Australian Retirement Podcast

What happens if you retire and the share market falls just as you start drawing on your savings? On the Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask and Tahli Cavagnino unpack the three-bucket retirement strategy: a way to think about spending now, keeping a reserve and investing for a longer retirement.

They begin with the shift from earning a salary to relying on a portfolio. Tahli explains sequencing risk: selling investments to meet living costs during a market downturn can make a recovery harder. The first bucket covers near-term spending needs, often with a cash buffer. But holding too...

Will Australian property prices recover in 2027—or is another round of rate pressure still ahead? In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, Owen Rask sits down with Chris Bates, mortgage broker and co-host of the Australian Property Podcast, to explore how the housing cycle affects retirees, parents helping adult children and first-home buyers.

Chris explains why any rebound depends heavily on interest rates and why a national headline can hide very different conditions in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. They discuss fewer quality listings, housing supply bottlenecks and why buyers can lose negotiating power before reported prices sh...

Are you leaving retirement to chance—or letting an assumption quietly shape a decision you may regret? In this episode of the Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask and financial adviser Tahli Cavagnino turn seven common retirement mistakes into practical questions you can ask today.

They begin with planning too late: why waiting until 60 can leave less time to adjust your savings, super and spending expectations. From there, they question the idea that property will always deliver the same growth and income, especially if too much wealth is tied up in one asset.

Owen and Tahli lo...

In this episode of the Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask sits down with Kanish Chugh from PIMCO to explain why bonds are back — and how retirees can build income without asking one asset to do every job.

After a decade in which low interest rates pushed many Australians towards shares and property, fixed income is offering a more meaningful source of income again. Owen and Kanish compare bonds with term deposits, franked dividends and hybrids, then unpack how government and corporate bonds can contribute income, liquidity, diversification and capital stability.

They also revisit the classic 60/40 po...

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It sounds like there should be a giant red button that says “retirement mode” — but, as usual with super, it’s a little more paperwork-y than that.

In this episode of The Australian Finance Podcast, also shared on The Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen is joined by Tahli Cavagnino, Senior Financial Adviser and co-head of financial advice at Rask Advice, to unpack what happens to your super as you move towards...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, Drew Meredith and James O’Reilly unpack four retirement issues that could affect how Australians access the Age Pension, choose a super fund and manage investment risk.

First, they examine a proposal for better data sharing between Centrelink and super funds. Easier, pre-filled Age Pension applications could help eligible retirees claim sooner, but giving funds a broader picture of your finances also raises questions about privacy, product sales and who benefits from the data.

They also discuss whether people in physically demanding careers—such as nurses, tradies and other manu...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith and James O'Reilly unpack the latest Delivering Better Financial Outcomes, or DBFO, changes and why retirees should care. This episode looks past the political acronym to the real decisions facing Australians who want affordable advice, better super prompts and fewer traps as they move into retirement.

Drew and James explain how the reforms could reshape the way advisers charge fees, renew ongoing service agreements and communicate with clients. They also trace how the reforms have evolved since the Hayne Royal Commission and why progress has felt painfully slow.<...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith and James O'Reilly begin with a stat that cuts through the noise: retirement confidence has fallen sharply, even after a strong year for investment markets. They unpack why rising living costs still dominate how pre-retirees feel, why good returns do not always create peace of mind, and why confidence is as much an emotional question as a financial one. They also discuss the surprising gap between seeing an adviser and actually feeling ready for retirement.

From there, the conversation turns to property. Drew and James explore whether the...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask sits down with Ryan Dinsdale from Deposit Power to unpack a part of the property journey that can quietly shape retirement decisions: how downsizers bridge the gap between selling one home and buying the next.

Ryan explains why the real challenge is rarely just finding the right property. It is timing the two transactions, freeing up enough equity, and avoiding a rushed decision that leaves cash sitting idle or forces a more expensive financing option. The conversation compares the usual paths people think about, including selling first, buying...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, James O'Reilly and Drew Meredith unpack one of the biggest retirement planning mistakes: assuming your spending stays flat for decades.

They explain why retirement expenses are rarely linear, why some costs fall away while others creep higher, and how that can change the timing of when you can comfortably stop working. The episode opens with the latest super fund return numbers and a reminder not to confuse one strong year with a long-term plan.

