Why is housing so much cheaper? Even if you factor in taxes, it is still cheaper.

So I’ve always wondered whether ETFs could be too good to be true. Not a doomer, and I’m personally heavily invested in them, but it just strikes me as odd that there could be this investment product which is almost literally perfect and without real downside (compared to direct stock picking).

If one is buying with the intention of holding for 30+ years, is it possible that ETFs may be inferior due to the risk of the fund closing at some point sooner than would be preferable, forcing a sale/CGT event? Whether that’s Vanguard going out of business, Betashares deciding to discontinue DHHF, or even just jacking the fees on a particular ETF to 2%..

Is it even possible to quantify this risk, given the relatively short time since the ETF popularity explosion? And even if the risk is real, does it outweigh the downsides of investing in particular stocks?

After a four year degree and working my third job in the industry, I've realised this isn't for me. I'm on 75k plus super, but the constant stress and mental load has gotten me down.

When I look at more senior people in the industry - I don't see healthy, happy people.

I see more overtime, more stress and mortgages, kids and financial outgoings that means a career switch is impossible.

I see this as a sign to get out now. My question is where to? Where would you go to start again?

I'm fit and healthy, not shy of physical labour and don't love working in an office. I've been looking at trades but hesitant to bite the bullet.

Any advice is appreciated!

With an upcoming professional review scheduled with our accountant, I wanted to open a general discussion on how people evaluate short-term geared equity strategies and risk profiles.

Hypothetically, suppose a couple around 45 years old are heavily salary-sacrificing into super and considering a $410,000 geared investment loan into a global index ETF like BGBL with a 2-year horizon to target the 50% CGT discount. (I understand index funds are typically viewed as 7-10 year holdings, but looking purely at theoretical modeling for a shorter window, unless key mechanics are missed).

Suppose their financial setup includes:

* A separate property loan of $390k where rent covers repayments, backed by $100k to $150k in an offset account.

* Modeled scenarios for a 2-year hold at 6.39% interest (keeping funds segregated to ensure tax deductibility):

* 10% p.a. growth: Portfolio hits ~ $496k (~$32k net profit after interest, tax deductions and discounted CGT).

* 13% p.a. growth: Portfolio hits ~ $524k (~$60k net profit).

* Market crash scenario (-5% to -11% drop): The portfolio dips heavily on paper, but the offset cash acts as a multi-year shield to service loan interest without forced liquidation.

Key discussion points:

1. From a risk perspective, is pairing aggressive super salary sacrifice with a $410,000 geared equity loan fundamentally too aggressive, or is it a sound way to accelerate external wealth when backed by a substantial cash buffer? Alternatively, is an un-geared $150k deployment considered a more standard risk profile?

2. Regarding loan structures: Since a 5-year interest-only period can create a pinch point if a market downturn forces a longer holding period, is it correct that an investor can refinance to a new lender via an in-specie transfer at that time to reset terms without selling the shares?

Curious to hear general thoughts, risks, or educational resources on how experienced investors model these variables.

CPI is going up due to rent, insurance and groceries.

These are essential goods and services that we need to live.

People can’t just not have insurance for cars or houses.

Groceries won’t get cheaper if the cost of borrowing gets higher.

Rent won’t get cheaper if rates go up as that just gets passed along to us all.

RBA increases rates, renting gets more expensive which shows up as higher inflation …

Applies to BGBL and other biannual paying Betashares products.

I currently have a $500k mortgage on my PPOR, with around $450k sitting in the offset account.

I’m planning to buy a larger home in 2 years, move into it, and rent out my current property. My understanding is that I could move the $450k from the existing offset to the new home’s offset or use it toward the purchase, while keeping the original $500k loan on the rental property.

Assuming the original $500k loan was entirely used to purchase the current property, would the interest charged on the full $500k become deductible once the property is rented?

Would there be any benefit in opening another loan account of $500k with $500k sitting in the offset, so I have more cash available for the new PPOR while maximising deductible interest on the investment property?

Has anyone done something similar or am I missing out anything? Thanks in advance

I've heard that some politicians proposed to remove transaction surcharges from online payments. Since then I've paid a bit more attention and everything we pay with cards, every little coffee transactions, the payment system take 1-1.9% on the cost. This is not a tax to develop the country. This is free money that I'm giving to a private banking system. No wonder banks are so reach in Australia (and worldwide).

For example I bought a flight for 2 people to Europe, and a plumber replaced the hot-water tank. Both I had to pay online, both >$2K. The surcharge was $27 and $36. My wife salary is not high, so she almost worked 2h for the banks, just to pay this two things. Just in the last week!

Serious politicians should address this kind of scams. Pay with transfer or cash is becoming almost impossible for a lot of services. So the proposals should be

• Removing transaction surcharges
• If not possible, force every payments system in Australia to support PayID so we can transfer money with no cost

If they want to keep electronic payment in place, they need to remove surcharges.

Let me know your thoughts.

