As teenagers, my brother Dirk and I had two permanent threats hanging over our heads from Mum. “Get a tattoo or a motorbike and you’re out of the will.” Years ago, my brother got inked. Bizarrely, some time after that, Mum joined Dirk and Dad on motorbikes. I did neither. I’ve argued for years that […]

This fat bloke’s been waiting all year! A little unconventional, but here are my five tips. Tip #1: Drink. Heavily. While it’s all free or cheap at work and industry Christmas parties. Immediate savings on entertainment bills from now to Christmas. If you continue going hard through to New Year, you’ll probably swear off booze […]

Gen Xers can no more afford to ignore their personal finances than they can walk around their office naked. Strippers being the obvious exception. But getting in the trenches with your finances ranks alongside public speaking and talking about death for so many people. There is really only one way to overcome your fear of […]

You’ll always make the biggest killings and blow the most dough in the same darn place – where the risks are highest. The following stats from the top of the market (November 2007) to the bottom (March 2009) and then back to recent peaks (October 2009) are telling. The ASX20 index – Australia’s 20 largest, […]

Start them young. If their first full sentence isn’t “Dad, show me the money!”, then you’ve been a neglectful parent. You should probably be jailed. In Monopoly prison. “Learned behaviour” is an incredibly powerful force. It explains how children pick up their parents’ behaviour by osmosis. Shame on Andre Agassi for teaching his kids that […]