Aussie Firebug

My guest today is John Pidgeon. John is probably known best as the co-host of the very popular podcast, ‘My Millennial Property’ and has been investing in real estate for over 20 years. I had so much fun with this episode because John and I bounce around all different topics and we even get some footy chit chat in there as well.Some of the topics we cover are:How John got involved with property investing (12:27)Bringing up children in a money-conscious household (15:00)Private vs public schools (22:37)John's first property investment (27:28)His current real estate strategy and what his portfolio looks like (32:34)Are first home buyers currently locked out of the market? (50:57)Tips for first home buyers (55:55) Linkspodcast - My Millennial Propertywebsite - Solvere Wealthwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m chatting with Terry & Ryan from the Passive Income Project podcast. I’ve been listening to their show for a few years now and what I really like is their emphasis on the psychology of investing and money. They’ve recently gone deep into the world of crypto in their latest podcast series called “Decoding Crypto”.Some of the topics we cover are:Is the financial planning industry coming to a crossroads? (00:11:08)Is there a consensus among financial planners about what needs to happen to give everyone a fair crack? (00:16:40)Where did the focus on the psychology of money come from? (00:20:00)What do you find is holding people back from becoming comfortable with money? (00:24:13)When did you discover the concept of FIRE and how did that impact you? (00:32:11)What do you invest in these days and what is your investing philosophy? (00:38:36)"Decoding Crypto" - when did that journey begin for you guys? (00:41:29)What would you say to someone who wants to dabble in the world of crypto? (01:18:44)Linkswebsite Cashflow Copodcast Passive Income Projectpodcast Paul Benson - Are Financial Planners worth the money?podcast Decoding Cryptowww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

My special guest today is one of the very first personal finance bloggers that I can remember. It’s J. MONEY from the 2012 Blogger of the Year awards “Budget Are Sexy”. J. managed to become a millionaire in roughly 10 years and has blogged throughout the journey posting his net worth each month which definitely inspired me to start something similar in Australia back in 2015.Some of the topics we cover are:J.’s experience of buying a house in 2007 and what the fall out of the GFC was like as an American (14:19)What made you start your blog back in 2008? (22:37)Where did the idea of posting your net worth come from? (34:08)How did you get to $1,000,000 USD net worth in 10 years? What was your investment strategy? (39:24)What did you invest in to reach your FI goal and what is your investing philosophy today? (55:11)When did you first discover the concept of FIRE? (1:00:33)What is the best part about being FI and how does being FI allow you to live your ideal lifestyle? (1:05:59)If you could give one piece of advice to someone who’s looking to be better with their finances, what would that be? (1:08:11)LinksJ. MONEY websiteTwitter @BudgetsAreSexyBudgets Are Sexy websiteJL Collins Stock Serieswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast/

My guest today is Scott Phillips - a Sydney based investor with over 20 years experience. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma of Accounting but is most famous for his role as Chief Investment Officer of The Motley Fool Australia. This is a monster episode where we dive deep into many different areas of investing.Some of the topics we cover are:Where does it all begin with Scott Phillips and finance? (00:05:10)How and when did Scott start investing? (00:14:31)What does Scott invest in these days and what is his investing style/philosophy? (00:16:30)Is there a significant difference between getting income from dividends or selling down shares? (00:26:48)How do you identify a good company and what methods do you use? (00:31:43)Structuring investments for children. (00:35:57)Was financial independence ever a goal for Scott? (00:38:51)What does Scott make of this low-interest-rate world we are currently living in? (00:51:02)Does Scott think Australia is in a housing bubble? (00:54:20)What are Scott’s thoughts on Cryptocurrency and NFT’s? (01:06:34)LinksThe Motley Fool AustraliaScott’s investment holdingswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast/

I’m kicking off the new year with a little refresher and a summary of a new article called “10 Lessons I've Learned from 10 Years Pursuing Financial Independence”. Check it out!1. The ultimate goal is to be happy. Never lose sight of this (03:50)2. Find your why of FI (07:18)3. Master behaviours, not spreadsheets (08:43)4. Getting wealthy is simple. Don’t overthink it (14:38)5. What’s measured is managed (19:07)6. Income potential is often overlooked (23:43)7. Compound interest takes years to notice (30:26)8. Most people are really after semi-retirement (35:58)9. Find your ‘enough’ (41:59)10. We’re all dealt a different hand in the game of life (47:02)www.aussiefirebug.com/10-lessons-ive-learned-from-10-years-pursuing-financial-independence

