Shows / The Money Puzzle
The Money Puzzle
Unlock your wealth potential with The Money Puzzle.
Featuring two power-packed episodes each week packed with smart money-making strategies, from superannuation to investing in shares, plus in-depth analysis of property markets.
Get tips from leading experts and practical tools to help build lasting wealth.
Submit your questions at themoneypuzzle@theaustralian.com.au.
Episodes
- The Money Puzzle
How wealthy investors are dealing with the Iran crisis
If you want to get advice from today's guest, Ben James of Escala Partners, you need to have at least $5m in your investment portfolio. In other words, his…
- The Money Puzzle
'Pump and dump' warning for interstate property investors
Buyer's agents armed with rubber-stamp qualifications are herding investors into overpriced regional hot spots just in time for a looming wave of rate…
- The Money Puzzle
The typical traits of the Rich 250 in 2026
What do the super-rich have in common? The everyday investor might never be a dealmaker, but they can learn a lot from the discipline, focus and confidence…
- The Money Puzzle
Rates up, so should you fix your mortgage now?
Cash rates are now more than 4 per cent and your mortgage is around 6 per cent: What's more, it looks very much like the hiking cycle is far from over, so…
- The Money Puzzle
Chris Judd on his new game: stock picking
Former AFL star Chris Judd has become a fund manager specialising in 'small cap' stocks: No surprise, he's got some clear views on the share market and what…
- The Money Puzzle
Rentvesting - A better way to make it work
"Rentvesting' is increasingly popular where wannabe home owners move first to buy a rental property and later to use their accumulated equity to buy 'a forever…
- The Money Puzzle
Iran crisis special: what you need to know
These are very early days in the Iran war and the impact on share markets is far from clear. But already we can see there is upward pressure on interest rates…
- The Money Puzzle
Negative gearing… who needs it anyway?
Though 80,000 investors own more than two negatively geared properties, the reaction to news that the government is planning to ‘cap’ the tax break…
- The Money Puzzle
Private credit - the boom boils over
Everyday investors have been heavily sold private credit funds as an alternative investment and now the reality of this opaque, often illiquid market is…
- The Money Puzzle
Property investors fret over CGT but rate rises may stall soon
Are we looking the wrong way? As property investors fret over likely lifts in Capital Gains Tax, the bigger issue for long term investors is interest rates…
- The Money Puzzle
Inheritance tax: Has something changed?
More investors are coming to realise that inherited super is taxed at 17 per cent, but the government has stirred a hornet's nest in adding a de facto death…
- The Money Puzzle
Should you put your extra dollars in super or the family home
At the very core of wealth building is the dilemma of setting up your super or making sure you own a home; The long-term returns on both investment choices are…
- The Money Puzzle
Inflation is eating your investment returns...what to do?
Interest rates are moving higher again as the RBA renews its battle with inflation: It's time to think seriously about inflation-proofing your investments, and…
- The Money Puzzle
How to become a property investor for $300,000
'You can't get into the property investment market for less than $1m' is something you may hear regularly...but is it true? High-profile investor Nathan Birch…
- The Money Puzzle
Why you must take more risk for longer than you think
Whether you are with a big super fund - or run your own SMSF - the outstanding risk for your long-term return is whether your portfolio is appropriate for your…
- The Money Puzzle
Gold... is this the pullback you've been waiting for?
Gold prices jumped dramatically last year and then soared through the $US5,000 milestone last month: Now the price is suddenly heading south as profit takers…
- The Money Puzzle
Listener Questions Answered : Defensive assets, super tax sting and US investment risks
The sharemarket is surging and we are trading like it's late 2007, which makes it a very good time to review how your portfolio would fare if things turn…
- The Money Puzzle
Property tax risks rise for the year ahead
If you are planning to put more money in the property market this year, be warned the risks of tax changes are now clearly on the table: Top of the agenda is a…
- The Money Puzzle
Your complete 2026 investment outlook
How many years can a bull market last? What will it take to dampen investor sentiment in the year ahead, and what should you, the active investor, be doing?…
- The Money Puzzle
The outstanding property opportunity in 2026
Property prices are tipped to rise by 5 per cent in 2026 : But where will investors really make their money?In our property investment outlook show for the…
- The Money Puzzle
Top stock picks for 2026 (with Jun Bei Liu)
The ASX can return 10 per cent again in 2026...or maybe even more, says star stockpicker Jun Bei Liu...but what to buy? In this second part of our 2026…
- The Money Puzzle
Your shares in 2026
It looks like the sharemarket will once again be the place to make money in 2026, especially on Wall Street. But it's not going to be a smooth ride: In the…
- The Money Puzzle
Summer series: Investing Secrets from $1.5bn Fund Manager Jun Bei Liu
In this episode of The Money Puzzle, The Australian’s Wealth Editor, Julie-anne Sprague, unpacks what it takes to be a great investor with one of the…
- The Money Puzzle
Summer series: Is your home the worst investment you’ll ever make?
If it wasn’t said by a top financial adviser, you might dismiss it as a quote out of context, but Partners Wealth Group Jack Tossol is not kidding: He…
- The Money Puzzle
Summer series: FIRE - Financial Independence, Retire Early - Could you do it?
What is the FIRE movement and how did it get started? It's not a club or a cult: It doesn't have a headquarters, rather it's a set of investment principles…
- The Money Puzzle
Money Movies - The Australian's film critic picks his all-time favourites
Who doesn't love a good movie? Power, romance, ambition, betrayal...actually, that sounds more like a classic 'money movie'. In this special holiday show, The…
- The Money Puzzle
Struggling in the final lap: Your 2025 investment year
Investment markets are sliding in the final days of the year with the ASX 200 looking like it will manage just 8 per cent in total returns: Even Wall Street…
- The Money Puzzle
The no 1 formula for locating property investment success
Terry Ryder of the Hotspotting group is Australia’s top expert in choosing locations for investors.Today he spells out his ‘simple formula&rsquo…
- The Money Puzzle
Have Aussie shares let you down this year?
It sounds reasonable at first glance: Shares on the ASX are up more than 5 per cent over the year to date - add your dividends and you might get close to a 9…
- The Money Puzzle
YIMBY! Building in the backyard: the intergenerational breakthrough
Everyone is feeling the squeeze of sky-high property prices: At the same time, state governments across Australia are actively encouraging 'densification'. No…
- The Money Puzzle
Die with zero: Why you should give it away sooner
Why are you holding on to that investment property to help your kids buy a house one day? This question captures the broader concept raised by the 'Die with…
- The Money Puzzle
Why fixing your mortgage rate means you will lose money
Banks won't tell you if you're better off with a fixed-rate mortgage. But strong evidence shows most borrowers will lose when they bet against the bank by…
- The Money Puzzle
Do I really need that much? The problem with superannuation calculators
ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland is the top cop for consumers in the investment markets - and he wants you to know that those superannuation calculators that…
- The Money Puzzle
The Olympic-sized property opportunity
Anyone who remembers the powerful escalation in prices for the Sydney 2000 games does not need to be convinced that Brisbane is going to be a very good…
- The Money Puzzle
Special Edition - Australia's Top Financial Adviser tells all
Matthew Cassidy of Partners Wealth Group has just taken the top spot in this year's Barron's Top 150 Advisers List. He offers a unique perspective on what you…
- The Money Puzzle
Lending limits return as a risk in a red-hot residential market
It had to happen, just as the residential property market is rebounding, there are concerns that regulators may 'remove the punchbowl.' NAB has revived talk of…
- The Money Puzzle
Private equity - Are you getting the crumbs from the table?
The avalanche of unlisted private funds aimed at retail investors is at full tilt. It's been a seriously profitable activity for endowment funds: So why have…
- The Money Puzzle
Nowhere to move: The hidden driver of rising house prices
We tend to discuss the nation's rental crisis in terms of the difficulties faced by young renters: But a one per cent vacancy rate also means anybody selling a…
- The Money Puzzle
'Expense Creep': The silent killer of investment dreams
Most active investors are pretty good at making money: After all, if they were no good at it, then they would leave the work to someone else. But what about…
- The Money Puzzle
Why house prices will keep going higher... even without further rate cuts
The focus might be on interest rates, but the outstanding driver for residential prices is the lack of supply: We already know home building is falling behind…
- The Money Puzzle
The Critical Minerals boom - how to play it?
