Aussie Firebug

About this podcast

My name's Matt, I'm a country boy for regional Victoria who is on track to reach Financial Independence and Retire Early (FIRE) by my mid-thirties. I interview guests who have already reached or are on their way to financial freedom and also answer listeners questions on the last Friday of every month. You can learn more about the FIRE movement in Australia here https://www.aussiefirebug.com/start-here/

Aussie Firebug

Episodes

2021
Ask Firebug Fridays - 26
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ Some of the topics in today's episode are: - How do companies like BetaShares and Vanguard weight individual companies in their ETFs? (00:02:34) - Anxiety from leaving your job once you have hit your FIRE number (00:10:16) - How to handle tax returns when you start to invest in ETFs (00:21:05)
February 25, 2021
31 min
Episode 34. Aussie HIFIRE
Today I invited one of my favourite Aussie FIRE bloggers on the pod, and that’s none other than Aussie HIFIRE. HIFIRE works in finance and is looking to create a higher than average income stream to fund his retirement. Some of the topics we cover are: - Who is Aussie HIFIRE? (00:04:30) - What is HIFIRE and how does it differ from regular FIRE? (00:05:10) - What does AHF want to do during retirement? (00:11:53) - The role that bonds play in a portfolio (00:18:53) - How Aussie HIFIRE approaches FIRE and kids (00:29:42) - Income insurance during the accumulation phase (00:44:10) For a full transcription of today's episode plus show notes, please head over to www.aussiefirebug.com/aussie-hifire/
February 18, 2021
57 min
Who am I and what is the Aussie Firebug podcast all about?
Hey guys, welcome to the Aussie Firebug podcast, My names Matt, I’m a country boy for regional Victoria. I barrack for the Magpies, I love to snowboard and I play way too much Call of Duty. I’m a pretty normal bloke, but the one area where I’ve always been a bit different is when it comes to money and investing. In fact, I’m on track to reach financial independence by my mid-thirties and plan to retire early. That’s what the FIRE acronym stands for, financial independence, retire early. You might be thinking “There’s just no way someone could retire in their 30’s without a big inheritance, high paying job or winning the lotto”! But that’s just not true! Early retirement is 100% possible for most Australian. FIRE was a movement that started in the US around 2011 and has since spread all over the world. I stumbled across it in 2013 and when I read the formula for reaching early retirement, it blew my mind. It was one of those lightbulb moments that changed my life forever. There were heaps of great content creators for the states but they were all talking about 401K’s and Roth accounts. I wanted to know if FIRE was possible for Australians, so in 2016, I created the Aussie Firebug podcast. This is the financial independence podcast for Australians where I chat with people who have already reached or are on their way to financial independence. There’s also a segment called Asked Firebug Fridays where I answer listeners questions on the last Friday of every month. If you want to know more about me or the FIRE movement in Australia. Head over to https://www.aussiefirebug.com/welcome I hope you guys enjoy the show and I’ll see you in the next episode
February 16, 2021
2 min
Episode 33. Can't stop, won't stop, GameStop! Reddit VS Wall Street
Today's episode covers the incredible story of how retail investors are taking on billionaire hedge funds. This David vs Goliath story heated up last week and the big wigs on Wallstreet resorted to insanely dirty tactics to try and break the internet army. Some of the topics we cover are: - What is GameStop (00:03:40) - What does it mean to short a stock? (00:08:45) - Dirty/Ilegal tactics that these hedge funds are trying to implement to stop further losses from occurring (00:17:25) - Why this story is resonating with so many millennials (00:27:40) - Aussies were trying to buy $GME stock on the ASX which is actually a mining company 🤦‍♂️ (00:46:13) #✋💎🤚 #🚀🚀🚀 #🦍💪🦍 #Wejustlikethestock
January 31, 2021
52 min
Ask Firebug Fridays - 25 feat. Captain FI
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ I'm joined today by Captain Fi. Some of the topics we chat about are: - Speaking to financial advisors and where to find good ones (00:05:39) - Is it a good time to buy bitcoin?(00:18:38) - DCA vs lump sum investing(00:33:07)
January 28, 2021
48 min
Episode 32. Dev Raga
Today I’m chatting to Dev Raga, a medical professional from Melbourne who migrated from India as a child in the 80's. Dev runs his own podcast at devraga.com and is breaking the stereotype of Doctors not being the best with money with his educational content on various personal finance topics. Some of the topics we cover are: - Dev's background (00:03:03) - How long does it take to become a doctor and when do they start earning the big bucks? (00:10:30) - How Dev became interested in FIRE (00:23:12) - What Dev invests in (00:44:06) - The Dev Raga Podcast (00:51:14) For a full transcription of today's episode plus show notes, please head over to https://www.aussiefirebug.com/dev-raga/
