Friends With Money

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
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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:
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Email Us: [email protected]
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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:
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Defence stocks explained: ETFs, cyclical risks, and ethical investing | Friends With Money
In this week's Friends With Money, editor-in-chief Michelle Baltazar speaks with Alex Jamieson of Jamieson Private Wealth about why defence shares have rallied amid widening Middle East conflict, disrupted shipping lanes, and higher oil prices.
Jamieson explains how “defence” now spans drones, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, and software, and argues rising geopolitical risk and NATO catch-up spending make it a longer-term structural theme, though stocks can be cyclical and require active rebalancing and profit-taking.
01:30 What counts as defence stocks
02:22 Why defence stocks are rallying
04:02 Do you already have exposure
05:46 Cyclical stocks and profit-taking
07:49 Fear trade or structural trend?
09:58 Defence ETFs to consider
11:53 Stock spotlight: DroneShield
13:21 Ethics of defence investing
Podcast Links:
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Third-Party Marketplaces on Woolworths, Big W, Kmart & Bunnings: What Australian Shoppers Need to Know
In this Friends With Money Podcast episode, Money Magazine managing editor Vanessa Walker speaks with journalist Ryan Johnson about the rise of third-party marketplaces and why Australians are often confused when trusted retailers like Woolworths, BigW, Bunnings, Kmart and others sell items supplied by third-party sellers.
They discuss how widespread online shopping is in Australia, how marketplaces benefit retailers through rapid range expansion without holding inventory, and what consumers gain—and risk—through wider product choice.
Ryan shares an example of a BigW marketplace return dispute and outlines common issues such as inconsistent delivery, extra fees, and return complications, plus concerns about lower-quality or unsafe products.
They also explain that Australian Consumer Law guarantees still apply, but shoppers should check who the seller is and escalate unresolved disputes to fair trading agencies or the ACCC.
01:20 How many Australians shop online
02:01 Why shoppers get confused
04:34 Why retailers love it
05:31 Consumer upsides and tradeoffs
06:17 Hidden traps and returns
08:01 Safety and trust risks
09:00 Your rights under ACL
10:04 How to protect yourself
Podcast Links:
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Listen on Spotify
Money Website
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Email Us: [email protected]
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