Investopoly

Stuart Wemyss

Each episode is packed with concise tips, strategies, research, methodologies, case studies, and ideas to help you safely and effectively grow your wealth. Stuart Wemyss, a qualified financial advisor, accountant, tax agent, and licensed mortgage broker, delivers holistic advice. With four authored books, including "Investopoly" and "Rules of the Lending Game," Stuart shares his insights through a weekly blog, which is replicated on this podcast.

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Investopoly Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Investopoly episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Investopoly for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Investopoly episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

When to not invest: 5 questions to ask

Investopoly

07/13/21 • 16 min

There are a number of factors that I consider when contemplating an investment on behalf of my clients or for me, personally.I think it’s very important to consider a vast array of investment opportunities (or appoint an advisor to do it on your behalf). But it is even more important to discount most of them. Being diligent, setting a high bar and having the discipline to stick to sound fundamentals is critical for success.This blog sets out the important factors that I always consider.Will it materially improve your financial position 10 years from now?It is often tempting to invest in ideas or opportunities that may promise to provide quick investment returns. Doing so appeals to our desire for instant gratification (reward). One of my favourite quotes is from Howard Schultz (billionaire and founder of Starbucks); “short term profit rarely creates long term value”. It’s very true.A quick profit is nice, but it’s not the solution to building long-term wealth, unless you can consistently pick the next short term opportunity. But that is impossible to do. The problem is these ‘quick profit’ opportunities tend to be inherently risky (so many don’t work out well) and provide a one-time return only.Instead, you are much better off to invest in assets that provide predictable returns over very long periods of time. Investing in an asset that provides an average return of 7% p.a. over the next 30 years will magnify its value by 7.6 times.Asking yourself whether the investment you are considering will materially improve your financial position in 10 years’ time, forces you to think long-term. It helps you avoid the shiny objects (i.e. opportunities that trick you into believing they’ll deliver quick profits).Ironically, the older we become, the easier we find it to make long-term decisions. Or maybe we just get more comfortable with delayed gratification. Either way, it requires discipline and patience.Do you understand what’s driving the expected returns?Don’t invest in anything you don’t understand.You need to understand how the investment will work. How will the returns be generated? It must make sense.For example, if you are investing in a property in a blue-chip and highly sort after location, it is easy to understand how that property will be worth a lot more in 30 year

Do you have a question? Email: [email protected] or for a faster response, post a comment on the episode's video over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@investopolypodcast/podcasts
If you're interested in working with my team and me, discover how we can work together here: https://prosolution.com.au/prospective-client/
If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating on your favourite podcast platform.
Subscribe to my weekly blog: https://www.prosolution.com.au/stay-connected/Buy a one of Stuart's books for ONLY $20 including delivery. Use the discount code blog: https://prosolution.com.au/books/
DOWNLOAD our 97-point financial health checklist here: https://prosolution.com.au/download-checklist/
IMPORTANT: This podcast provides general information about finance, taxes, and credit. This means that the content does not consider your specific objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is crucial for you to assess whether the information is suitable for your circumstances before taking any actions based on it. If you find yourself uncertain about the relevance or your specific needs, it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed and trustworthy professional.

Q&A: Super vs property, CGT, tax-effective loan structure, children in a SMSF and more...

Investopoly

12/30/24 • 34 min

In this week’s Q&A episode, Stuart dives into a variety of listener questions that touch on key aspects of financial planning, investment decisions, and retirement strategies. Topics include the ongoing debate of superannuation versus property investment, understanding the capital gains tax implications of rebuilding an investment property as a principal residence, and managing tax-efficient loan structures when multiple properties are involved.

Stuart also shares insights on including adult children in SMSFs, the benefits and potential drawbacks, and explores scenarios for selling well-performing properties to upgrade or capitalise on new opportunities. For expats planning future moves, Stuart offers advice on whether to invest in lifestyle properties or focus on long-term investment strategies.

Finally, he discusses how to best allocate surplus cash flow between super contributions, offset accounts, and ETFs, while considering life events like starting a family. Packed with practical guidance and tailored advice, this episode offers valuable takeaways for anyone navigating complex financial choices.