From there, James and Drew tackle the explosion in ETF choices on the ASX. They...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith and James O'Reilly unpack ASIC’s latest report into adviser fees and the growing pressure on super platforms to prove clients are getting fair value. It’s a timely conversation for retirees, pre-retirees and business owners who are wondering what financial advice should cost, what good oversight looks like, and how to ask sharper questions before signing on.

Drew and James explore why platform-based fee deductions have become such a focus, what ASIC appears to be targeting, and how poor-value advice can still slip through even in a heav...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask sits down with Kanish Chugh, Head of ETF Sales at PIMCO Australia, to unpack why higher interest rates are changing the case for defensive assets. They explore why bonds are no longer the 'boring' part of a portfolio, what today's yield environment means for retirees and income-focused investors, and why the starting yield on fixed income matters more than many people realise.

Owen and Kanish break down the trade-offs between savings accounts, term deposits and cash ETFs, including why liquidity, monthly distributions and portfolio role matter just as...

Australian Retirement Podcast hosts James O'Reilly and Drew Meredith step away from base-case planning and ask a harder question: what could genuinely go wrong for retirees if markets stop behaving?

They unpack three plausible stress scenarios investors should understand: sticky inflation that keeps bond yields high and squeezes equity valuations, private-market pressure that exposes illiquidity and stretched assumptions, and a geopolitical shock from oil to Taiwan that hits supply chains, sentiment and portfolio returns all at once. The point is not to predict disaster, but to understand the chain reaction before fear takes over.

Then...

Australian Retirement Podcast hosts James O'Reilly and Drew Meredith tackle a problem that quietly traps a lot of retirees and pre-retirees: when a great investment becomes too big to ignore, but selling feels impossible because of capital gains tax.

Using familiar names like CSL and Cochlear, they unpack why tax fear can keep people stuck in overexposed positions long after the risk has changed. The real question is not whether paying CGT hurts. It does. The better question is whether holding an undiversified portfolio is even more dangerous when one position starts to dominate your retirement plan...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, James O'Reilly and Drew Meredith walk through the biggest financial-year changes retirees, pre-retirees and business owners should be thinking about right now. The conversation covers the flood of FY27 planning questions now landing on advisers’ desks, from family trust rules and negative gearing changes to contribution caps, transfer balance caps and the practical reality of Div 296.

James and Drew explain what is already changing, what is only proposed, and where people should be planning ahead rather than panicking. They unpack the implications of minimum tax proposals for discretionary trusts, the ch...

In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith and James O'Reilly unpack the latest retreat from the Federal Budget's most controversial tax changes and what it means for retirees, pre-retirees and business owners trying to plan ahead.

They explain why the government eased back on small-business CGT concessions, what the clarification on testamentary trusts really fixes, and why the age pension carve-out could become one of the most important strategic details in the whole package. The conversation then shifts to the Greens' push to ban SMSF borrowing for residential property, including why that proposal matters for...

In this episode of the Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith is joined by Caite Brewer, a Queensland barrister who specialises in wills, estate disputes and superannuation.

They unpack the estate-planning mistakes that can create years of conflict after someone dies, including DIY wills, informal wills, probate disputes, family provision claims and poor communication inside families. Caite explains why a will written on a napkin can sometimes still be valid, what solemn form probate actually means, and why executors, blended families and warring siblings can end up in court for years.

The conversation also dives into...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, James O'Reilly and Drew Meredith unpack a side of retirement planning spreadsheets cannot solve: what happens when you stop working. Using four retirement archetypes - stayers, leavers, blenders and the disengaged - they explain why people can thrive after leaving work or feel flat, isolated and directionless even when the money looks fine on paper.

The conversation then turns to the practical friction many Australians underestimate. Drew explains why getting money out of an SMSF can take longer than expected, why interim accounts and asset valuations matter, and why winding up...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith, from Wattle Partners, and James O’Reilly, from Northeast Wealth, pull back the curtain on what actually happens between “let’s get some advice” and the document landing on your desk 10 weeks later — and why proper modelling involves a lot more than three columns on a spreadsheet. They also talk through a confronting client story where test-driving the retirement budget cut spending by nearly 40 per cent, and answer two big listener questions on healthcare buffers and complex SMSF property holdings.

Topics covered today

- Market...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith, from Wattle Partners, and James O’Reilly, from Northeast Wealth, bust the myth that financial advice fees are fully tax-deductible after the 2024 changes, walk through a real client case where an insurance refund accidentally triggered the bring-forward non-concessional cap, and run the numbers on what a daily coffee, a weekly pub meal, and three streaming services really cost a retiree over 25 years. They also explain what professional indemnity insurance actually covers (and what it does not), and answer two listener questions: the best month of the year to retire, an...

