Aussie Firebug

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

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? I

Today I’m interviewing Ben, a 34-year-old husband & father hailing from South Australia who is well on his way to reaching financial independence.Ben reached out to me via my website and offered to share his personal experience with the NAB Equity Builder. This is a really popular financial product that often appears on financial forums so I thought it was a great opportunity to find out what it’s really like. We take a deep dive into the pros & cons of the NAB Equity Builder and how Ben and his wife are using it as a significant part of their journey to FIRE.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Ben’s backstory and why he chose to invest in shares using the NAB Equity Builder.What is the NAB Equity Builder and how does it work?Margin calls, LVR and what makes the NAB EB different from other margin loans.The NAB EB interest rate, fees and application process. Who actually owns the shares?How much Ben borrowed to get started and what he used as collateral.What extra gains has Ben made using the

Today I’m joined by Ben, a sustainable living enthusiast from South Australia who lives completely off-grid with his wife and children.Ben's a member of the Aussie FIRE Discussion Facebook Group who posted about his self-sufficient home last year which really struck a chord with the community (it's still one of the most popular submissions to date). Ben has been kind enough to share his story of building an off-grid house and living sustainably in South Australia.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:How Ben and his wife designed and built a completely off-grid home.Their journey towards the dream of sustainable living.The primary driver of going off-grid and building this house.Utilising a solar energy system to completely power a family home.How much does it really cost and how long will it last?How to deal with heating and cooling when you’re not connected to the grid.Running water and the challenge of sustainable water usage when rain is your only supply.How to create a domestic system t

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Kurt to the show. Kurt is the co-founder of the online brokerage company Pearler. We talk about Kurt's relationship with money, how and why Pearler was started and what it takes to get a fintech startup off the ground.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Kurt’s upbringing in an entrepreneurial family. His relationship with money/investing and his personal investing goal & strategy.The inspiration behind the creation of Pearler.The psychology of money & investing. Meaningful work and the ultimate benefits of financial independence.What sets Pearler apart from the pack.What’s involved in starting and building a company like Pearler?Where does the money come from?Angel investing, founder accelerator programs & building out a fintech team.LinksPearlerBook - The Barefoot InvestorBook - The Psychology of MoneyAngelListwww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m chatting with Katy Winter who may be the very first Aussie FIRE blogger ever! Katy has an inspiring story of overcoming disadvantages and adversity to pursue financial independence as a parent in a household of 5 kids.Some of the topics in today’s episode include:Katy’s backstory and how the Wealthy Winters FIRE blog came about way back in 2014.Katy’s experience of suddenly losing her mum when she was 8 months pregnant with her second daughter.An unexpected inheritance and what she did with the money.Katy’s journey from Minimalism to Barefoot Investor to FIRE and what really matters in life.Parenthood - Katy shares tips for those who are thinking about having kids while pursuing financial independence.How Katy got started with investing and what she bought first.LinksBlog archive - Wealthy WintersFacebook group - Financial Independence & Early Retirement AustraliaBook - Early Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund FiskerAussie HIFIRE - FIRE and Kids - The cost of raising children in AustraliaBook - The

Today I’m speaking with Glen James, a multi-award-winning financial advisor who is the creator and host of the very popular podcast, My Millennial Money. Glen’s a self-proclaimed ‘spender’ but was able to develop a process and system to manage his own money at an early age that ultimately lead him to financial success. He then went into helping others achieve their financial goals starting and selling multiple businesses along the way. Glen highlights some really interesting points about the FIRE movement as well as the importance of giving back as you build your wealth.Some of the topics in today’s pod include:Glen’s relationship with Money and the systems and processes he has built (00:04:44)Super asset allocations (00:14:01)Glen’s investing philosophy (00:15:40)Why the FIRE movement needs to ditch the RE (00:21:32)Being charitable whilst building wealth (00:32:25)My Millennial Money Podcast (00:39:27)LinksSort Your Money OutGlen with Dave RamseyMy Millennial Moneywww.aussiefirebug.com/podcast

Today I’m chatting to Lacey Filipich, author of 'Money School' which is an Australian book about becoming financially independent reclaiming your life.Lacey resume is very impressive, she's an engineer, author and successful entrepreneur starting multiple companies who reached financial independence in her early 30s.Some of the topics in today's pod include:Lacey’s upbringing and her road to financial independence (0:02:12)Burning out at work (0:10:48)Lacey’s investment strategies and current asset allocations (0:22:40)The Money School Book (0:56:42)How you can use Options with a FIRE strategy (1:05:34)Bank bail in-laws and what it could mean for people holding large amounts of cash (1:14:51)For a full transcription of today's episode plus show notes, please head over to www.aussiefirebug.com/lacey-filipich-money-school/

Today I invited one of my favourite Aussie FIRE bloggers on the pod, and that’s none other than Aussie HIFIRE. HIFIRE works in finance and is looking to create a higher than average income stream to fund his retirement.Some of the topics we cover are:Who is Aussie HIFIRE? (00:04:30)What is HIFIRE and how does it differ from regular FIRE? (00:05:10)What does AHF want to do during retirement? (00:11:53)The role that bonds play in a portfolio (00:18:53)How Aussie HIFIRE approaches FIRE and kids (00:29:42)Income insurance during the accumulation phase (00:44:10)www.aussiefirebug.com/aussie-hifire/

Hey guys, welcome to the Aussie Firebug podcast, My names Matt, I’m a country boy for regional Victoria. I barrack for the Magpies, I love to snowboard and I play way too much Call of Duty. I’m a pretty normal bloke, but the one area where I’ve always been a bit different is when it comes to money and investing. In fact, I’m on track to reach financial independence by my mid-thirties and plan to retire early. That’s what the FIRE acronym stands for, financial independence, retire early. You might be thinking “There’s just no way someone could retire in their 30’s without a big inheritance, high paying job or winning the lotto”! But that’s just not true! Early retirement is 100% possible for most Australian. FIRE was a movement that started in the US around 2011 and has since spread all over the world.I stumbled across it in 2013 and when I read the formula for reaching early retirement, it blew my mind. It was one of those lightbulb moments that changed my life forever. There were heaps of great content creat

Today's episode covers the incredible story of how retail investors are taking on billionaire hedge funds. This David vs Goliath story heated up last week and the big wigs on Wallstreet resorted to insanely dirty tactics to try and break the internet army. Some of the topics we cover are:- What is GameStop (00:03:40)- What does it mean to short a stock? (00:08:45)- Dirty/Ilegal tactics that these hedge funds are trying to implement to stop further losses from occurring (00:17:25)- Why this story is resonating with so many millennials (00:27:40)- Aussies were trying to buy $GME stock on the ASX which is actually a mining company

Today I’m chatting to Dev Raga, a medical professional from Melbourne who migrated from India as a child in the 80's. Dev runs his own podcast at devraga.com and is breaking the stereotype of Doctors not being the best with money with his educational content on various personal finance topics. Some of the topics we cover are:- Dev's background (00:03:03)- How long does it take to become a doctor and when do they start earning the big bucks? (00:10:30)- How Dev became interested in FIRE (00:23:12)- What Dev invests in (00:44:06)- The Dev Raga Podcast (00:51:14)For a full transcription of today's episode plus show notes, please head over to https://www.aussiefirebug.com/dev-raga/

www.aussiefirebug.com/early-access-to-super/Today I’m chatting to Sam.A financial planner from around the Byron Bay area who had a really interesting path before he landed in Finance. Sam reached out to me after my Super podcast with James from earlier on in the year and explained that there was so much more to cover when it came to Super and FIRE for Aussies.Some of the topics we cover:- Early access to Super and what it means- Eligibility to get early access - Circumstances where it makes financial sense to withdraw your Super early- First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS)- Sam's approach to the classic dilemma of investing inside or outside of - Super even when aiming for FIRE

https://www.aussiefirebug.com/fire-and-chill-with-pat-dave/ What a treat I have for you guys today.I’m joined by two of my absolute favourite bloggers who have been creating Australian FIRE content for years. We’re speaking to Pat from LifeLongShuffle.com and Dave from StrongMoneyAustralia.com.Both Pat and Dave have already been on the podcast before... in fact, this will be Pat’s third time.How greedy I know…

https://www.aussiefirebug.com/starting-an-online-business-games-like-finderToday I have the pleasure of speaking to Sam from Games Like Finder.com which is a curated video game recommendation database where you can discover new games based on what you’re currently into. What I absolutely LOVE about Sam’s story is he took a passion and turned it into an online business that helps out over 10 million gamers and generates up to an astonishing $4K a month in profit. Some of the topics we cover:- How Sam came up with the idea for gameslikefinder.com- What were the steps from inception into a product- How does Games Finder make its money- How much does Games Finder make- How much time do you put in each month to keep it running- Tax benefits of having an online business- Sam's advice for anyone thinking about turning their passion into a side hustleA full transcription of this episode can be found at aussiefirebug.com

www.aussiefirebug.com/coronavirus-market-crash-with-peter-thornhillI chat with Peter Thornhill about the current market crash and if this is any different to previous bear markets. Some of the topics we cover:- Peter's experiences with previous bear markets- Similarities to the GFC- What Peter's buying in this downturn- DCA or lump sum?- Is this just fear and confusion or maybe a financial reset?A full transcription of this episode on the blog

https://www.aussiefirebug.com/super-and-fire/We’re kicking off 2020 with probably my most requested podcast topic of all time… and that’s Super and its role in the FIRE journey for Australians.This is an absolute monster of a podcast (nearly 1.5 hours long

https://www.aussiefirebug.com/making-money-on-youtube-brandon/ Have you ever heard stories about some people being able to make a living by uploading videos to YouTube?You know what I’m talking about, those urban legends of a cat video going viral and the owner receiving thousands of dollar each month in passive income.Today I’m speaking to Brandon, a 24-year-old Physio from Canberra who also runs the Aussie Wealth Creation YouTube Channel that currently has over 45,000 subscribers and generates over $3,500 thousand dollars a month through YouTube Ad revenue. Some of the topics we cover today include:- Why Brandon started his YouTube channel- How to monetise a Youtube channel- What’s important when creating content- How much money you can expect to make per views- Other passive income techniques Brandon has tried- The Young Investors Podcast

https://www.aussiefirebug.com/matched-betting-feedbackToday's episode is about the feedback I've received from the matched betting podcast earlier this year. It's been over 6 months since I published the matched betting podcast and I've reached out to many of you who tried it through emails and surveys to get an idea of its success rate. Some are positive and others negative. I'm also addressing some criticisms that arose from that pod and to clear up a few things.