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
Will the economic summit trigger wealth tax changes?
This week's economic summit coincided with a surprise move by the Albanese government to lift the deeming rate for the first time in four years: The measure…
- The Money Puzzle
The return of the 'you can rent anything market'
Immigration numbers were meant to float lower this year but a surprise pick up in numbers over the last few months coincides with a tightening of the rental…
- The Money Puzzle
Warning on 'Free Super Reviews'
The new super tax may dominate the headlines, but for most investors with less than $3m in super, a bigger headache is navigating increasingly risky marketing…
- The Money Puzzle
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
BONUS: Investing Secrets from $1.5bn Fund Manager Jun Bei Liu
In this bonus 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 Money Puzzle
The retirement 'sweet spot' is under threat
Inside the advice sector, they call it ‘the sweet spot’: The perfect amount of money to have in super that also guarantees you access to a…
- The Money Puzzle
Melbourne property rebound… it’s happening
Property investors have watched the Melbourne market sink for a decade. But the tide is turning, early investors are being rewarded as the latest numbers for…
The Money PuzzleSpecial edition: How The Australian’s Wealth team invests
In today's special edition to mark the online launch of The Australian's 'Wealth Vertical', wealth editor Julie-anne Sprague joins James Kirby to talk about…
The Money PuzzlePublic school zones are property goldmines...true or false?
So the story goes, you buy inside the 'zone' of a top public school and your property purchase can only be a winner. Well actually... the numbers don't really…
The Money PuzzleBuying shares when you should be selling?
The markets are overheating : Records are being made on the ASX while profits are actually falling. As we inch towards the most dangerous time of the year for…
- The Money Puzzle
Why house price forecasts are lifting even without a rate cut
2025 started slowly for house prices - and the absence of a second rate cut mid -year might have cooled sentiment - but economists are now upgrading their…
- The Money Puzzle
Mushroom murders: Inheritance lessons
The extensive wealth of triple murderer Erin Patterson is almost certain to now be the subject of claims from the estates of her victims: The extraordinary…
- The Money Puzzle
Buying off the plan property - should you ever?
If buying off the plan property is so long associated with later problems, why do investors ever do it? Today we take a look at the value proposal offered by…
- The Money Puzzle
Two things you must do as the $US drops
Is it the end of the US markets as we once knew them? No way! But the US dollar is fading and that creates a major shift in global investment markets.For…
- The Money Puzzle
Here comes the property rebound
Rates are falling, demand is strong and rental vacancy levels remain at rock bottom: No wonder auction clearance rates across Australia are returning to…
- The Money Puzzle
Too good to be true? A closer look at the 10% return on the ASX
Is it really this easy? You buy a share market index fund and it goes up by 10 per cent every year.....Hmm...Well, actually, the ASX 200 index is comprised of…
- The Money Puzzle
New financial year - Get ready to reset your portfolio
It's the first week of the new financial year: Time to reset your portfolio for the year ahead. Hot share markets, patchy property prices and new rules for…
- The Money Puzzle
Why AMP bought crypto (with Shane Oliver)
Our recent show on crypto, which was openly sceptical about Bitcoin, triggered a storm of response from listeners who believe Bitcoin is a very worthy asset…
- The Money Puzzle
A surprise pocket of property opportunity
The residential property market is about to be split into very clear segments thanks to a wave of generous home loan incentives. For investors, there is a…
- The Money Puzzle
A billion reasons to reconsider crypto
One in three Australian investors now have crypto, and that includes an estimated $1 billion inside the SMSF sector alone.Bitcoin is up more than 40 per cent…
- The Money Puzzle
The Secret to Buying Your House
Buyer's advocates spend their entire time professionally working on the business of buying residential property: As our guest today suggests: "It's both a…
- The Money Puzzle
The number 1 secret to selling your house
McGrath’s Tony O’Doherty is one OF Australia’s top real estate agents: He has sold more than $270m worth of residential property over the…
- The Money Puzzle
Trumped or stumped…your sharemarket dilemma
The second term of Donald Trump has been marked by a roller coaster global sharemarket: Even the biggest players among Australian industry funds are openly…
- The Money Puzzle
Electric incentives...the sequel
Our show on the incentives available (federal and state) on turning your home into a clean energy powerhouse brought in a flood of questions.Today we return to…
- The Money Puzzle
Millionaire holiday home swap: The inside track
One of the most original ideas in property investment is the ThirdHome group, a global exchange club for holiday home properties that opens up what in many…
- The Money Puzzle
Plundering the ASX: Is private equity a problem?
Everyday shareholders have always been at the back of the queue when it comes to takeovers, but this year global private equity players have clearly emerged as…
- The Money Puzzle
Top end tips : Upmarket property unmasked
pmarket property is, well, in a league of its own: Shane Smollen is a specialist in the area…and the creator of some of the most impressive…
- The Money Puzzle
Special Edition: Your questions answered on new super tax
Investors at all levels are up in arms over the new super tax largely because it is based on 'paper gains' and it will not be indexed for inflation. Don't miss…
- The Money Puzzle
Is property inside super doomed?
Holding residential property inside your super fund has always been demanding - but also lucrative. Higher rates, higher deposits, and a shortage of lenders…
- The Money Puzzle
Gold: Can it keep going up?