January 17, 2021
72 min
2020
Podcast update + Ask Firebug Fridays - 24
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ A bit of a different AFF today guys, It's been ages since I last uploaded any audio content and I wanted to give you all an update as to what has been going on and where the podcast is heading. I also touch on a topic that I've already covered but my thoughts have changed over the last few years and I think a few people would like to hear what I would have done differently if I had to start my FIRE journey all over again from scratch. - Intro + Podcast update (0:57) - What I would have done differently if I had to start all over again (7:58)
November 19, 2020
41 min
Episode 31. Early Access To Super
www.aussiefirebug.com/early-access-to-super/ Today I’m chatting to Sam. A financial planner from around the Byron Bay area who had a really interesting path before he landed in Finance. Sam reached out to me after my Super podcast with James from earlier on in the year and explained that there was so much more to cover when it came to Super and FIRE for Aussies. Some of the topics we cover: - Early access to Super and what it means - Eligibility to get early access - Circumstances where it makes financial sense to withdraw your Super early - First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) - Sam's approach to the classic dilemma of investing inside or outside of - Super even when aiming for FIRE
June 3, 2020
58 min
Episode 30. FIRE & Chill with Pat and Dave
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/fire-and-chill-with-pat-dave/ What a treat I have for you guys today. I’m joined by two of my absolute favourite bloggers who have been creating Australian FIRE content for years. We’re speaking to Pat from LifeLongShuffle.com and Dave from StrongMoneyAustralia.com. Both Pat and Dave have already been on the podcast before... in fact, this will be Pat’s third time. How greedy I know…😜 Today we’re chatting how COVID has effected each of us, has anyone changed their investment strategies due to the recent events but most importantly, they have some exciting news that coming to the Aussie FIRE space next week and that’s a brand new podcast they’re starting called FI/RE and Chill.
May 14, 2020
65 min
Episode 29. Starting an Online Business - Games Like Finder
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/starting-an-online-business-games-like-finder Today I have the pleasure of speaking to Sam from Games Like Finder.com which is a curated video game recommendation database where you can discover new games based on what you’re currently into. What I absolutely LOVE about Sam’s story is he took a passion and turned it into an online business that helps out over 10 million gamers and generates up to an astonishing $4K a month in profit. Some of the topics we cover: - How Sam came up with the idea for gameslikefinder.com - What were the steps from inception into a product - How does Games Finder make its money - How much does Games Finder make - How much time do you put in each month to keep it running - Tax benefits of having an online business - Sam's advice for anyone thinking about turning their passion into a side hustle A full transcription of this episode can be found at aussiefirebug.com
April 29, 2020
57 min
Episode 28. Coronavirus market crash with Peter Thornhill
www.aussiefirebug.com/coronavirus-market-crash-with-peter-thornhill I chat with Peter Thornhill about the current market crash and if this is any different to previous bear markets. Some of the topics we cover: - Peter's experiences with previous bear markets - Similarities to the GFC - What Peter's buying in this downturn - DCA or lump sum? - Is this just fear and confusion or maybe a financial reset? A full transcription of this episode on the blog
March 19, 2020
75 min
Episode 27. Superannuation and FIRE
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/super-and-fire/ We’re kicking off 2020 with probably my most requested podcast topic of all time… and that’s Super and its role in the FIRE journey for Australians. This is an absolute monster of a podcast (nearly 1.5 hours long 🤯) where I’m speaking to Super Guru James Coyle. We cover so many things in this pod and the topics range from “I know nothing about how Super works” all the way into the nitty-gritty technical details that hopefully will shed some light for us FIRE folk and maybe will help some people out there that are weighing up the pros and cons of Super when it comes to FIRE. Shoutout to everyone who contributed to the questions on the Aussie FIRE discussion Facebook group. I did my best to tried to ask James the most ‘liked’ questions from the community but couldn’t get them all in. Also massive shoutout to Josh for the transcript below and Victoria who helped with some of the technical questions we had 🙏 Some of the topics we cover today include: - The basics of how Super and the pension work in Australia - Tax benefits of Super - The tax-free environment within Super and how it works in practice. - The major differences between funds and what to look for - Children inheriting Super - How it works from the accumulation phase to your pension fund - Smart things to do if you're 50-60 and nearing your preservation age - SMSF, are they worth it for FIRE chasers? - Women-specific considerations to maximize the outcome of Super (great tip below) - How do minimum withdrawal rates work in retirement - First Home Super Saver Scheme And that's not even all of it I swear 😅
February 6, 2020
86 min
2019
Episode 26. Making Money On Youtube - Brandon
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/making-money-on-youtube-brandon/ Have you ever heard stories about some people being able to make a living by uploading videos to YouTube? You know what I’m talking about, those urban legends of a cat video going viral and the owner receiving thousands of dollar each month in passive income. Today I’m speaking to Brandon, a 24-year-old Physio from Canberra who also runs the Aussie Wealth Creation YouTube Channel that currently has over 45,000 subscribers and generates over $3,500 thousand dollars a month through YouTube Ad revenue. Some of the topics we cover today include: - Why Brandon started his YouTube channel - How to monetise a Youtube channel - What’s important when creating content - How much money you can expect to make per views - Other passive income techniques Brandon has tried - The Young Investors Podcast
December 26, 2019
63 min
Ask Firebug Fridays - 23
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ In today's episode we chat about: - Investing a house deposit - Things I would have told myself 8 years ago - Why the unit price of a fund is largely irrelevant
November 28, 2019
27 min
Matched Betting Feedback
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/matched-betting-feedback Today's episode is about the feedback I've received from the matched betting podcast earlier this year. It's been over 6 months since I published the matched betting podcast and I've reached out to many of you who tried it through emails and surveys to get an idea of its success rate. Some are positive and others negative. I'm also addressing some criticisms that arose from that pod and to clear up a few things.
November 26, 2019
30 min
Episode 25. Ted Richards
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/ted-richards Today I’m speaking to the former Fullback of the Sydney Swans, AFL premiership player Ted Richards. Although Ted has had an illustrious career in football, he is also passionate about investing and is currently the director of business development at Six Parks, an Australian Robo advisor investment platform. Today’s pod combines two of my favourite things which are investing and footy! Some of the topics we cover today include: - Investing as an AFL player- What Ted learned in footy that can be transferred to investing - The power of rules-based investing - Why understanding behavioural economics is so important - Six Park Robo investing platform - The Richard Report - Quickfire AFL related questions
November 14, 2019
50 min
Ask Firebug Fridays - 22
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ In today's episode we chat about: - Is a $45K FHOG too good of an opportunity to pass up? - Leaving the snowball for your kids? How would I do it? - The tax impact of our properties now we have moved overseas and become UK tax residents. I also learn the origins of why I mispronounce the word 'ask' and it's actually a lot more interested than you might think 😂!
October 24, 2019
28 min
Ask Firebug Fridays - 21
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ In today's episode we chat about: - Is gold part of our financial independence plan? - Are FIRE chasing missing out on returns by only investing passively? - How we manage to spend less than $50K a year! Question (1:50) Thanks for the great content! I was just wondering what your thoughts are on gold? Is owning some gold a part of your financial plan? Thanks a lot for your time, Julia Question (7:28) Hi AFB, Congratulations to you for what you have achieved & continue to achieve on your FIRE journey. Thank you for your incredible generosity in sharing your knowledge, passion & enthusiasm. Inspirational! Up until about 6 months ago, I exclusively purchased ASX listed shares directly but in the last 6 months decided to start purchasing ETFs. Now that I have the ability to compare apples with apples, I have to say that my annualised returns for direct share purchases are at least twice that for the ETF benchmark of VAS (over the entire 6 years). I am not writing to boast - in fact, my purchases have been largely recommended by 2 share sites I subscribe to (intelligent investor & barefoot investor) so I can hardly take any credit. I know that the FIRE community is so bullish on indexes but