Australian investors are perfectly placed to profit from the critical minerals boom.In fact, fortunes have already been made and lost on the market.Now the…
- The Money Puzzle
Time to think about fixing rates?
It's hard to believe that during the Covid crisis, nearly half of all mortgages were being 'fixed' - today the level is less than 5 per cent. With economists…
- The Money Puzzle
Final cut on the new super tax
The Treasurer has finally clarified how the revamped plans for the new super tax will work - including how Capital Gains Tax will work...it's a template for…
- The Money Puzzle
Investors derailed! Hard lessons from Sydney Metro
The opening of a 30 km new line across the middle of Sydney should have been a bonanza for investors; But one year later prices inside the rail catchment area…
- The Money Puzzle
Is it too late to buy gold!?
Gold price records are being smashed. Moreover, the volume of money being sunk into gold ETFs and gold miner shares is also reaching spectacular levels: But…
- The Money Puzzle
Property investors brace for new super tax squeeze
Investors who have held property as the backbone of their retirement portfolios will be the first in line for the new taxes on super…especially at the…
- The Money Puzzle
The common financial mistakes forcing people to work longer
Most people worry about whether they have enough money to have a comfortable retirement. Financial adviser James Wrigley has a framework to help people better…
- The Money Puzzle
Mortgage wars: why the banks are offering sweeter deals
The major banks don’t usually offer big deals to first home buyers, usually because beggars can’t be choosers. But that's changing. There's big…
- The Money Puzzle
The great wealth transfer: what you need to know before gifting money
Many parents and grandparents want to be able to help their children, and do so while they’re alive rather than leaving a large inheritance. But there…
- The Money Puzzle
How to pick a suburb ripe for booming house prices
House prices across most capital cities are expected to rise over the next 12 months. So how do you pick which is the best one to buy an investment property?…
- The Money Puzzle
Is using an SMSF for property a million-dollar mistake?
A generation of investors have used Self Managed Super Funds for property investment, but steadily the numbers have changed in this area with higher rates…
- The Money Puzzle
Melbourne rebound - where are the bargains?
The nation’s second biggest city is climbing out of a decade-long period of severe property price underperformance - so where are the opportunities?…
- The Money Puzzle
Private markets - A beginner’s guide
Private credit, private debt...it's boom time out there for unlisted markets but how do you walk the fine line between shooting in the dark and making the best…
- The Money Puzzle
Double tax on paper gains in property - welcome to the new super tax
Inside the Self Managed Super Fund sector, it is professionals - such as auditors - who are on the front line: They will be dealing with valuations which…
- The Money Puzzle
My guest today is an AI bot
It's looking very much like 2025 is going to be the year that Artificial Intelligence changes the investment sector beyond recognition. A hot spot of this…
- The Money Puzzle
How 'rentvesting' could work for you
Renting where you live and investing your spare funds to maximise capital growth is steadily becoming a key factor in the residential market - especially for…
- The Money Puzzle
Is becoming a Sophisticated Investor in your best interest?
It sounds so good: Sophisticated Investor status is open to all investors who have enough money to get across the line. But did you know a financial adviser is…
- The Money Puzzle
How to cut your mortgage costs...now
A remarkable 100,000 Australians refinanced their mortgage to a better rate in the three months to June this year. If you have yet to join the party, the…
- The Money Puzzle
BONUS: Roger Montgomery's investment journey: from fish and chips to fund management
Roger Montgomery is the founder of Montgomery Investment Management. While he is into adventure sports, when it comes to investing he's acutely focused on…
- The Money Puzzle
Fancy bidding against a super fund for your house?
The Federal government is pushing big super funds into the housing market: That market is currently dominated by 'mum and dad' investors - Would big funds do…