gap between Australian and US sharemarket returns has been enormous. At the same time, some of the industries creating the most wealth in the world barely exist on the ASX. 

And there is another problem Australian investors often overlook: your shares may not be the only part of your financial life already tied to Australia. 

So how much Australian exposure is too much? 

In this episode, Paul looks at whether the traditional case for owning a large allocation to Australian shares still stacks up, what has changed underneath the headline returns, and whether investors need to start thinking differently about where they build wealth. 

Inside this episode: 

The decade-long return gap that is getting harder for Australian investors to ignore 


Why waiting for Australian shares to look cheap may not give you the answer you expect 


The global growth story the ASX gives you surprisingly little access to 


One reason your portfolio could be far more exposed to Australia than you realise 


Why franking credits may be making this decision more complicated than it needs to be 


The investing argument that made sense 20 years ago but is much harder to make today 


Why putting more money overseas could actually reduce your risk 


What the world's biggest companies can tell us about where future wealth may be created 


If Australian shares still make up a big part of your portfolio, this episode may change how you think about what belongs in it.  WONDERING IF YOU'RE TOO HEAVILY INVESTED IN AUSTRALIA? 

At Guidance Financial Services, we can help you review your portfolio, understand where you may be overexposed and build an investment strategy that gives you the right mix of Australian and global investments for your goals. Book your appointment here.  WANT TO STAY ACROSS WHAT'S MOVING THE MARKETS?: Subscribe to GainingCHOICE, our weekly email unpacking the key headlines and what to pay attention to. 

GOT A FINANCE QUESTION FOR PAUL?: Send it to paul@financialautonomy.com.au, and it could be featured in his Ask an Expert column each Sunday in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. 

You can also find all our links here. 

General advice disclaimer

Most investors worry about taking too much risk.
But what if the bigger problem is that you are not taking enough?
Choosing how much risk to take with your money can have a huge impact on what your investments are able to do for you. Get it wrong and you could either expose yourself to losses you are not prepared for, or spend years investing only to find you have made it much harder to reach the goal you were aiming for.
And the answer is not as simple as picking conservative, balanced or growth.
Your timeframe matters. Your goals matter. Your behaviour when markets fall matters. Even where the money is invested can completely change what an appropriate level of risk looks like.
In this episode, Paul unpacks the factors that can change the answer, the common ways investors misjudge their own risk tolerance and why the portfolio that feels safest may not always leave you in the strongest financial position.
Inside this episode:
The risk many cautious investors do not realise they are taking

Why your risk-profile questionnaire could be giving you only part of the answer

The scenario that can reveal whether your portfolio is actually too risky for you

Why being a growth investor does not mean all of your money should be invested for growth

The timeframe mistake that can make an otherwise sensible investment strategy completely inappropriate

What can happen when you and your partner have very different ideas about money and risk

Why someone approaching retirement may need to rethink a strategy that has worked for decades

The surprising reason a conservative investor may still choose an aggressive investment option

How to find the point between protecting what you have and giving your money enough opportunity to grow

If you have ever wondered whether you should be taking more risk, less risk, or whether your current portfolio actually matches what you are trying to achieve, this episode will give you a much better way to think about the decision.
WANT PERSONALISED ADVICE FOR YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY? Book your appointment here.   WANT TO STAY ACROSS WHAT'S MOVING THE MARKETS?: Subscribe to GainingCHOICE, our weekly email unpacking the key headlines and what to pay attention to. 

GOT A FINANCE QUESTION FOR PAUL?: Send it to paul@financialautonomy.com.au, and it could be featured in his Ask an Expert column each Sunday in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. 

You can also find all our links here. 

General advice disclaimer

Buying property with family can seem like a smart way to help your kids, pool your money or make a deal possible that none of you could manage alone. 

Until someone wants out. 

But what happens if someone wants out, a relationship breaks down, or the family disagrees about who owns what? 

In this episode, Nick and Paul unpack five real family property deals that ended in court. Each case reveals a different risk, from unclear loans and ownership to unpaid work, missing wills and promises that were never properly documented. 

Inside this episode: 

The family loan that looked legitimate on paper but didn't hold up when it mattered 


Whether money given to your child could end up caught in their relationship breakdown 


What you could be risking by contributing to a property without being on the title 


Why paying the deposit, mortgage and renovation costs may still leave you with no ownership 


The man who put more than 1,000 hours into a family property deal and discovered what his work was legally worth 


Helping family does not have to end badly. But these cases show why good intentions and a handshake may not be enough when large sums of money and valuable property are involved. 

Listen before you buy, build, lend or invest with family. 
 
FURTHER LISTENING You can find our playlist full of episodes about investing here.  

WANT PERSONALISED ADVICE FOR YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY?: Book an appointment with Guidance Financial Services here.   READY TO SORT YOUR FINANCES AND BUILD WEALTH WITH A CLEAR PLAN?: Wealth Builder is our specialised 12-month financial advice program for people in their 30s and 40s. You can learn more about it here.   FOLLOW NICK ON LINKEDIN HERE.  WANT TO STAY ACROSS WHAT'S MOVING THE MARKETS?: Subscribe to GainingCHOICE, our weekly email unpacking the key headlines and what to pay attention to. 

GOT A FINANCE QUESTION FOR PAUL?: Send it to paul@financialautonomy.com.au, and it could be featured in his Ask an Expert column each Sunday in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. 

You can also find all our links here  General advice disclaimer