The Money Puzzle

For a short while it looked like the leviathans of the Australian super industry were facing a new breed of challengers. Start-up youth-focused super funds such as Spaceship rattled the sector with ‘green’ style products, social media marketing, and clear support from a younger demographic. But the challengers have faded - they could not match the performance or services offered by big super. Will there ever be a successful super disruptor?  How about a US$7 trillion non-profit global fund that’s just beginning to make some headway? Find out more in this week’s episode when we cover: the false dawn of super disruptors, the titan that could yet shake the market, the unlisted assets in big super, and doing your own super contributions. Andy Darroch of Independent Wealth Advice joins The Australian’s Wealth Editor James Kirby in this episodeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might have thought that the endless escalation of mortgage rates would finish the notion of a suburb where buying was cheaper than renting.Not so.There are at least 40 suburbs around the nation that are both cheap and offer strong prospects for the home owner or investor.  Terry Ryder of the Hotspotting group is Wealth Editor, James Kirby's  guest in this episode. Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year was meant to be all about ‘value’ on the share market: Rising rates were expected to hose down the demand for tech-focused growth stocks and boring old value stocks were meant to shine. It didn't happen.  ‘Because’, says top adviser Charlie Viola, ‘ the whole debate is rubbish, good companies make good investments that’s all there is to it, ‘  Sounds simple. Moreover, it sounds true. We cover: what happened to the long-promised return of value stocks? The need to take some money off the table in the months ahead, timing super contributions and should bank hybrids be classified as shares? Charlie Viola, managing director of Pitcher Partners joins Wealth Editor James Kirby on today’s episode Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The residential market in 2023 is most unusual - prices are rising while interest rates are increasing; Up to a third of buyers don't need a mortgage and...nobody wants to do any renovation work! The blow-out in building costs, supply difficulties and sluggish response times from some local councils have combined to create a market where the perfect property is perfectly ready to inhabit, But for those willing to take the plunge and renovate the rewards may be lucrative.   Dean Berman of Berman Buys is Wealth Editor James Kirby's guest in this episode. Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new financial year begins on July 1 and a range of key 'caps'  come into play. But the outstanding item of personal tax news is that you can have an extra $200,000 in super tax-free: Yes, if you are fortunate enough to be in the upper band of super investors then the amount you can have in super where the is no tax on earnings is moving up from $1.7m to $1.9m: Who said inflation is bad news for everyone. We cover why your super contributions are rising - whether you like it or not, the generous lift in the tax-free super threshold, saying goodbye to pandemic-era drawdown rates for older Australians, and how to become a financial adviser.  Financial adviser James Gerrard of www.financiladviser.com.au joins Wealth Editor James Kirby in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might think higher rates keep buyers away from the property market but a remarkable 25 percent of purchasers buy outright - with no mortgage! It’s a remarkable statistic and offers an insight into a unique feature of today’s real estate market: Aging downsizers combined with freshly made fortunes from offshore underpin a considerable amount of the demand in the residential sector. Michael Matusik of Matusik Property Insight is Wealth Editor James Kitby’s guest in this week’s episode   Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The excitement around artificial intelligence has propelled the US sharemarket this year. That’s why returns stateside are three times better than the ASX over recent months. So what’s going on with AI and what does it mean for you?We cover the investment opportunity of AI, whether this is going to be a dot.com boom, when to expect the first AI billionaires and how healthcare and financial advice will change.  Dudley Nevill-Spencer of the London-based Live and Breathe group is Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggest factor ‘new’ factor in the property sector is the remarkable change we will see from the arrival of 400,000 people into a market population growth had been close to zero. But will the demand lift that comes from a population burst be enough to counter a consumer slowdown or even a full- blown recession? Tim Toohey, strategist and chief economist at Yarra Capital is Wealth Editor James Kirby’s guest in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leave the investment to me, darling! It’s still a refrain in household finances and letting one person handle all money matters is the single biggest mistake couple make, says author Jacqui Clarke. As an advisor to some of Australia’s wealthiest families, Clarke knows a thing or two about how individuals can lose when it comes to family fortunes:  In today’s episode she spells out the life lessons everyone needs to know. We cover, how to manage household wealth in everyone’s interest, the attractions of pooling money for couples, building your own ‘village’ of wealth consultants and making sense of ‘buy’ recommendations from stockbrokers. Jacqui Clarke, author of “Stop Worrying about Money’ joins Wealth Editor James Kirby in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They don't make it easy, but any investor can directly enter the property investment market using their super. In fact, any investor with a Self Managed Super Fund can borrow to buy investment property as part of a wider diversified portfolio. Gemma Dale, Director of SMSF and investor behaviour at NAB Trade is Wealth Editor, James Kirby's guest in this episode. Submit your questions on all things property, business and finance here - themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.