This episode was originally featured on the Australian Investors Podcast.

In this episode, Owen Rask sits down with Senator Andrew Bragg for a wide-ranging conversation about the Federal Budget, housing supply, tax, productivity and why so many Australians feel the country has become harder to get ahead in. Rather than getting stuck in party talking points, they focus on the practical questions investors, business owners and workers are asking right now: what happens when policy makes it harder to build homes, why does productivity matter so much for living standards, and how do taxes...

Drew Meredith and James O’Reilly on why AI-built retirement modelling routinely gets the numbers dangerously wrong, plus the end-of-financial-year traps and condition-of-release tricks every Australian retiree should know before June 30.

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith, from Wattle Partners, and James O’Reilly, from Northeast Wealth, work through five high-stakes mistakes they keep seeing in DIY retirement plans — from AI tools that forget income tax and the age pension, to notice-of-intent timing errors that quietly delete tax deductions worth tens of thousands. They also unpack a clever (and entirely legal...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, Drew Meredith and James O'Reilly tackle one of the trickiest questions for Australians heading into retirement: if you still have a large home loan in your 50s, should every spare dollar go into the mortgage, or could super actually be the better lever?

Using a real-world case study, they unpack why maximising personal deductible super contributions can sometimes leave retirees in a stronger position than aggressively paying down the loan, particularly when catch-up concessional caps and tax deductions come into play. They also explain the risks: super is locked away, markets...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with footy chaos and ageing parents challenges, then dive into what's really happening in property markets using the fresh Cotality April 2026 report.

The Boomer Briefing exposes the super rollover waiting period double hit: outgoing funds must now provide risk warnings before you can switch - designed to make you think twice. But here's the absurd catch: those same funds cannot pay for independent advice about whether switching is right for you. The rules are so restrictive (SOA...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith, from Wattle Partners, and James O'Reilly, from Northeast Wealth, react to Treasurer Jim Chalmers' Federal Budget bombshell - the biggest shake-up to property and investment tax in a generation.

Negative gearing has been axed for future purchases of established property. The 50% CGT discount is gone, replaced by an inflation indexation model. And for the first time, a 30% minimum CGT rate is being layered in - mirrored by a matching 30% minimum on discretionary trust distributions - aimed squarely at older Australians who'd otherwise pay less tax in retirement.<...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth both spent the holidays in Bright - talking reducing mobility, extending the golden years, and coaching. Plus Grace's bike crash and x-rays.

The government just announced financial advisers will no longer need an approved degree - reversing post-Royal Commission reforms. Pre-2019 it was a diploma, post-RC it was a finance degree, now it's any degree plus required finance knowledge. Why the band-aid solution? Adviser numbers are collapsing: 28,000 in 2018, 22,000 in 2020, just 15,000 in 2026 - an all-time low...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with camping vs. vanning debate, optimal camping setups, and serious camping envy. Then the worst retirement advice they've ever heard clients repeat: "Put 100% of my super in crypto in the leadup to retirement," "I'll just invest in income stocks," and "Super is a scam, I'll take it all out and put it in a term deposit."

The Boomer Briefing unpacks Division 296 and the CGT reset, then dives into the massive 1 July 2026 changes forcing employers to pay super...

Industry super funds have been hit by hacking attempts and outages. Should you be worried? Drew Meredith and James O’Reilly break down what’s happening — plus answer your top retirement questions on super access, non-concessional contributions, downsizer rules, and early retirement strategies.

If you enjoyed this Australian Retirement Podcast episode on protecting your super and retirement planning, subscribe for weekly episodes on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Topics covered today:

- Industry super fund hacks and downtime — why it’s worrying

- Can you re...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with school holiday money-saving tips, then dive into the private credit boom sweeping retirement portfolios.

Not all private credit funds are equal. Drew and James break down what retirees need to know: illiquidity premiums, fund manager transparency, borrower quality, concentration risk, and whether evergreen funds are worth the hype. What should you actually look for before jumping into private credit?

Then the big question from "Panicking Parents": "My parents...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, we take a close look at the US-Iran war volatility: Should you sell or hold? Did you know, missing the 10 best market days cuts returns in HALF. Plus your week-by-week GFC crash playbook for year 1 retirees.

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth tackle the question terrifying every retiree: with markets down 10%, Iran war escalating, and oil prices spiking - should you SELL or HOLD?

The data is brutal. Research shows...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth expose the "balanced" fund myth. Remember "Compare the Pair"? Two funds both labeled "balanced" can hold 40% vs 80% growth assets. Despite influencing millions of retirement outcomes, "balanced" has NO legal, regulatory, or industry-standard definition. It's marketing, not investment strategy.

James delivers shocking health news: Add 9 years to your life with just 7-8 hours sleep, 40 minutes moderate exercise daily, and a healthy diet. Even baby steps work - UK study of 59,078 participants found adding just 5 minutes sleep, 2...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with breaking news: The Greens have rubber-stamped Div 296 - and they're demanding MORE tax reform. James breaks down what just passed, while Drew exposes the terrifying CGT and trust changes on the horizon.

Major tax changes being floated:

- New $135K income threshold with stacking provisions

- Cap gains tax capped at 30% maximum

- CGT discount slashed from 50% to 33%

The Boomer Briefing tackles...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with provocative questions: If they had to retire TODAY on only the Age Pension, what's the first lifestyle change? And if a client wanted to blow $200K in year one on a round-the-world trip - backing them or talking them down?

The Boomer Briefing tackles explosive commentary from The Australia Institute, Guardian Australia, and Grattan Institute: Should we scrap super tax concessions entirely and double the Age Pension instead? The math: Super tax concessions...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth tackle two critical developments threatening Australian retirees: escalating Iran conflict and the shocking rise in retirement costs.

ASFA's Retirement Standard just hit all-time highs. You now need $730,000 for a comfortable retirement as a couple (homeowners, retiring at 67), or $630,000 for singles. This is the first increase in three years. Why the jump? Retiree costs are rising faster than general inflation. While CPI rose 3.8%, electricity jumped 21.5% (after subsidies expired), coffee/tea up 15.3%, beef up 10.8%, and domestic travel...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth tackle why CBA and BHP are both crushing it right now, plus the shocking SMSF boom: 42,000 new funds established in FY25, with the average NEW trustee age dropping to just 47 (vs 61 for existing funds). Why are younger Australians rushing to SMSFs, and 80% doing it without advisers?

The Boomer Briefing covers ASIC's major crackdown on dodgy lead generators selling your details to financial advisers, how to spot ethical vs unethical lead generation, and what retirees need to know about...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth open with football season excitement - Saints vs Dogs, tickets locked in for June 21, 2026, and the inevitable complaining about obscene player salaries.

The Boomer Briefing tackles two critical topics:

Q Super's Retirement Bonus - What it is, how it works, eligibility criteria, and whether it's actually worth it or just marketing spin.

Selling down assets: Accumulation vs Pension phase - The massive tax differences that could save or...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth deliver critical updates on tax changes and relationship traps that could cost you thousands.

After quick summer highlights and the CBA share price update (plenty of AI-driven outperformers despite volatility), they dive into the Boomer Briefing's two massive topics:

PROPOSED CGT CHANGES - New proposals threatening the capital gains tax discount could dramatically affect retirement planning and asset sales. Drew and James break down what's being proposed, who's pushing for...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth kick things off with high energy - school drop-offs turning them into unpaid taxi drivers, interest rate movements affecting overseas travel plans, and whether term deposits are finally worth a look again.

The Boomer Briefing tackles two massive stories shaking up the super industry:

First Guardian & Netwealth finally came to a deal. After months of drama, the collapsed super fund scandal has reached resolution. Drew and James break down what happened and what it means for...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith from Wattle Partners and James O'Reilly from Northeast Wealth kick things off with Drew's CBA share price bet update. The bet backfired when CBA fell in 2025, costing Drew $150. But he's doubling down - the new bet is whether CBA will finish above or below $150. Will Drew learn his lesson?

The Boomer Briefing tackles a fascinating trend: Why are retirees checking their super balances more than their kids' wellbeing? New data reveals heightened anxiety among retired members, particularly in funds like UniSuper where engagement with...

In this Australian Retirement Podcast episode, your hosts Drew Meredith, from Wattle Partners, and James O'Reilly, from Northeast Wealth break down the complete landscape of retirement income in Australia.

One of the most common questions financial advisers hear is: "Where will my income actually come from in retirement?" The answer isn't simple—and that's actually a good thing. The most successful retirees don't rely on a single income source; they strategically combine multiple streams to create flexibility, tax efficiency, and security.

Drew and James walk through the five main so...