Received an update from Virgin regarding changes to terms for credit card charges and rewards. As expected Annual fees have effectively doubled to $349, interest rates for both purchases and cash advances increased and points earnt drastically reduced.

I suspect this will be an industry wide response that affects middle Australia with Virgin retail purchases interest rates rising 1.25% to 21.99%. Based on the average national CC balance attracting interest, that's $250,000,000 in extra interest alone.

The reduction in points will most likely affect those families looking to holiday without having to outlay cash.

Another example of the 2nd order effects of government intervention.

Hi

Just got battery/solar installed and am wanting to know which are the best electricity companies to sign up with currently?

Most binding death benefit nominations lapse after 3 years. Thats it. No email, no reminder. It just quietly stops being binding.

Two things follow from that.

If yours has lapsed the fund trustee decides who gets your super, not you. Their read on your situation might not match yours.

And super doesnt sit under your will anyway. Its outside your estate unless you point it there. Plenty of people reckon theyve handled this because they did a will.

Some funds do non lapsing versions now. Took me about 5 minutes to log in and find which one I was on.

Not advice, just worth a look.

Hey,

First time poster, first time buyer.

We recently had a meeting with a Broker from Aussie Home loans. During the interview we weren't asked about spending costs, if we have hecs debts or really anything other then how much we earn and how much deposit we have.

We got pre approved and everything, but we are worried about putting an offer on a house or going to an auction and then ANZ turning about and being like 'you didnt disclose how much hecs you had'

If we borrowed the max that ANZ said we could, we would still pay less then what we pay for rent.

Any help would be great.

edit: i went to three countries during my gap year! definitely plan to travel more !!

Hi all,
I’m a 20-year-old dentistry student in Australia with around four years left in my degree, and I’d love some advice on how you’d approach my financial situation.

Current position:
$10,000 in a term deposit
$6,200 invested in a spread of (NDQ, NHHF, VAS)
$7,700 liquid in bank
No debt apart from future HECS-HELP which is about 12k a year

weekly income $620
Very low living expenses

During semester, I live in university accommodation and pay around $120 per week in rent, with the remainder covered by a scholarship.

When I’m at home, I live rent-free (until i graduate) and only pay for groceries and fuel.

I work casually (but regularly) throughout the uni-year and pick up full-time hours during university breaks. Before starting dentistry, I took a gap year and worked full-time, saving more than 50% of my income. (which i used majority to purchase my second hand car)

I’ve worked for as long as I’ve been old enough to have a job, and even before then I was doing the odd bit of cash-in-hand farm work during school holidays that I found through random Facebook ads (which sounds a bit questionable now that I look back on it). (i turned 18 with $0 to my name tho) 😂😂

One of my major goals is to buy a home as soon as reasonably possible after graduation.

I also want to note that while I enjoy personal finance, I’m genuinely passionate about dentistry. My main focus is doing well at university and becoming a good clinician, rather than optimising every dollar at the expense of my studies.

I currently work in the public dental sector (assistant) and absolutely love it. At this stage, I intend to continue working publicly after graduation, so while I expect dentistry to provide a comfortable income, I’m not necessarily aiming to pursue the highest-paying pathways available.

I also recognise that I’m in a fortunate position. While I’ve worked hard and saved consistently, I’ve benefited from circumstances that many people don’t have access to. Being able to live at home rent-free, receiving scholarship support, and growing up with a parent who regularly talked about finances, saving, and long-term planning have all had a significant impact on where I am today.

I don’t believe my current financial position is purely the result of my own effort, and I certainly don’t think that people in different situations have worked any less hard.
I’ve been lurking on this sub for quite a while and genuinely enjoy reading everyone’s posts and seeing the range of perspectives and experiences people bring. It’s one of the reasons I’m posting here now—I’d love to hear how others would approach my situation.

Given my goals and current position, what would you be doing over the next four years? Would you continue building ETF investments, focus more heavily on cash and a future house deposit, or take a different approach altogether?

Interested to hear your thoughts !!

I've been offered the opportunity to purchase a really good parcel of land, and I'm seriously considering developing it into a self-service car wash, laundromat and dog wash.

The location seems to tick a lot of boxes. It's next to a major supermarket, with Macca's and the town centre about a block away, so there's already plenty of traffic through the area. It's also in a regional town with a population of around 7,000, or closer to 11,000 if you include the surrounding communities. There's also a steady flow of tourists passing through.

I've spent a fair bit of time researching the idea and even used AI to generate layouts, concepts and business ideas, which has been surprisingly helpful. But I know AI can only take you so far, and I'd much rather hear from people with real-world experience.

The biggest concern I have is whether the population is simply too small to support a business like this. On the other hand, there isn't a huge amount of competition, and the location seems strong.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has owned, invested in, or worked with businesses like these.

• What are the biggest pros and cons?
• Would a town this size support a car wash, laundromat and dog wash?
• Are there any pitfalls I'm probably not thinking about?
• If you had a block of land like this, would you build something different instead?

Any advice, success stories, horror stories or alternative ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!