Financial Autonomy

In this episode, Financial Autonomy listener Katrina shares how she reinvented her life, from a high-stress, inner-city role in the police force, to a new life in a regional town, with some internet dating success to stir into the mix. A fun and inspiring story that I'm sure you'll enjoy. [Disclaimer]

This week we take a look at Listed Investment Companies, LIC's. They've been around a long time on the stock market, and given the advancements made, especially in the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) space, it's worthwhile to question whether LIC's still have a reason to exist? Should we as investors have them on our radar? [Disclaimer]

After only 9 months since launch this Youtuber is making over $2,000 per month from his YouTube channel. In this week's episode he shares how he's done it, from the equipment needed, growing an audience, and the time commitment involved. [Disclaimer]

Recently a very small stock in the US made headlines in the investment community. Gamestop is a bricks and mortar retailer in the US, selling games and accessories for The PlayStation and Xbox. Despite being a dying business, in the space of 2 weeks in January, this stock rose from a little over $19.00 a share to over $145 a share. That's a 660% gain. By the time you are listening to this episode, who knows where it will be at. One of the reasons for this growth is a phenomenon known as short covering. To make sense if this fascinating story, we need to have a good understanding of what short selling is and how it works. So let's bring you up to speed. [Disclaimer]

From radio and publishing to hosting his own TV show, and today being self-employed in one of the industries hardest hit by the COVID pandemic - tourism - Adam Ford of the Big Bus Tour and Travel Guide shares with us his journey and how he's created the resiliency to succeed. An inspiring story that I'm sure you'll love. Also mentioned: www.showmemelbourne.com.au [Disclaimer]

In this episode I review two 2021 Outlook reports, one produced by Vanguard the second largest fund manager in the world , and one from VanEck . I've pulled out these two because they have some consistency in their views, but also some differences and I thought that might be useful to you guys in thinking about how you might approach your investment plans for 2021. [Disclaimer]

Russell Investments recently released a research report - 2020 Value of an Adviser - where they explore where a financial advice relationship can add value for investors. Today I speak with Bronwyn Yates, Head of Client and Business Solutions at Russell Investments to share with us what they learned. We also discuss when in your life it might make sense to obtain professional advice. [Disclaimer] The Financial Autonomy podcast was recently added to Feedspot's Top 65 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Podcasts

If you're in a relationship that's been going for a little while, how do you manage your finances? Do you and your partner's wages all go into a single joint account that you both then spend out of? Or do you keep your money separate, each paying for your own expenses and combining only when necessary? There's no single right way for couples to manage finances but in this episode, we're going to explore some of the things you might like to consider, and I'll share with you some of the ways I've seen it done amongst different couples over my 20 years of helping people with their money. [Disclaimer]

In the Financial Autonomy podcast, we normally talk about traditional investments - stocks and property. But today I wanted to discuss another type of investment you can make which can help you hugely in achieving financial autonomy and gaining choice. That is investing in your career. I'm joined by Emily and Shelly, career and recruitment experts from the My Millennial Career podcast to explore what employers are looking for right now, and where you might be able to make a savvy investment in your career. There are some really actionable ideas here - namely how to get a pay rise and look out particularly for the T and I career framework that I thought made a lot of sense and was a great way to think about your career. [Disclaimer]

In this week's episode, we look at the year just gone and pull back the curtain to reveal some of the things that have happened here at Financial Autonomy. Then we share with you what's coming up in 2021. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for your support and have a wonderful Christmas. [Disclaimer]

Today I'm speaking with a Financial Autonomy community member. Jason emailed me to share a bit about his journey and it was so interesting I asked him to come on the podcast and share it with everyone - I think you'll find this one really inspirational. [Disclaimer]

A Side Hustle can be a hugely significant stepping stone in you gaining financial freedom and choice. They're a fantastic way to develop new skills and broaden your network, both of which help enormously in your income generating resiliency. In the end of course, they can have a financial payoff as well. But like most things in life, valuable and easy don't sit comfortably side by side. Whether it's the challenge of getting started, or keeping all the plates in the air once you've gotten the ball rolling, succeeding at Side Hustles is tough. In this post, we'll take a look at the various Side Hustle obstacles I've come across and offer some ideas as to how you might be able to overcome them. [Disclaimer]