I am not sure that you are not missing out on some reasonable returns. I know the theory that most people don’t beat the index & probs that is true in context. Little of what Buffet says in regards to share investing is wrong. but I think with a little bit of ‘expert’ advice & by that, I don’t mean full-service brokers who only work for themselves. I reckon that solely investing in indexes might be limiting your returns. Anyway, I guess I just write to you to raise the issue with you & share my thoughts. Once again - congratulations. I wish I had had your insight at your age. Thank you, take care Tanya Question (15:38) Hi mate, I'm so happy to find our Australian fire blog. I've been reading and listening to people like Mustache, fientist etc for quite some time. One thing that has always annoyed me is seeing how little they live off and not understanding how they can possibly make that work. I would love to see a breakdown of your yearly spending habits. I've had a look through your blog and can't find anything that matches this. I noticed you seem to live off only 50k a year with you and your partner, which also seems too bloody good to me haha. I look forward to seeing what sort of expenses you count. Thanks, Cameron. Closet F.I addict
September 26, 2019
26 min
Election Results & Strategy… 2.5?
https://www.aussiefirebug.com/election-results-and-strategy-2-5/ Like Steven Bradbury before him, ScoMo and the Coalition skated past the ALP for a come from behind victory and with it, the franking credit refunds will remain for the foreseeable future. Now that the election has passed, it seems like things should proceed as per normal right? Well... about that. Today's episode dives into our modified strategy for 🔥 and how this years election taught us a valuable lesson in legislation risks when investing.
September 24, 2019
40 min
Ask Firebug Fridays - 20
www.aussiefirebug.com/aff/ In Today's episode we chat about: - REITs - Recommending certain investments to family members especially your parents - Bonds Question (2:00) Hi Aussie Firebug, Since it’s Friday I thought I’d ask you a question: How do you feel about REITs? VAP has fairly stable growth and something around a 7-8% yield and would provide diversification across different types of property (commercial etc) and across the whole country. I think there are some tax implications in that distributions don’t qualify for franking credits, but since they may be gone soon anyway, does this really matter? I have also read that REITs are only loosely correlated to shares, which could be beneficial during market crashes. Thanks, Liam Question (8:33) Hey Aussie Firebug, Love the blog! Thanks for providing great content! I have a question about helping family to invest. My family are clueless about investing. Their idea of building wealth is to hide money under the mattress, they barely even trust their super and when they do make ‘’investment’ decisions, I don’t think they’re based on a sound understanding of the market. My parents are approaching retirement and luckily have a bit of cash sitting around that could be put to better use. The problem is I don’t feel comfortable telling them what to do with it. I’m new to this myself and don’t want to be responsible in case things go wrong. I’m even scared to suggest possible options (eg, Vanguard) in case they take my word for it, don’t do their own due diligence and then things go belly up. How would you handle this? Give them the info I have and let them decide, or don’t get involved at all? Appreciate your response! -Girl On Fire Question (21:25) What is your view on bonds in your portfolio asset allocation? All the traditional advice is that 100% shares is not the best approach, yet I see over and over again people saying go 100% shares while you are young. Older, wiser heads that have gone through bear markets suggest a 60/40, 70/30 type split as a more responsible allocation. What are your thoughts on this? Do you plan to include bonds in your portfolio at one stage? Do you think a cash emergency fund or offset account for a mortgage is a substitute for the bond portion of a portfolio? -Matt
August 29, 2019
28 min

Aussie Firebug

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

Aussie Firebug

Episodes

Ask Firebug Fridays - 26

Episode 34. Aussie HIFIRE

Who am I and what is the Aussie Firebug podcast all about?

Episode 33. Can't stop, won't stop, GameStop! Reddit VS Wall Street

Ask Firebug Fridays - 25 feat. Captain FI

Episode 32. Dev Raga

Podcast update + Ask Firebug Fridays - 24

Episode 31. Early Access To Super

Episode 30. FIRE & Chill with Pat and Dave

Episode 29. Starting an Online Business - Games Like Finder

Episode 28. Coronavirus market crash with Peter Thornhill

Episode 27. Superannuation and FIRE

Episode 26. Making Money On Youtube - Brandon

Ask Firebug Fridays - 23

Matched Betting Feedback

Episode 25. Ted Richards

Ask Firebug Fridays - 22

Ask Firebug Fridays - 21

Election Results & Strategy… 2.5?

Ask Firebug Fridays - 20