Whether you’re an investor looking to optimise your portfolio or planning for future retirement, this episode is full of actionable insights. Tune in now!

Q&A: My target audience, investing in US domicile ETFs and whether to repay P&I to minimise interest rate...

Investopoly

06/02/25 • 35 min

In this Q&A episode, Stuart explores whether his financial strategies apply broadly or mainly to wealthier Australians, responding to recent data showing few households have $2M+ in super. He explains how his goal is to equip a wide range of listeners to make better decisions, regardless of starting point, and why aiming high with financial goals can still be relevant and motivating.

He also answers a question on US-domiciled ETFs, covering tax implications, currency risk, and whether Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs can provide a more efficient option for long-term Australian investors. He discusses how income, reporting, and capital gains are treated, and clarifies some common misconceptions.

Next, Stuart tackles whether it’s worth switching investment property loans from interest-only to principal and interest, weighing the opportunity cost of redirecting cash flow toward debt versus other investments or paying down a PPR loan.

Finally, a listener outlines their detailed financial plan and asks if they should stretch their home budget, buy an investment property, or stay the course with ETF investing and super. Stuart walks through key considerations around private school costs, inheritance timing, and borrowing strategy.

It's a perfect time to sell dud investments

Investopoly

02/12/20 • 18 min

With share markets at an all-time high and sentiment in the property market recovering, it is a great opportunity to divest of any underperforming (dud) investments.Not all investments perform as expected. Therefore, it’s important you regularly review them. This review should be completed without any influence of emotion – it’s all about the numbers.Let’s first discuss why now might be a good time to do this.The US share market is high, very highOver the past 11 years, the US share market has increased by an annual compounding rate of over 14.5% and is now trading at an all-time high. To put that in context, $50,000 invested in 2009 (in the S&P 500 index) would be worth over $220,000 today!The chart below which has been produced by Advisor Perspective records four commonly used valuation metrics for the US share market since 1900. This chart doesn’t need any commentary from me – it is obvious valuations are high! Probably, too high! In fact, the last time they were this high was in the early 2000’s during the dot-com bubble. Most of us know how that turned out – the market fell by around 40% between 2001 and 2003.The Australian market is high tooThe Australian market hasn’t risen anywhere near as much as the US market. It has increased by a compounding average of 6.9% p.a. since 2009 (compared to 14.5% p.a. for the US market). Looking at the CAPE Ratio valuation measure, the Australian market looks slightly overvalued (CAPE is currently 19.3 compared to presumed fair value of 17.6), but certainly to a much less extent than the US market.In a rising tide, all ships riseThe rising domestic and international share markets tend to drag all stocks with them, good and bad ones alike. Irrationally exuberant markets tend to ignore investment fundamentals.US electronic car manufacture, Tesla is a case in point. Its share price has risen from $450 per share to over $1,150 per share in the past year. Its market capitalisation is now nearly $200 billion yet it has never recorded a profit. In fact, it burns through more than $1 billion of cash per year! But, despite that, themarket suggests Tesla is worth 1.6 time

Mastering a successful mindset... 5 fears about money

Investopoly

09/14/21 • 20 min

Over the past 20 years, the US share market has risen 5-fold, the Australian share market 5.4-fold and Australian property 4.2-fold. That means if you invested half a million dollars 20 years ago, in either shares or property, it should be worth between $2 and $2.5 million today. You’d have even more money if you added some gearing.This observation raises an interesting question. That is, why aren’t more people independently wealthy? I suspect the answer lies in their actions, or more correctly their inaction.We make emotional decisions not logical onesIt is a widely accepted fact that we make decisions based on our emotions (how we feel) and then rationalise these decisions with logic. Often, we do this unconsciously.We’d like to believe that we are logical and rational animals. But the truth is that we are not. Our decisions, particularly about money, are shaped by our beliefs, upbringing, our peer group, past experiences and culture. We tell ourselves stories about money. And then we use confirmation bias to validate those stories.Self-awareness and reflection are probably the greatest gifts as they help you recognise how you think, so you can stop allowing emotions influence your financial decisions.Building wealth requires a logical, pragmatic and rational approach. Emotions are not only unhelpful but can be dangerous.Common fear # 1: Paying attention will be painfulSometimes it feels easier to stick our head in the sand and ignore a (potential) problem. For example, most people know that it’s not financially prudent to spend all income on lifestyle expenses. They probably realise that they should be investing/saving some of their income. But to do that, they will have to admit to themselves (and maybe others) that they have been doing the wrong thing in the past. It feels less painful to ignore the issue and “get to it one day”.The problem with ignoring financial misbehaviours is that they magically don’t disappear. They compound. Just like good financial decisions compound, so do bad ones. The longer you ignore it, the worse the consequences will be. And those consequences will be forced upon you at some poin

Federal Budget 2020: Overview & analysis

Investopoly

10/06/20 • 20 min

This year’s budget was definitely aimed at business rather than individuals, and it needed to be. The main goal of the federal budget is to create jobs to repair the damage that Covid has done to the economy and Australian community.Therefore, if you already have a job, there’s not much good news for you in the budget. However, there is plenty of good news for the Australian economy which will probably enhance the share market and property investment returns.What’s in it for individuals?The major benefit contained in the budget for individuals was income tax cuts. These tax cuts are backdated to begin on 1 July 2020. The table below sets out the tax savings (second column from the right) that you may enjoy.The budget also included some other miscellaneous benefits, which are listed below.Improving the super industry and performanceThe government will direct employers to pay super into existing accounts (as advised by the ATO) to avoid opening a new account with a new super fund when you start a new job. This will avoid workers unknowingly accumulating multiple super accounts.The government will also take measures to improve the accountability and transparency of super funds, which is a problem I have written about previously. This includes building a MySuper website which will allow people to rank investment returns and fees. Any improvements in this space are long overdue.Interestingly, the government did not announce that it would postpone the increase to the compulsory super contribution rate from 9.5% to 10% p.a. At this stage, this is still set to begin on 1 July 2021.Granny flat arrangementsGranny flats will now be exempt from CGT where a formal written agreement is in place.Relaxing the paid parental leave qualification criteriaParents will qualify for parental leave payments if they have worked in 10 of the last 20 months, instead of 10 of the last 13 months, preceding the birth or adoption of a child. This is to accommodate the impact of Covid.Additional government grantees for first home buyersThe government will make available an additional 10,000

The news is mostly bad for commercial property investors

Investopoly

05/23/23 • 18 min

All investment asset classes move in cycles. Investment returns are almost never linear. As such, investors must expect good and bad periods, which is why patience and discipline are big contributors to an investor’s success.

I suspect that commercial property investors’ patience and discipline are about to be tested. This asset class is facing a lot of challenges. However, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining so there could be good investment opportunities over the coming months and years.

What challenges is commercial property facing?

Commercial property was the asset class that was the most adversely impacted by Covid lockdowns, especially the retail and office sectors.

Commercial property landlords had to provide rent waivers and reductions to retail tenants to help them through lockdown periods. But, unfortunately, not all retail businesses survived which increased vacancy rates.

Employees were also encouraged to work from home for long periods of time. This experience demonstrated that people did not necessarily need to be in the office full-time. As such, most of the office workforce has adopted a hybrid work model that involves working from home 2 to 3 days per week. The consequence of this is that large employers have reduced their commercial office footprint. In addition, businesses have been less inclined to commit to new leases until they can ascertain what long-term working arrangements may look like.

The upshot of this is that tenant demand for office and retail property is very low at the moment.

That said, things are changing - albeit slowly. More employers are demanding that their workforce spend more time in the office. nab is probably the largest corporate leading this charge demanding all senior managers work from the office 5-days per week. I expect other large corporates to follow, especially if the unemployment rate normalises (it’s currently 3.5% - the normal level is circa 5%).

But the real problem is cap rates!

Cap rates is an abbreviated term for capitalisation rate. It is the key component used to value commercial property. Unlike residential property, the value of a commercial property is dependent on the rental income that a property generates (whereas residential property is driven more by the value of the underlying land).

Therefore, to value a commercial property, you must apply a cap rate to its income. Th

Ep 356: How to choose an investment option in super

Investopoly

05/13/25 • 32 min

New Report: The Evidence-Based Approach to Investing in Property & Shares: download here.
Read full blog here.

In this episode, Stuart shares practical advice for one of the most important superannuation decisions you'll make: how to invest your super once you've chosen your fund.

He explains the differences between pre-mixed investment options like Conservative, Balanced, Growth, and High Growth, and why you can't always trust the label. Some “Balanced” options are really aggressive, so always check the underlying asset allocation.

Stuart breaks down the two key factors to consider: your time horizon and your risk tolerance. If you're under 50, the evidence clearly shows that growth assets (like shares and property) outperform over the long term—even if they’re more volatile. For those not accessing super for decades, that volatility is worth enduring.

He also warns against common mistakes like mixing investment options, trying to manage your own asset allocation, or using DIY investment tools without advice. Instead, he recommends choosing one pre-mixed option that matches your goals and sticking with it.

Whether you're just starting out or approaching retirement, this episode will help you make a smarter, evidence-based choice for your super. Tune in and take control of your long-term financial future.

Ep 332: When should you sell an underperforming investment?

Investopoly

11/26/24 • 32 min

New Report: The Evidence-Based Approach to Investing in Property & Shares: download here.
Read full blog here.
In this episode, Stuart tackles one of the toughest decisions investors face: when to hold onto an underperforming investment and when to cut your losses. While it’s tempting to sell and move on, legendary investor Charlie Munger reminds us, “The big money is not in the buying and the selling, but in the waiting.”

Stuart explores the natural cycles of markets—recovery, expansion, and downturn—and why timing matters. Some investments, like the S&P500 and the Nikkei 225, show that patience often pays off, even after prolonged periods of stagnation. But how do you distinguish between an investment that needs more time and one that’s fundamentally flawed?

He provides practical guidance for reassessing investments, highlighting the importance of revisiting your original decision, understanding opportunity costs, and knowing how to strategically exit when the timing is right. Stuart also shares real-world examples, from property markets to emerging markets, to help listeners make informed decisions.

Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just starting, this episode will equip you with the tools and insights to navigate the complex question of when to hold or sell. Tune in to learn how patience, perspective, and strategy can shape your investment success.

Ep 330: Jumbo property investing: Is it worth the risk?

Investopoly

11/12/24 • 30 min

New Report: The Evidence-Based Approach to Investing in Property & Shares: download here.
Read full blog here.
In this episode, Stuart explores the concept of jumbo property investing: should you go all-in on a single high-value property or spread your investment across multiple, smaller properties? With average investment loans climbing past $600,000, many Australians face the question of whether to concentrate their budget or diversify. Stuart breaks down why a “jumbo” investment – such as buying a $3 million home in a high-demand area – might yield higher returns due to scarcity and alternative uses, like potential redevelopment. However, jumbo investing isn’t without risks, from fluctuating holding costs to limited flexibility if financial situations change.

Stuart also shares a real-world example of a client who purchased a unique property in Melbourne’s Prahran neighbourhood, turning it into a highly profitable investment. And while this approach may not be for everyone, Stuart’s insights on quality over quantity, understanding market demand, and avoiding limiting beliefs apply to all investors. Whether you’re a seasoned property investor or just beginning, this episode unpacks the risks, rewards, and essential strategies behind high-value property investing. Tune in to discover if jumbo property investing could be your path to greater returns and a robust property portfolio.

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Investopoly have?

Investopoly currently has 434 episodes available.

What topics does Investopoly cover?

The podcast is about Super, Retirement, Wealth, Tax, Entrepreneurship, Property, Investing, Podcasts, Financial Advice and Business.

What is the most popular episode on Investopoly?

The episode title 'Focusing on rental income could cost you $1m in lost wealth' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Investopoly?

The average episode length on Investopoly is 19 minutes.

How often are episodes of Investopoly released?

Episodes of Investopoly are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.

When was the first episode of Investopoly?

The first episode of Investopoly was released on Feb 11, 2018.

Show more FAQ

Investopoly

Stuart Wemyss

Top 10 Investopoly Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Investopoly have?

What topics does Investopoly cover?

What is the most popular episode on Investopoly?

What is the average episode length on Investopoly?

How often are episodes of Investopoly released?

When was the first episode of Investopoly?

Comments