Friends With Money

Romance Scams: ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe on Red Flags, AI Risks & How to Protect Yourself | Friends With Money
Romance scams are evolving fast, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission wants Australians to recognise the warning signs earlier.
On this week’s Friends With Money podcast, managing editor Vanessa Walker speaks with ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe about the regulator’s romance scam awareness campaign and why these crimes cause serious financial loss and long‑lasting emotional harm.
Lowe explains that romance scams involve fake relationships designed to steal money and personal data. They often start on dating apps or social platforms before quickly moving to encrypted messaging services. She outlines two common scam models, fast investment pitches and long‑running “slow burn” requests, and reveals Australians reported more than $28.6 million in losses to Scamwatch through 2025.
The episode also explores the ACCC’s taskforce approach, a new online relationship health check tool, the incoming scams prevention framework for banks, telcos and digital platforms, the role of organised crime and trafficking, and how AI could help ddefeat reverse image searches.
Links: ACCC Scamwatch

00:30 What are romance scams?
02:42 How big the losses are
04:45 How scams move online
06:18 Industry crackdown tools
07:49 Scams prevention framework
11:13 Who runs these rings
13:47 AI and future scams
16:08 Who Is most at risk
19:02 Warning signs and next steps

Podcast Links:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Money Website
YouTube Podcast Playlist
Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Should You Switch to an EV? Fuel shortages, charging costs & best electric cars in Australia
The war in Iran and resulting oil shortages are driving petrol and diesel supply anxiety in Australia, while more EVs from Asia, better home charging options, and typical fuel savings of $1200–$2000 per year are boosting interest in electric vehicle sales.
This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money's managing editor, Vanessa Walker, is joined by motoring contributor Matt Campbell to discuss the pros and cons of buying an EV.
Campbell explains the main barriers that held Australians back — price, range anxiety, resale and battery concerns, fit-for-purpose models, and charging infrastructure — then outlines what has changed, including emissions rules, improved plug-in hybrid and EV ranges, and growing price parity.
They cover economical charging (EV plans, solar and home batteries), insurance and resale considerations, suggested EV models across sizes, and why faster charging speeds are the next major battleground.

01:38 Why Aussies hesitated
03:14 Policy shifts and better range
05:23 Charging network bottlenecks
08:04 Cheapest ways to charge
09:19 Affordable EV price points
12:07 Must-have features vs gimmicks
13:46 Hidden costs insurance and resale
16:01 Top picks small to large
18:27 Future faster charging tech

Links:
Matt's Youtube channel

Podcast Links:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Money Website
YouTube Podcast Playlist
Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Family Trusts Explained (Australia): Tax Flexibility, Asset Protection & Who They’re For | Friends With Money

This week on The Friends With Money podcast, Money Magazine’s Ryan Johnson speaks with licensed Australian financial adviser and author Helen Baker to explain family trusts in plain english and challenge the idea they’re only for the ultra-wealthy.
They break down how a family trust is its own entity, the roles of beneficiaries, trustees and the appointor (who holds ultimate power), and why separation of control matters for potential asset protection.
Helen clarifies that the trust owns the assets and beneficiaries generally have rights to income or capital distributions, not ownership, and discusses when a trust may be worth considering (often with significant funds, varying household incomes, or positive income/capital), how tax flexibility works via distributing income across beneficiaries, the need to distribute to avoid the trust being taxed at the top rate, costs to set up and run, risks of poor management, and why investment suitability and liquidity matter.
00:00 Family trusts explained
02:03 Trust roles breakdown
05:12 Who owns what
06:13 When trusts make sense
08:23 Tax flexibility in action
10:25 Your advisory team
11:57 Risks and penalties
12:56 Costs to run and unwind
14:55 Choosing investments
16:49 Who trusts are for
Podcast Links:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Money Website
YouTube Podcast Playlist
Email Us: [email protected]

Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

Retirement Planning in Australia: What to Do 5 Years Out, 1 Year Out & On Retirement Day
This week on Friends With Money, Money Magazine host Ryan Johnson speaks with financial adviser Nick Bruining (Netplan) about preparing for retirement from five years out through to “R-day.”
They cover assessing family arrangements, assets and cash flow, likely lifestyle spending, and creating a wishlist while prioritising paying off non-deductible debt. Nick explains why life insurance often becomes less necessary as assets grow, and how to reduce investment risk in super as retirement nears while still keeping some growth for a 20–30 year retirement.
They discuss boosting super via salary sacrifice, personal deductible contributions, carry-forward concessional rules for balances under $500,000, and debunk the “million-dollar myth,” noting Centrelink can meaningfully top up income. The episode also covers downsizer contributions, part pension rules while working, concession cards, and applying via myGov within 13 weeks.
00:57 Five years out checklist
03:25 Rethinking life insurance
05:24 Super strategy and risk
08:54 One year out planning
11:28 Boosting super smartly
14:35 Downsizing and centrelink
17:10 Purpose and part pension
21:10 Applying for pension cards
23:55 Retirement day logistics
Podcast Links:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Money Website
YouTube Podcast Playlist
Email Us: [email protected]
Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

The story of gold: Why it’s valuable, how it shaped Australia, and how to invest today
This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money Magazine managing editor Vanessa Walker speaks with journalist Ryan Johnson about his April feature “The Story of Gold,” exploring why gold—an outer-space metal delivered by meteorites—became a durable, portable, and a widely accepted form of money.
They discuss gold’s key advantages over other elements, how much exists (about 219,000 tonnes ever mined), and its role in Australia’s history from the 1851 gold rush through to the establishment of the Sydney and Perth mints and the Eureka Stockade.
They explore how currencies were once pegged to gold, why the link ended during the depression and why central banks still buy gold, including the RBA’s 80 tonnes largely stored in London.
01:19 Why gold works
02:57 How much gold exists
03:35 Australia gold rush
05:01 Gold standard ends
06:21 Central Bank gold
07:53 Gold price outlook
09:00 Selling physical gold
10:41 Investing with ETFs
Podcast Links:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Money Website
YouTube Podcast Playlist
Email Us: [email protected]
Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR