Diary of an Investor | The Switzer Report

"You can do anything," according to Craig James, former Chief Economist of CommSec tells us, "you just need to recalibrate". After spending 20 years behind the desk of Australia's most recognisable financial news source at CommSec, Craig James had to step away from the role. He chose to step away to manage the symptoms of his recent Parkinson's Disease diagnosis. A natural athlete, Craig recalibrated, and now holds a global powerlifting title for those with Parkinson's. He beat ou...

What does it take to change the way Australians invest—and what do you learn along the way? In this candid episode, Paul Rickard (the first ever managing director of CommSec and co-founder of The Switzer Report) opens up about the highs and lows of a career spent at the heart of the markets. Paul reveals how he was once booed for winning Stockbroker of the Year, shares the untold story of how he helped launch CommSec inside the Commonwealth Bank, and offers a no-nonsense take on the stock ti...

Take a stroll down Sydney's Martin Place in the last week and you'll see the queues for miles. People lined up, patiently waiting to get access to gold, which broke through the spot price of $US4000/oz last week and shows no signs of slowing down. Follow those lines to the front and you realise all those people are queuing to get into ABC Bullion: easily one of the most recognised precious metals companies in the nation. ABC Bullion's managing director and good friend of all things Swit...

In this episode of Diary of an Investor, Peter Switzer sits down with Michael Gable, founder of Fairmont Equities, to unpack how professional investors think about markets, manage risk, and find opportunity in chaos. Michael reveals the habits and mindset that have shaped his 13-year journey building Fairmont Equities — from surviving the GFC to mastering charting, stop-losses, and market psychology. They dive into: • Why emotion kills good investing • How to use stop-losses to protect your...

In this first episode of Diary of a Successful Investor, we sit down with Rudi Filapek-Vandyck — founder of FNArena and one of Australia’s most seasoned market watchers — to explore the mindset behind a successful, long-term investor. Rudi shares how the Global Financial Crisis fundamentally changed his approach to markets, why he always holds gold (and doesn’t care if it goes up or down), and what makes a company truly “all-weather.” From avoiding FOMO to favouring companies that can survive...