Contactless payments: what the security difference actually means
Contactless payments — Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay — are now the default for many Australians. The question worth asking is whether they are more secure than tapping a physical card, and where the actual risks lie.
Assisting an adult child into property: the decisions worth making carefully
The decision to help a child buy their first home is not a simple one. It is an act of generosity that can, if structured poorly, compromise the very financial security that makes such generosity possible. The question worth asking before any commitment is made is how to help without diminishing what has been built — not whether to help at all.
Early access to superannuation: the conditions that apply and the risks worth understanding
For many Australians, superannuation is their largest asset. The rules governing early access are narrow, the compliance risks are real, and the penalties for getting it wrong are significant.
Supermarket unit pricing reform: what the consultation signals for suppliers and retailers
The Federal Government's review of supermarket unit pricing is not a consumer protection exercise in isolation. For businesses supplying into the grocery sector, the proposals on the table carry real compliance and commercial implications.
ATO interest charges are no longer deductible: the implications for tax debt management
The ATO's general interest charge is running at 11.17 per cent per annum and is no longer deductible. For many taxpayers, that makes an ATO payment plan one of the most expensive financing arrangements on their balance sheet.
Goldenville and the cost of retrospective documentation
Trust distribution resolutions prepared after year-end — even where the underlying decision was sound — can be declared invalid by the ATO. The Goldenville case illustrates what that costs.
The role of debt in a considered investment strategy
Debt is neither inherently useful nor inherently destructive. Its effect on a financial position depends on what it is used for, at what cost, and whether the borrower has thought clearly about the conditions under which the strategy fails.
Retirement as a financial planning problem — and a personal one
Most retirement planning conversations focus on the balance required to stop working. Few address the structure, identity, and social connection that work provides — and what replaces them.
Downsizing and the superannuation contribution: a wealth management perspective
The downsizer contribution to superannuation is one of the most generous provisions available to Australians over 55. Whether it is the right decision depends on questions that go well beyond the contribution mechanics.
The RBA holds at 3.85%: what a pause in the rate cycle means for portfolio strategy
The RBA held the cash rate at 3.85 per cent in July. For clients carrying variable debt or managing a portfolio through this rate cycle, the implications are specific and worth working through carefully.
Superannuation rates and thresholds for 2025–26: what has changed and what remains
The superannuation guarantee rate is now 12 per cent, and the contribution thresholds for 2025–26 have been updated. The consequences of getting either wrong are specific — and avoidable.
Luxury vehicles and the tax system: what the rules actually cost you
Buyers of luxury vehicles for business use frequently overestimate the tax deductions available to them. The rules that apply are specific, the thresholds are updated annually, and the cost of misunderstanding them is quantifiable.
The deductibility of interest: how the rules work and where they fail
Interest deductibility is determined by how borrowed funds are used — not by the security provided, not by the account the funds pass through. Getting the structure wrong before the loan is drawn is a mistake that is difficult to fix after the fact.