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Description
Investopoly is a twice-weekly podcast designed to help you make better financial decisions and build wealth with clarity and confidence. Hosted by Stuart (tax adviser, financial adviser, and mortgage broker) and Campbell (senior financial adviser), each episode delivers concise, practical insights grounded in real-world strategy, research, methodologies, and case studies.
You will get two episodes each week: a main episode that deep-dives into a single wealth-building topic, and a Q&A episode that answers listener questions and real scenarios. Send your questions to questions@investopoly.com.au
We also writes a weekly blog, and many podcast topics build on those ideas and frameworks. Stuart's forthcoming book, Wealth by Design, will be available in July 2026.
522 Episodes
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Read Full Blog Here Investing a large lump sum into the share market can feel risky, but is spreading it out actually safer, or just more comfortable? In this episode, Stuart revisits his own evolving view on lump sum investing versus dollar cost averaging. Drawing on decades of market research, he explains why lump sum investing has historically outperformed staged investing around two-thirds of the time, and why the real cost of caution is often missed opportunity, not reduced risk. But thi...
In this week's Q&A episode, Stuart works through real-life scenarios where the challenge isn't finding a good option; it's choosing between several. A Canberra couple planning a move to Queensland face a layered dilemma: how to fund a $3M home while managing a defined benefit pension, a potential inheritance, and a preference to hold quality assets. Stuart weighs selling, renting, and carrying debt into retirement, and why flexibility may matter more than certainty at this stage. The epis...
Read Full Blog Here In this episode, Stuart explores a lesser-discussed but increasingly important risk in financial planning: not running out of money, but failing to use it when it matters most. While much of the conversation around retirement focuses on avoiding financial shortfall, this episode flips the script. For those in a strong financial position, the greater danger may be underspending during the early, high-health years of retirement when time, energy, and freedom are at their pea...
In this episode, Stuart explores a powerful theme across multiple listener scenarios: is it possible to achieve early retirement without aggressive risk-taking, and what trade-offs does that require? A couple in their late 40s shares a disciplined, “late starter” journey and a clear downsizing strategy to fund retirement within five years. Stuart unpacks whether their plan to bridge the gap to super using shares and cash flow is realistic, and the key risks that could derail it. The conversat...
Read Full Blog Here In this episode, Stuart challenges the idea that Melbourne property has been a poor performer by digging beneath the median data and uncovering what actually drives outperformance. While headline figures suggest modest growth since 2010, a deeper look reveals many individual properties have significantly exceeded the average. Stuart walks through 10 real case studies across investment-grade Melbourne suburbs, highlighting the common characteristics that contributed to stro...
In this episode, Stuart unpacks a complex and relatable dilemma: what happens when your long-term wealth strategy collides with a major lifestyle goal. A Sydney-based investor with a substantial property portfolio is aiming to retire at 60 with a high passive income. Still, a recent PPOR upgrade and plans for an $800k–$1M knockdown rebuild have put that goal under pressure. With borrowing capacity already stretched and income likely to fall, the question becomes clear: is it possible to fund ...
Read Full Blog Here Register Here In this episode, Stuart breaks down the growing political debate around capital gains tax (CGT) and what potential changes could mean for Australian property investors. Following a Senate committee review, policymakers are now discussing the possibility of reducing the CGT discount and even limiting negative gearing to a small number of properties. Stuart examines the claims behind these proposals, including whether investor tax incentives are really responsi...
Register Here In this Q&A episode, Stuart tackles three complex retirement planning scenarios involving superannuation strategy, debt reduction, and financial independence. First, a Melbourne couple in their 50s asks whether surplus cash should be prioritised toward their large PPOR mortgage offset or contributed to their SMSF. With significant property exposure and relatively low super balances, Stuart explores how to think about the trade-off between liquidity, tax efficiency, and retir...
Read Full Blog Here Register Here In this episode, Stuart explores what he believes is the single most important principle in long-term investing: choosing assets that are most likely to deliver the highest average return over the next 20–30+ years, and ideally much longer. He explains why successful investors focus on lifetime compounding rather than short-term market noise, and how the real power of compounding only becomes obvious after decades of patience. Stuart walks through why investm...
Register Here In this wide-ranging Q&A episode, Stuart tackles advanced strategy questions across crypto, capital gains tax, debt recycling, super structuring, and long-term portfolio design. First, he unpacks the tax realities of holding Bitcoin via an ETF versus direct ownership, including whether using Bitcoin as a future currency actually avoids CGT (spoiler: the tax system doesn’t work that way). He also explores custody risk and what “safest” really means when holding digital assets...
Read Full Blog Here Register Here The lending landscape has changed dramatically over the past two decades, and the gap between traditional banks and non-bank lenders has never been wider. In this episode, Stuart breaks down the key differences between authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and non-bank lenders regulated primarily by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under the NCCP framework. Y...
In this strategic Q&A episode, Stuart explores two thoughtful listener scenarios centred on structure, leverage, and long-term optionality. First, a high-earning couple in their late 30s with significant cash, shares, super, and a lowly geared investment property wrestle with how much to spend on a future family home. Should they stay underleveraged and preserve their income-producing assets, or sell shares and property to secure a higher-quality principal residence? Stuart unpacks how to...
Read Full Blog Here Why do most diversified Australian portfolios still allocate nearly half of their equity exposure to Australian shares, when Australia represents only around 2% of the global share market? In this episode, we challenge the traditional 45/55 split between Australian and international equities and examine whether it truly makes sense in today’s global economy. Campbell breaks down the most common arguments for maintaining a heavy domestic allocation, franking credits, reduce...
In this strategy-heavy Q&A episode, Stuart tackles sophisticated portfolio questions from high-income earners and mid-life investors recalibrating their next move. A key theme is structure when (and whether) to introduce a family trust, how to think about carried-forward capital losses, and whether tax optimisation today outweighs flexibility tomorrow. For one couple with substantial capital loss carry-forwards, the discussion explores whether to deliberately realise gains to “use them up...
Read Full Blog Here AI has moved from buzzword to investment obsession almost overnight. From semiconductors and data centres to software platforms and critical minerals, “the AI trade” has become shorthand for backing the companies expected to benefit most from this technological shift. But before assuming today’s obvious winners will still look obvious in a decade, it’s worth revisiting the last time a world-changing technology captivated markets. In this episode, Stuart unpacks what really...
In this Q&A episode, Stuart unpacks a series of high-stakes property and borrowing decisions from listeners at very different life stages, from a 24-year-old with rising income and growing capacity, to high-earning families juggling multiple investment properties and eyeing $3–4 million dream homes. A central theme emerges: just because you can borrow more, doesn’t always mean you should. Stuart explores how to think about deploying large cash reserves, whether selling investment assets t...
Read Full Blog Here Financial modelling has become a powerful sales tool across the wealth industry, especially in property investing. In this episode, Stuart unpacks why slick projections and long-term forecasts can look compelling, yet still lead investors in the wrong direction. He explains a simple but critical truth: models don’t reveal the future, they reflect assumptions. And when the person building the model also benefits if you transact, those assumptions deserve serious scrutiny. H...
In this in-depth Q&A episode, Stuart works through a series of listener questions that all circle the same tension: how to make confident investment decisions when time feels limited and past mistakes still loom large. The discussion spans mid- to late-career investors grappling with whether to buy “one last” investment property, double down on super, or simply focus on debt reduction and lifestyle flexibility. Stuart unpacks the risks of short investment timeframes, especially when borro...
Read Full Blog Here Conflicts of interest are everywhere in financial services, but the most influential ones are often the least visible. In this episode, Stuart unpacks the hidden incentives that can quietly shape whether investors are steered toward property, shares, or a particular strategy, even when advice is well-intentioned. He explains why conflicts don’t require dishonesty to matter, how incentives can shape beliefs over time, and why familiarity bias plays a much bigger role in adv...
In this wide-ranging Q&A episode, Stuart tackles some of the most common and confronting questions listeners face as their wealth grows and decisions become less forgiving. A central theme is how to balance aspiration with financial resilience, particularly when large debts, lifestyle upgrades, and long time horizons collide. Stuart explores how to think about net worth in a practical sense, including whether unrealised tax liabilities and transaction costs should be considered, and how t...
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Inheritance tax disadvantages those not sophisticated enough to use structures like trusts or similar structures.
Love the podcast and Stuart's simple but efficient delivery of information. East to digest. 5 stars
Such great and basic info..Thankyou Stuart..