Ken is director of Metropole Wealth Advisory and gives strategic expert advice to property investors, professionals and business owners. He is in a unique position to blend his skills of accounting, wealth advisory, property investing, financial planning and small business. View his articles
You’ve finally done it. You’ve clocked off. After decades of working hard, saving diligently, and building a solid property portfolio, you’ve reached retirement. It’s a milestone worth celebrating. There’s relief, excitement, and anticipation for this new chapter. But after the champagne pops and the calendar clears, many investors find themselves facing a new kind of…
Every time I hear that property investors are accused of getting a special tax break, I want to point to the language being used and explain why the framing is completely wrong. The so-called capital gains tax “discount” has been misnamed since the day it was introduced, and that one word has caused 25 years…
Housing affordability is the current topic of conversation in the media and at dinner tables across Australia. And for families with Gen Y children, in particular, it’s probably a discussion based around how they’ll struggle to ever buy their own home. There’s no denying it has become a lot harder to get a start on…
Investing in property with your super has been extremely popular over the past few years, hasn’t it? And the reasons why are far more interesting than it just being a bit trendy! The main benefit is that super is an alternative avenue for property investing that has very little impact on personal finances or your future…
There’s an old saying that the easiest tax to sell is one that only applies to “wealthy people.” Most Australians won’t complain too loudly if Canberra says it is closing a loophole used by high-income families, business owners or investors. But history shows that when governments start tinkering with the rules around wealth, tax and…
Want to avoid the taxman rejecting your claim? Even worse, do you want to prevent the taxman from digging deeper and auditing your affairs? The Australian Taxation Office has a lot of information on its website to help property investors. Whether you use a tax agent or choose to lodge your tax return yourself, the…
Australia has never had a death tax. We’ve long prided ourselves on that, and many Australians have structured their estates carefully, knowing their wealth could pass to the next generation without the government taking a cut simply because they died. But buried in Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ 2026-27 Budget are changes that estate planning lawyers and…
Many Australians still believe they’ll finish work with a mortgage-free home and enough super to live comfortably. But the reality is shifting rapidly, and it threatens to reshape how we think about both retirement and property investing. More of us are likely to be renting in retirement, still paying off mortgages, and having to use…
Asset protection seems to be a recurring topic with clients over the past few months. So let’s have a look at the top issue of asset protection that every property investor should consider: 1. Should I have a will? The answer is yes if you want to control who gets what and not leave it to…
If you’re a property developer, tax isn’t something you deal with at the end of the project. It’s something that quietly shapes your profit from day one. And this is where many smart developers still get caught out. The moment you buy property with the intention of developing and selling for profit, the ATO stops…