We've talked to several property investment experts recently, but what we haven't covered what you need to think about once you are a landlord. In this episode, I speak with Jeremy Goldschmidt from property management disruptor RentBetter to learn the property investment essential beyond the initial purchase. [RentBetter Website] [Disclaimer]

ESG - Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance. Often known as ethical investing, using these factors to help construct portfolios has been a growing trend that has delivered great results for investors this past year. In this week's podcast, I take a look at why. [Disclaimer]

This week I have a bit of fun with Elephant in the Room co-host Veronica Morgan, a buyers agent and co-host of Foxtel's Location Location Location Australia. I play devil's advocate, arguing against property as an investment, and Veronica explains why I'm wrong (or not in a few cases!). Hope you enjoy this one. [Disclaimer] Learn more about Veronica here. Home Buyer Academy

This week I jump on the line with New York based financial planner Amy Irvine to get a read on what's happening on Wall Street following the most significant US election ever. [Disclaimer]

Jarrod McCabe from Wakelin Property Advisory joins us today to provide an update on the property market. One not to be missed. Disclaimer

Regular listeners will know that I frequently refer to the 3 pathways to Financial Autonomy - investing in stocks, investing in property, and building a business or being self-employed. But how to determine which pathway makes the most sense for you to pursue? That's what we'll be exploring in this week's episode. Disclaimer

Ryan wanted a change in his life. He wanted more flexibility, he wanted to gain choice. He thought about how he could make that happen and realised the starting point needed to be reducing his debts - they were a huge burden that locked him down and hugely limited his options. Hear how he went about solving this challenge. Another great IRL example of the Financial Autonomy journey, I hope you enjoy. Disclaimer

Pete Wargent is a property investment expert. He is a buyer's advocate and does various bits and pieces within the property space. Pete's background is as a chartered accountant. The content he produces on property investment tends to be very analytical and data driven. So I've invited him along to get his insight as to what he is seeing in the data at the moment in the property space. He's got some unique insights here and some great tips that I think you'll get a lot out of. Regular listeners will know we've got the Financial Autonomy framework which we go through in the Financial Autonomy book. There's the three pathways, there's investing in shares or stocks, investing in property and self-employment. The other element I really appreciated in Pete's story is his application of the three pathways to achieving Financial Autonomy. As a guest, I think he is a fantastic illustration of what I'm trying to explore through the Financial Autonomy podcast for almost three years now. We have really useful and practical information from someone who's done it, who's built wealth and who has gained choice. Disclaimer

When investing in property, it's largely a given that you'll be borrowing as a core element of the transaction. Indeed often, you're borrowing the entire purchase cost. Borrowing to buy shares however is often approached with trepidation, despite the many advantages shares offer around the ease of altering the transaction size, diversification and the speed with which investments can be liquidated. In today's episode, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of borrowing or gearing to invest in shares. Is now the time for a big move? Before we dive in, it's important to remind you that this is general information. The appropriateness of gearing for you depends on a range of factors such as income security, savings capacity, debt levels and investment timeframe. Seek out professional investment advice before commencing a gearing strategy. Visit the Advice Page on our Financial Autonomy website to see how we can help. Also, if you're fairly new here, you might not be aware of our Invest in Shares online course. This self-paced course is suitable for novice investors through to those with intermediate levels of experience. We take you through all the key concepts like dividend yield, PE ratios, investment selection, taxation considerations and plenty more. One of the bonus modules is specifically on gearing so if this topic is something that resonates with you and you're a DIY type, go to the Learn Page on our web site and click on courses. Disclaimer

I met Alex Hont at a Financial Planning conference last year. Alex hosts the Masters of Finance podcast - so with both financial planning and podcasting in common, we had quite a bit to talk about! I invited Alex onto the podcast to share how he went from being an employee to being a partner at his financial planning firm - how he planned for that move, how it unfolded, and what the change has meant for him. Alex shares his journey, how he got into the practice in the first place, how he's been able to increase his share and become a partner in the business, and a little bit about his thoughts as to where it might lead to longer term. It's a bit of a different story in terms of how to arrive at self-employment. We haven't covered this sort of approach before but it's something that I hope you guys will get a lot out of. Disclaimer

Regular listeners will know my book Financial Autonomy - the money book that gives you choice, came out last month. In this week's episode, I explain why I wrote it and how it fits into my mission of helping more people gain choice. During the various interviews I've done promoting the book one of the most frequent questions I get is how did I find the time to write it? So in this episode I also pull back the curtain a little to share how I got it done. Perhaps it might help you see a way to achieve one of your dreams. I hope you enjoy this episode and get some valuable ideas. Disclaimer

Really excited for this episode. I chat with Thomas Taw, the Head of Investment Strategies Asia Pacific for BlackRock. For those who are unfamiliar, BlackRock is the largest fund manager in the world. It's a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into how a business with the global resources they have at their disposal is seeing things - investment markets opportunities, economies, and the impact of COVID just to get us started. Soak this one up. Also, stay up to date with all things investments and financial autonomy via our weekly email - Gaining CHOICE. Disclaimer

One of the most popular pathways to achieving financial autonomy is through investing in stocks. Stock market investing has a ton of advantages including ease of diversification, low transaction cost, ease of liquidity, and being highly regulated to guard against investor fraud. A popular stock portfolio strategy is known as the core/satellite approach. In today's episode, Ill be taking you through how this approach might help you build a robust and successful share portfolio. Disclaimer

Tim Duggan is the co-founder of Junkee Media, one of Australia's fastest growing media companies dedicated to improving the conversations about things that matter. In today's interview, we talk about building communities around digital products and understanding the shift towards conscious consumerism. We also discuss his new book, Cult Status, which encourages thinking about business in a new way, finding your business purpose and what it means to be an "untrepreneur". Tim gives his personal advice on how you can best gain choice in life. Learn other pathways towards financial independence and gaining choice through my new book - Financial Autonomy: The money book that gives you choice. Disclaimer

Self-employment is one of the 3 pathways to achieving Financial Autonomy. What are the key 12 elements you need to cover off to succeed as a self-employed person? We covered the first 6 elements last week and this week we'll cover the other 6. Disclaimer

Self-employment is one of the 3 pathways to achieving Financial Autonomy. What are the key 12 elements you need to cover off to succeed as a self-employed person? That's what I'll be covering in this and next week's episode. Grab the free toolkit: www.financialautonomy.com.au/159

Today Melissa Martin is a successful Melbourne photographer, but that's quite a way from where she started her career journey. In this chat we explore: The challenges many women in particular face when they start a family and find that their previous career no longer works in their life. How Melissa went about finding a new path. Some of the clever things Melissa did to achieve success Plus plenty more! Melissa's web site: https://www.melissamartinphotography.com/ Entrepreneur You program mentioned in the interview: https://find0101.lpages.co/entrepreneur-you/

The Financial Autonomy book is now available. Discover the full Financial Autonomy framework and build your own strategy to gain choice via the free downloadable companion workbook. Free delivery within Australia if purchased direct. Visit www.financialautonomy.com.au/book_order This weeks episode: What is insider trading, why is it a crime, and why does Hollywood seem to love it so much? That's what we'll be exploring in this episode.

Looking for an easy, low-cost way to getting started with investing? Ted Richards from Six Park might have your solution. Learn more about Six Park - https://guidancefs.sixpark.com.au/ Grab the Financial Autonomy book - https://find0101.lpages.co/financial_autonomy_book/ Disclaimer

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) sounds dry, I know, and in truth, and it is. But it's likely you're going to hear a whole lot more about it, and the idea of jobs guarantees, in the coming months and perhaps years. Why? Because MMT proposes an interesting solution to unemployment. And battling unemployment will be the number 1 agenda item around the country and the world over the next few years.

What's Aged Care have to do with financial autonomy and gaining choice? At some point, your parents are likely going to need age care and it might come down to you to solve it for them. An awareness of how the system works and some of the basics, is something I'm sure you will find valuable. Financial adviser and age care expert Susan Cooper explains some of the jargon and we discuss the key considerations when you're helping a loved one with a move into aged care. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY Disclaimer

When it comes to finances, singles can easily feel that the world is against them. Politicians constantly talk of the need to help "working families". Yet what about those who through choice or the fall of the cards don't fit that mould? In our last episode we talked about Resiliency, having a budget approach that works for you, holding an emergency fund to protect you against events like losing your job and having appropriate insurance. We also covered Savings and Wealth Creation, setting goals, creating milestones, investing and developing your career. Today, we talk about Housing, Estate Planning and Traps. Learn more about these aspects and why you should consider them when it comes to financial planning for singles. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

When it comes to finances, singles can easily feel that the world is against them. Politicians constantly talk of the need to help "working families". Yet what about those who through choice or the fall of the cards don't fit that mould? Housing affordability is tougher for singles. Bills like insurance and council rates don't get any lower with only one person in the house. And there's no-one to back you up through a period of financial adversity like redundancy or illness. Singledom however does offer some benefits – removing the need to compromise being at the top of the pyramid. Learn about the 5 aspects you should consider when it comes to financial planning for singles. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

You might have come across Stuart Wemyss via his regular contributions in the Australian newspaper, or his excellent podcast Investopoly. Stuart is a fellow financial planner, and in this week's episode, we discuss his latest book Rules of the Lending Game. Whether you're an investor, a homeowner with an existing mortgage, or an aspiring first home buyer, there are tips in here that I'm sure you'll get a tonne of value out of. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

French born Western Australian Isabelle Lenglois shares her inspiring journey to Financial Autonomy in this week's episode. She prospered in an industry not especially welcoming of women - oil and gas drilling - through plenty of hard work and determination. She has then succeeded in transforming that income into wealth which provides her and her young family the independence she desired. Very happy to be featuring Isabelle's story as our 150 episode milestone. I hope you get plenty out of it. Check out the books mentioned here: The Barefoot Investor Rich Dad Poor Dad SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Volatility and share investing go together like honey and crumpets. As a share investor, how can you use volatility to your advantage? And how can you ensure volatility doesn't derail your strategy to build wealth and gain choice in life? I've invested through the GFC, the Asian Currency Crisis, September 11, the Japanese tsunami, Brexit, numerous North Korean nuclear threats, and plenty more share market upsets. Here's my top 7 tips for investing in shares through volatile times. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Lachlan is a member of the Financial Autonomy community and responded to my call out for case study examples. I'm especially excited to chat with Lachlan because he's pursued all 3 of the FA pathways - shares, property, and self-employment. You can get a hold of him through his email at [email protected] If self-employment is of interest to you, check out our new program Entrepreneur You - Transition to Self-employment without going broke SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

So why consider moving to self-employment? Our mission here at Financial Autonomy is helping you gain choice. Of the options available to gain choice, becoming self-employed offers the potential for you to achieve success quickly, without huge financial investment, and provides the greatest potential financial upside. But transitioning from being an employee to becoming self-employed is a mine field. Let's look at some of the challenges and what you can do to overcome them and achieve the success you deserve. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

In today's episode, I speak with Financial Autonomy community member Stewart Perry. Stewart shares his plans to gain choice and flexibility and how the multi-phase strategy really resonated for him as he works towards early retirement. He explains his investment journey, what he's doing and how he's going about it. A fantastic element of Stewart's story was his experience growing up when his parents (who were well ahead of the curve) achieving Financial Autonomy in their 40s. He shares how that happened and what it meant for them as a family in terms of family time, holidays, and travel. It was very generous of Stewart to share his story. I hope you get some great inspiration from his story. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Most office workers have quickly had to adjust to working from home in recent weeks. The pace at which businesses were able to make this happen has been quite extraordinary. Before COVID 19, if you'd told most companies they needed to transition to work from home arrangements, it would have been a 12-month plus planning process. Yet when needed, we all got it done in days. Whilst most of us will return to the same old routine when things get back normal, the potential for permanent change certainly exists. So how might we grasp this opportunity in our quest to gain choice? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

