Aussie Firebug

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

Today I’m speaking with Terry Waugh who you may know as Terry W from his online legal and tax tips. Terry is admitted as both a solicitor and barrister to the Supreme Court of NSW as well as the High Court of Australia and holds specialist qualifications as a Chartered Tax Adviser. He operates as a lawyer specialising in tax, estate planning, asset protection, and trusts for property and share investors.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:What structuring options do investors have when owning or controlling assets - specifically property and shares? (05:22)Land tax - when is it relevant to property investors? (08:34)Do many people invest through a company and what are the benefits of doing so? (10:43)What trust structures work best for property and share investors? (13:40)What is a trust, how do they work and how do investors benefit from trust structures? (15:44)What are discretionary trusts and why are they so commonly used? (19:05)What are the main pros and cons of using a trust structure and when does it make sense to use one? (20:49)How does a trust structure protect your assets? (25:20)How do distributions work when investing through a trust? (27:10)Who can pay money into a trust and how does that work? (29:42)When does it make financial sense to set up a trust? (34:38)How much do trusts cost to set up and to keep running? (35:34)What is a bucket company and why would anyone use it? (36:14)Terryw’s Tax Tip #14 - Never park money in a loan - why avoiding mixed purpose loans is so important. (40:09)How to set up and execute a debt recycling strategy in 2021. (42:54)Are testamentary discretionary trusts a good option for preserving wealth for your kids? (47:49)Why Terry thinks that a testamentary discretionary trust is the ultimate structure. (50:00)Buying an investment property through a company structure. (54:06)Protecting your own assets when entering a new personal relationship. (55:34)Who is the best person to see for investment structuring advice - a lawyer, accountant or financial adviser? (01:00:12)Linksterryw.com.austructuring.com.auThe Structuring PodcastTerry’s Tax Tipswww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m speaking with Paul Benson from the Financial Autonomy podcast. Paul is a tertiary-educated financial planner with over 20 years of experience. We talk about the role of a financial planner and Paul gives us some real-life examples of how financial planners are able to assist us with our FIRE journeys.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:What exactly is a financial planner?Why do financial planners have a bad rep in the FIRE community?How much does a financial planner actually cost and what should you expect for that fee?How do financial planners get paid and how do you tell a good financial planner from a bad one?If someone already has a dialled-in FIRE plan, where is the value in paying a financial planner?How to find a good financial planner. Is there a financial planner directory in Australia?What questions should you ask and what to avoid when choosing a financial planner?LinksFinancial Autonomy websiteFinancial Autonomy podcastASIC Financial Advisers RegisterFinancial Planning Association of Australiawww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today, I’m excited to have Bryce & Alec from the extremely popular Equity Mates podcast on the show. We chat about how Equity Mates was founded, Bryce and Alec's journey as investors and there’s even some footy talk as well.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:How long have Bryce & Alec been friends and what’s the story behind the Equity Mates Podcast?Bryce & Alec talk about how they were brought up and how each of them learnt about money and investing.How Alec lost all his money in his first investment on the stock market.What has changed since Bryce started his investing journey?The Equity Mates investing goals, philosophies and strategies. What do Bryce & Alec actually invest in?The advantages that retail investors have over fund managers.Does Bryce really hate the FIRE movement?LinksEquityMates websiteGet Started Investing podcastEquityMates Investing podcastGet Started Investing bookwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

My guest on the show today is Finn Peacock from SolarQuotes.com.au. Finn is an electrical engineer with a passion for renewable energy that led him to create a business dedicated to helping people bring solar energy into their homes. Finn started the SolarQuotes company in 2009 and is an expert on retail domestic solar systems and renewable energy.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Finn’s backstory and how he ended up getting involved with solar energy.What to think about if you’re considering buying a solar system for your home.How does a solar system actually save you money?How to decide what size solar system is right for your home and how to calculate the payback period.Common mistakes people make when choosing a solar system.Where does Finn see the future of sustainable energy heading?LinksSolarQuotesSolarQuotes ToolsSolarReviewsSolar AnalyticsTony Sebawww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m joined by Owen Raszkiewicz from the Australian Finance Podcast and the Australian Investors Podcast. Owen is the founder of Rask which is a financial and investment education company based in Melbourne. Prior to founding Rask, Owen was an investment analyst at the managed funds research business Zenith Investment Partners and a Writer/Analyst for The Motley Fool Australia. We touch on a lot of interesting topics in this pod but one area that I was really keen to pick his brain on is active investing. Owen has a breadth of knowledge in this area that far exceeds my own and I think it’s good to hear another point of view from an expert.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Owen shares his personal story of growing up and his relationship with money.The light bulb moment when Owen understood a common pathway to financial success.Owen’s investing philosophy, principles and personal financial goals.What is value investing and how does it work?Can an active investor actually beat the market over a long time period following a set of principles and guidelines?Do private investors really have an advantage over fund managers?What is Rask all about and what does Owen hope to achieve through the company?LinksRaskAustralian Finance PodcastAustralian Investors PodcastScott Phillips | Investing in & Growing a Brandwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m chatting with Tina from moneyflamingo.com which is an Aussie FIRE blog that focuses on a very cool concept called Flamingo FI. Tina shares her incredible journey of how she and her partner went from being broke and clueless in their early 30s to happy semi-retirees just 5 years later. I’m sure the concept and strategy of Flamingo FI will be very interesting, applicable and relatable to a lot of people out there listening.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Where the name Money Flamingo came from. What is Flamingo FI and when did Tina come up with this concept?The shock of starting her first job and the reality of a lifetime of working full-time as a lifestyle. When Tina realised that she no longer had control of her time she went searching for an alternative to the standard path.When did Tina first discover the concept of financial independence and FIRE? How she almost gave up before she began and did nothing about it for 3 years.What really matters on the path to financial independence? Is money really the most important part?Tina’s personal story - how Tina and her partner went from broke to semi-retired in just 5 years.The reality of semi-retirement and living a balanced life.What is the difference between Flamingo FI & Coast FIRE?LinksWebsite - Money FlamingoBlog - JL Collins - Why You Need F-You MoneyBlog - Mr Money Mustache - The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early RetirementWebsite - NetworthifyBook - The Psychology of Money - Morgan HouselBlog - Project 1000: 1000 days to FreedomBlog - Hypocrisy and Manipulation - Is the FIRE Movement Corrupt?www.aussiefirebug.com/podcast