Have you ever wondered how far your donations to charities really go? I know it feels good to donate and we should all consider giving away part of our wealth considering we Aussies are some of the wealthiest people on the planet, but I’m not sure many of us really go over with a fine-tooth and comb how the money is spent and how many people are affected with every dollar.Today I’m speaking with Luke Freeman, a former tech and marketing professional who had a desire to positively affect the lives of the less fortunate in the world. Luke is the Chairperson and a Board Member of Effective Altruism Australia and Executive Director of Giving What We Can, which are both charitable organisations designed to help the less fortunate.The attributes of effective altruism share a lot of similarities with the FIRE movement. It’s all about using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:Who is Luke Freeman and how did he become interested in giving back to others? (03:05)What is Effective Altruism Australia (EAA) and how did it start? (07:33)Is EAA a not-for-profit organisation and how does it actually work? (10:04)What are the tax advantages of donating through EAA? (14:58)What metrics does EAA use when assessing how effective time and money are used in charitable organisations? (16:39)Is corruption in charitable organisations a real issue or is it overblown by the critics? (22:56)What are some of the biggest problems in the world that EAA is targeting? (27:25)LinksWebsite - Effective Altruism AustraliaWebsite - Giving What We CanLinkedIn post - Eating Less Than $2 / Daywww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m speaking with Julia Druery, a mum of two, living on the Gold Coast who was studying to become a financial advisor before a tragic event hit her family back in 2016. Julia’s husband Kent suffered from an acquired brain injury which left him with several permanent disabilities and no longer able to work. Thankfully Kent had various insurances in place before the injury which helped to relieve the financial pressure of this life changing event.Some of the topics we cover are:Julia shares the story of her husband Kent’s acquired brain injury. (08:54)What was the process of claiming insurance payments after the injury occurred? (12:03)What is trauma insurance and is it included in default super cover? (17:25)Why is lifestyle an important consideration when making insurance decisions? (27:16)How much does all this cover cost and is it really worth it? (30:32)How has Julia & Kent's insurance cover impacted their lifestyle today? (35:01)Julia’s personal experience with debt recycling. (48:18)LinksWebsite - Who Moved My GoalpostsWebsite - QARC - Queensland Aphasia Research Centrewww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

My guest today is fellow Aussie, Vijay Boyapati who is an Ex-Google engineer and the author of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin. Vijay’s book has been translated into over twenty different languages and is said to be one of the most read pieces of literature on Bitcoin. This is a monster episode and we go deep into so much more than just Bitcoin and the Blockchain.Some of the topics we get into include:Who is Vijay and what led him to start working for Google? (04:28)Vijay shares why he identifies as a Libertarian and what he learned from working in Silicon Valley. (08:13)Why Vijay left his job at Google in 2007 to work on the Ron Paul US presidential campaign. (11:46)What exactly is Bitcoin and the Blockchain? (15:06)Why is Bitcoin important and what problem does it solve for the average person? (31:51)Gold v Bitcoin (45:27)Will Bitcoin be used as money anytime soon? (01:02:22)FIRE community Q&A (01:17:57)LinksArticle - The Bullish Case for BitcoinBook - The Bullish Case for Bitcoinwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m speaking with Chi Lam, an ex team-lead in the medical devices industry who lives in Sydney with his wife and 2 daughters. Chi was recently featured in an ABC Everyday article where he shared his story about how he quit his full-time job in his mid-thirties and redesigned his life so he could spend more time with his family.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Who is Chi and when did he start thinking about financial independence? (06:37)Chi shares the traumatic story of how he and his family came to Australia from Vietnam. (07:51)What Chi learned about money and life from his experiences as a child refugee. (13:19)When, how and why Chi got started investing in property. (16:18)Chi talks about the day he quit his job and what made him take that leap of faith. (28:45)How Chi’s side hustle/passion project has grown into a full-time business on his own terms. (36:02)LinksArticle - ABC Everyday - Chi Lamwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome Ruth onto the show today. Ruth lives in New Zealand and is better known online as The Happy Saver. She has a very popular podcast and blog where she writes about managing money, living the good life and not working too hard.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Who is Ruth and why did she create The Happy Saver blog and podcast? (04:49)Ruth shares her personal money story and how she became interested in investing. (10:10)The important life lessons Ruth learnt from losing her family home in an Earthquake. (16:11)Property investing - the significant differences between NZ & AUS tax laws. (19:28)The major advantage of investing in the share market in NZ. (24:40)Advantages of living in the country over the city. (29:48)What does Ruth actually invest in? (35:43)LinksBlog - The Happy SaverPodcast - The Happy Saverwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast