Since Covid restrictions eased, we have been traveling overseas more than ever. But when budgets are tight, how can we save money and still have the holiday we've been dreaming of? This week on the Friends With Money Podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Tristan Dakin, ANZ Country Manager at Wise, about saving hundreds of dollars on travel costs. The real cost of cross-currency expenses  Avoiding ATM fees Is pre-paying an option? Best way to pay when overseas Top tips to save when...

The end of the financial year is fast approaching, so is now the time to check in on your super and consider an extra contribution? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Renae Anderson, manager of select advice at UniSuper, to chat about the super moves worth considering before and after July 1. They discuss: When and how to make a personal contribution Whether it’s possible to top up a spouse or partner’s super The new super guarantee rate in...

Whether it’s purchasing a home or paying off credit card, we all have financial goals we want to achieve, but seeing them through is not always the easiest of tasks. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Mohamed Khalil, head of financial wellbeing, research and design at ANZ, to discuss the psychology behind goals and the steps we can take to set, progress and achieve them. How should people approach setting a goal? Why can utilising the Fresh Start...

Have you thought about how your super is invested? Taking the time to consider, and even adjust, your investment settings could impact your balance down the track. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Jeremy Lack from TelstraSuper Financial Planning to discuss picking an investment option in your superannuation. How do super funds invest? What investment options can members choose from? How can super holders get their investment mix right? What kind...

Interest rates have reached a peak. At least, that’s the consensus among many experts who expect rates to start to fall in the near future. So how can borrowers and savers prepare? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Rachel Wastell, personal finance expert at financial comparison website Mozo, to discuss the possible timing and impact of any future rate cuts. What is the Reserve Bank saying? When are economists expecting rates to fall? Are banks...

Ever wondered if it’s possible to take out a loan to build your share portfolio? After all, investment loans are common place in property investing. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Lily Elliott, head of margin lending specialists Leveraged, to discuss the ins and outs of margin loans. How are margin loans different from other loans? What kind of equities can be purchased with a margin loan? How much can investors borrow, and what determines...

Home internet and mobile plans may have become part and parcel of everyday life, but that doesn’t mean you need to be paying over the odds to stay connected. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by the managing editor of WhistleOut Australia, Alex Choros, to discuss getting a better deal on your broadband and mobile phone plans. Who are the different providers? How do mobile networks and the NBN work? What are the most important features when comparing...

When it comes to online shopping, we've quickly become experts at undermining our long-term financial goals. Making better decisions that prevent us from going further into debt and increase our overall cashflow is the key to getting what we want. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with financial educator, The Broke Generation podcast host, and author Emma Edwards about the 3 ways you can start to improve your spending habits. The importance of...

Australians are set to pay less income tax from July this year, so what’s changed and who will benefit the most? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by the director of tax communications at H&R Block, Mark Chapman, to discuss the revamped stage three tax cuts. Why were the stage three tax cuts proposed in the first place? What did the original stage three cuts look like? What changes has the government made, and why? How much money can taxpayers...

With prices soaring above a million dollars, breaking into the property market is a daunting quest. If you're just starting out, Is there a way to own your own home, or is it mission impossible? This week on the Friends With Money Podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with John Pidgeon, author of Sort Your Property Out & Build Your Future, about overcoming the challenges of the current market. Is there a perfect time to enter the market? How do you save for a deposit? What you can...

Australian investors poured billions of dollars into exchange-traded funds during 2023, but which ETFs returned favour with the best performance? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Cameron Gleeson, senior investment strategist at Betashares, to chat about the performance of the ETF market in 2023 and look forward to the trends emerging in 2024. What’s driven the appetite for ETFs in the last decade? What made fixed-income ETFs so appealing last...

Retirees will naturally want to make the most of their super come retirement, so what kind of income strategies can they employ to ensure their nest egg lasts the distance? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money’s Tom Watson is joined by Caroline Rees of TelstraSuper Financial Planning to chat retirement income strategies. How should retirees think about longevity? Is expenditure likely to change throughout retirement? What kind of retirement income strategies can people...

Higher than expected price growth surprised many experts last year, but how will the property market perform in 2024? This week on Friends With Money, host Tom Watson is joined by Terry Ryder, managing director of Hotspotting, to dig into the standout property locations around the country for 2024. How did property markets perform in 2023? What will drive property prices in 2024? What are the standout locations for growth? Will property prices fall anywhere? #friendswithmoney #tomwatson...

What type of investor are you? To get the best return on investment, you need to know! This week on the Friends With Money podcast, by popular demand, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Money's investment guru, podcaster, and author, Marcus Padley, about defining investor types by colour. What colour are you? Beware the red zone True blue is probably you #friendswithmoney #colour #invest #michellebaltazar #marcuspadley Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on...

If you want to know how to make and invest lots of money, one of the best ways is to learn from someone who built their fortune and became a billionaire. In this special edition of the Friends With Money Podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Ken Fisher, the billionaire founder and executive chair of Fisher Investments, about the best way to build your financial future. • What's the best way to start investing?• Think globally• Will there be a...

According to the World Economic Forum, cybercrime is the fifth most pressing concern for the global economy. Governments worldwide are spending hundreds of millions to combat lone-wolf hackers and nation-states. Sounds like an investment opportunity, right? This week on the Friends With Money Podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar speaks with Jess Leung, portfolio manager at Global X ETFs, about how you can invest in the cybersecurity sector. What is cybersecurity? Hacking and scams are on...

Happy New Year! What will you do in 2024 to improve your financial health? This week on the Friends with Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with author and Comm Bank personal finance expert Jess Irvine about ideas you can implement to improve your finances. Quick wins! Resolutions for the year Ideas that never really work #friendswithmoney #2024 #resolutions #michellebaltazar #jessirvine Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify Money...

Aussie banks are increasingly rolling out personalised carbon insights to their app users. But what are carbon footprints, and do they matter? This week on Friends With Money, host Tom Watson is joined by Rachel Alembakis, Managing Editor of FS Sustainability, to chat all things carbon footprints. What is a carbon footprint? Do carbon footprints even matter at an individual level? How can we reduce our carbon footprints? Can our superannuation choices impact our...

2023 has been a bit of a mediocre year for the Australian market, but could 2024 prove brighter? This week on the Friends With Money podcast, host Tom Watson is joined by chief investment analyst at Wealth Within, Dale Gillham, to chat about the Australian stocks that could shine bright next year. They discuss: How the Australian market has performed in 2023 Why 2024 could be a better year The blue chip stocks to keep an eye on A smaller company worth watching  #friendswithmoney...

Back by popular request!  You wanted to know more about Bonds and how to unlock the profit of fixed-income assets - and we deliver! This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Alex Moffatt, Director at Joseph Palmer & Sons, about the benefits and profit of adding Bonds to your portfolio. Back to basics Bonds are back in the black Is there an easy way to invest in bonds? #friendswithmoney #fixedincome #michellebaltazar #bonds Listen on Apple...

Did you know many Australians get their investment advice from social media finfluencers?  It's a frightening fact. A recent ASIC (Australian Securities & Investment Commission) conference determined that most of those giving financial advice online are both unqualified and unlicensed. This week on the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Rhys Bollen, Senior executive leader of ASIC’s market supervision team, about the potential dangers of getting investment...

It may seem like a long time off, but are you ready for retirement? Planning for the future now will save you a lot of stress and frustration when you finally decided to leave the workforce. This week on The Friends With Money podcast, Money's Michelle Baltazar chats with Money's Senior writer & columnist, Vita Palestrant, about what you need to consider well before your last day on the job. When should you start planning for retirement? Steps to take 10 years before you retire Can...

It’s often described as the safe-haven asset, but what makes gold so desirable to everyone from central banks to everyday investors? On this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Tom Watson is joined by chief market strategist at the World Gold Council, Joe Cavatoni, to dig into some of the big questions surrounding investing in gold. What are the major drivers of demand for gold? Why do central banks hold gold? How has gold performed in times of economic uncertainty? What...

Gearing up to buy your first home? Chances are you’ve got a question or two about the process of taking out a mortgage. On this episode of the Friends With Money podcast, Money's Tom Watson is joined by Daisy Stevens, head of lending operations at digital mortgage broker Finspo, to run through the home loan process for first home owners. Is reducing spending or paying off debt important? How long can the process take? What information will borrowers need to provide? How do banks work out...