Property vs Shares: The hidden incentives behind the advice  

incentives advice

Conflicts of interest exist in many parts of the Australian financial services industry. The problem is that not all of them are obvious, especially to people outside the industry.  It is also important to understand that a conflict of interest does not automatically mean someone is doing the wrong thing. Even an adviser who is honest, competent, …

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Do ethical investments produce higher or lower returns? 

Ethical Investing

There is a growing number of ethical investing options available, both as ETFs and within super funds. For most investors, the idea of investing ethically is appealing. The real question, though, is whether choosing ethical options are riskier or produce lower returns over time.  If the risk and future returns are the same, or even better, then I think many more investors …

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A two-speed property market in 2026: where prices rise next (and where they will not) 

2 Speed

If you are thinking about buying, selling, upgrading, or investing in property over the course of 2026, you are probably wondering what property prices will do this year.   In this blog, I revisit the evidence-based factors that matter most: loan volumes, borrowing capacity, interest rate expectations, interstate migration, and where each capital city sits in its cycle.   I also explain why …

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Wealth First Principles # 4: Cash flow and debt management: The hidden engine of wealth 

Cash Flow

When people think about building wealth, the focus usually turns immediately to investment strategies. Which shares to buy? Should I purchase another property? Is now the right time to invest? These questions dominate the conversation. Yet the most important contributor to long-term financial success is not investment selection. It is cash flow and debt management.  The way you earn, spend, save, and …

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Wealth First Principles # 3: Share market investing – How to build a portfolio that works 

Share market investing

This is the third instalment in a four-part Wealth First Principles series. The first two blogs examined how wealth is genuinely created and the role of property. Shares serve a fundamentally different purpose within a portfolio. They provide liquidity, diversification, reliable income with minimal costs, and access to global growth themes that property simply cannot deliver. But investors …

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 Wealth First Principles #2: A step-by-step strategy to invest in property  

strategy to invest

Investing in residential property is a common goal for many investors. It is a familiar asset class, it is tangible, and many Australians have built a lot of wealth investing in property. The problem is that most investors approach property without a framework. They focus on what they can afford, or what a colleague recently bought, or what they hear …

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When should you be a value-add property investor? 

Many aspiring property investors run into the same issue: limited budget.   That usually forces a choice between buying a larger home in a lower-quality location, or accepting a smaller dwelling, such as an apartment or villa unit, in a blue-chip suburb.   First-time buyers confront this trade-off more than anyone because their financial capacity tends to be tighter.   …

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Which is better: REIT or direct property? 

REIT or Direct property

For most of my career, I have viewed listed property trusts and direct residential property as fundamentally different investments – not substitutes. But once interest rates fell below long-term averages after 2012, many advisers and investors began using REITs as a convenient income substitute: liquid, diversified, and yielding more than term deposits or bonds.  That worked for a while, but the …

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Should you fix your mortgage rate? If not now, when?  

Mortgage rate

Every time interest rates move up or down, we are asked the same question: “Should I fix my mortgage rate?”   It’s a fair question – especially after the rollercoaster of recent years. Many borrowers are still feeling the sting of higher repayments and are tempted to lock in some certainty.  But as with most financial decisions, the best answer is not based …

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