The hottest investment of the year has been one of the oldest known investments... Gold! It's increased at ten times the pace of the wider ASX 200 over the…
- The Money Puzzle
Electric incentives! : How you can optimise the financial incentives for clean energy from the new government
The re-elected Albanese government is offering to effectively cut the price of home batteries for solar by half. That's on top of the generous tax incentives…
- The Money Puzzle
New government : Investment risks and opportunities
The ALP is back with a renewed mandate for government - what does it mean for your portfolio, or your SMSF or your investment property? In the space of the…
- The Money Puzzle
Why 'rentvesting' doesn't work (for most people most of the time)
It seems like a good idea - rent your home and buy an investment property where you can deduct the mortgage payments against your annual income tax. In fact…
- The Money Puzzle
Super tax battle starts now (with Geoff Wilson)
Fund manager Geoff Wilson is at it again...campaigning for investors against poorly designed tax changes...and this time he has a major fight on his hands…
- The Money Puzzle
Tax - Are you being abused?
When it comes to tax affairs, it's never easy: Many investors believe they do not get a fair deal: But some people clearly suffer financial abuse (which often…
- The Money Puzzle
Divorce…your financial guide
You can spend half a lifetime working and investing only to hit a financial earthquake with a divorce. But there are ways to ensure the best possible outcome…
- The Money Puzzle
How to build a cash buffer...fast
The markets are wild and cash rates are dropping quickly at the major banks: Investors of every type need cash. Here's a guide for the investor who wants to be…
- The Money Puzzle
Why cash is king (with Chris Cuffe)
The bargain hunters are in the market but many big funds and family offices are concentrating more on building cash: That’s because investment markets…
- The Money Puzzle
Why property prices are ready to push higher
Falling interest rates, a wild share market and an election campaign where both parties are falling over each other to throw money at first-home buyers...it's…
- The Money Puzzle
Tariffs or no tariffs: Don't give up on Wall Street
Yes, the current market crisis has been 'caused' by the US: You could say the same for the dot.com crash and the GFC. But is that an argument for stepping away…
- The Money Puzzle
Behind the sharemarket fall... your next move
The share markets have dropped hard following a severe bout of selling by institutional investors, but share-broker data suggests that everyday investors are…
- The Money Puzzle
Time to consider an SMSF?
Trump's upending of world trade happens to coincide with challenging times for Big Super: The major funds face weak share markets while battling a range of…
- The Money Puzzle
Happy Liberation Day - Trump's turning point
Donald Trump's unleashing of his tariff program through the Liberation Day plan has the share market reeling - and the US market is reeling the most with the…
- The Money Puzzle
Sharing home ownership with the government: What could possibly go wrong?
The 2025 Budget managed to squeeze in a few pre-election surprises. A teeny tax cut, a decision to 'do nothing' on pension access (with unchanged deeming…
- The Money Puzzle
Property versus shares: we have a winner
The tug of war between property and shares never ends: But for many investors, one area is more attractive. My guest in this episode has spent a lifetime…
- The Money Puzzle
The Rich 250 list special : The inside track
It now takes more than $600m to even feature on the Australian’s Rich 250: But what does it take to build a fortune of that size in 2025? Today we get an…
- The Money Puzzle
The money puzzle wants to HEAR you
One of the most popular features of the Money Puzzle podcast has been listener questions which we read on air: Now we want to hear you asking your questions!…
- The Money Puzzle
Sharemarket sell off : What to do?
It had to happen: Tariffs, recession indicators and an overpriced Wall Street: The sharemarket has taken a tumble. As luck would have it, the Money Puzzle has…
- The Money Puzzle
The March 25 budget, standby for surprises
Finally, after much flipping and flopping the government has decided to go ahead with a pre-election budget on March 25: What will it mean for your investment…
- The Money Puzzle
Rocky share market signals it's time to take out the trash
The US sharemarket has lost all of the gains it racked up since the Trump election and the spectre of a tariff war is casting gloom across global trade. What…
- The Money Puzzle
Top-end property rebounds best after rate cut
The upper end of the market - defined by properties which rank in the 25 per cent of most expensive sales - is the layer that is moving up after the rate cut…
- The Money Puzzle
Key person risk: Musk, White & co…are they worth it?
The superstar CEO is a complex package: You might love what they can do with the share price, but you might equally feel unsure about their behaviour…
- The Money Puzzle
Why Queensland units are the future
For many property investors stand-alone homes will always win: Similarly, there is an investor bias towards the metropolitan centres of Sydney and Melbourne…
- The Money Puzzle
Rate cut tipping point for investors
Every investor needs to digest the changed direction of rates after the first cut in four years from the RBA: The headlines are all about mortgage cost…
- The Money Puzzle
Property investing and SMSFs - The facts
For some investors a Self Managed Super Fund is their only entry point to the property market: But does it make sense? Stuart Wemyss of ProSolution Private…
- The Money Puzzle
Dangers of the Trump trade
Australian investors have never put so much money into the US market: That's largely because Wall Street stocks have been twice as profitable as ASX…
- The Money Puzzle
How to get the best deal on rates
Rates are set to drop throughout 2025: But who knows if the RBA will get to cut much?And if they do, who knows if the banks will put the cuts through? They…
- The Money Puzzle
What might the 2025 Federal Budget bring?
Standby for a 'giveaway' pre-election Federal Budget on March 25. If history is any guide there is little for investors to worry about this time around: In…
- The Money Puzzle
Real estate cybercrime - What you need to know (with Kitty Parker)
Real estate transactions typically involve people who are not used to sending large amounts of money through the banking system; It's the perfect setting for…
- The Money Puzzle
Bank of Mum and Dad: we've got the numbers (with Richard Schellbach)
It's a defining feature of our economy: One in two Australians is involved in the Bank of Mum and Dad, and until now nobody had any hard numbers on the very…