A bit of a different episode for you today. This is a flip the switch kind of one because in this episode, I'm actually the person being interviewed. I'm being interviewed by Kate Campbell who hosts the How to Money podcast. You'll recall back in Episode 134, I interviewed her. So we did these couple of interviews on the same day. In this one, Kate interviewed me for her podcast on how to make money investing in shares. It was a good discussion so I thought we'd share that with the Financial Autonomy community as well because I know plenty of you guys are interested in investing in shares. We do have an online course called Invest in Shares with Confidence for people that are interested in investing in shares and making money in shares. So if that's something that is of interest to you, you can check that out at financialautonomy.com.au/shares. Note, this interview was recorded in early 2020, before the COVID19 crisis. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

The 1 Page Marketing Plan book has been a publishing sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and being one of the most successful self-published books ever. This week I speak with its author Allan Dib who shares some massive wisdom bombs on how to succeed in any sort of business, big or small. If you have even the slightest entrepreneurial fibre in your body, this is one you will want to dive into. From Allan: • Free resource for your audience: Download The 1-Page Marketing Plan Canvas for Free Buy the Book • If you want to acquire new leads and grow your business consistently, you need marketing. And if you're a small-to-medium-sized business with a limited budget, you need to be implementing direct response marketing. It's key to your business success. • Allan's LinkedIn • Successwise Facebook • Successwise Instagram SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

You've probably heard the phrase "never waste a good crisis". The origins of this quote aren't clear, though some point to Winston Churchill. Regardless, its point is that in times of crisis, habits and practices are forced to change. When things are going well, it's easy to just let things float along. Some changes need a shock to bring them about. In this current period of turmoil and worry, a change that might be valuable in your financial life is improving resiliency – the ability to withstand adverse times. If you've been unfortunate enough to be put out of work, these might need to wait until we return to normal later in the year. But hopefully you can at least be planning now for how you will bounce back stronger than ever. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Today's episode is a bit of a freewheeling one. I've got some dot points down and I'm just going to go off the top of my head here. I wanted to cover off on different questions that I've been getting from our clients and from you guys in the Financial Autonomy community because no doubt if it's a question for a couple of people then it's probably a question for quite a few people. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

I speak with Geoff Grist, real estate agent and author of the book Flip for Cash on the investment potential of buying and improving residential apartments and units in Australia. Buy the book: Flip for Cash by Geoff Grist SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Today's episode is a bit different. I don't have a script and I don't have a guest. I recently ran a community survey to everyone that gets the Gaining Choice email. In this podcast I want to share with you what we learned and some of the ways this information will be used to shape what we produce for you in the future. Thanks for being awesome. Paul SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Hear how Anna built her side hustle whilst studying at uni, and how she now generates hundreds of dollars profit every month with only a few hours work. Anna is a member of the Financial Autonomy community. Anna has been running a side hustle for several years and I was curious to learn how she had found it, what she'd learned, and her plans for the future - I thought what better way for me to get answers to all those questions than to interview her for the podcast so all you guys can learn about Anna's experience too. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Part 2 of How to Start a Side Hustle in Australia - the first part was episode 135 so give that a listen before diving into this one. I've interviewed numerous Side Hustlers over the past 3 years, including Side Hustle guru Nick Loper from the Side Hustle Show, and have conducted my own fair share of entrepreneurial experiments. The time has come therefore to provide the definitive guide to starting a Side Hustle in Australia. A Side Hustle could be the way you earn some extra dollars to pay for an overseas trip. Perhaps it accelerates the repayment of your mortgage. Your ambitions might be grander, with the Side Hustle being your entrée into becoming your own boss and pursuing self-employment or a major career change. Side Hustles can certainly provide choice, and of course that's what we're all about here at Financial Autonomy. So how can you get started with your Side Hustle here in Australia? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY EMAIL "GAINING CHOICE" TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THINGS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY