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
Despite living in one of the world’s wealthiest nations, most Australians are struggling to build and retain real wealth. And it’s not due to a lack of ambition, effort, or intelligence. It’s because the system we operate in, combined with a lack of forward planning, stacks the odds against sustainable wealth creation. But it doesn’t…
Imagine this: you finally scrape together a deposit, brave the high interest rates, and secure a mortgage on your dream home. You assume the next 30 years will be about gradually owning more of your home. But what if I told you the first 15 years of your mortgage repayments essentially go to covering taxes…
There are more than 600,000 self-managed super funds (SMSFs) in Australia controlling more than $700 billion – so on average each fund holds more than $1.2 million – and many people who set up an SMSF do so to have greater control over their investments and operating costs. And it makes sense given that so…
Despite the affordability crisis, rising interest rates, and intense competition, first home buyers are still diving into the Australian property market in droves. But they’re not doing so because they feel ready, they’re doing it because they’re scared not to. The Finder First Home Buyer Report 2025 reveals a worrying mix of emotional urgency, financial…
Australia’s housing crisis has become impossible to ignore. For first home buyers, renters, and even seasoned investors, it feels like the dream of affordable housing is slipping away. But what’s really driving the shortage? And where does all the money go when a new home is built? In summary, there are three main culprits to…
We’re in a challenging environment for property investors and homebuyers — interest rates are still relatively high, living costs are biting, and many long-term investors are finding themselves “asset rich but cash poor.” So, when a lender comes out offering a 10-year interest-only (IO) home loan, it naturally raises a few eyebrows, and some important…
Death is never an easy topic to talk about, but planning for it is one of the most important things you can do for your loved ones. A lot of Australians assume that everything will just “work itself out” when they’re gone—but unfortunately, that’s far from the truth. Without a valid Will in place, you…
Imagine being taxed on the value of your assets even if you haven’t sold them. Sounds like fiction? Well, it’s not. It could soon be policy. Australia’s federal government has proposed a controversial new tax—one that could see unrealised capital gains on superannuation balances above $3 million taxed at 30%. Now, at first glance, this…
Smart property investors use all the legal tax rules to minimize their cash flow leakage and maximise their deductions. The government encourages property investors to provide accommodation for those who need it by offering them a range of tax benefits. While most investors know about the typical tax deductions, such as interest on loans, repairs and management fees,…
Most Australians are unknowingly handing thousands of dollars back to their bank every year—not by paying higher interest rates or missing loan repayments, but by failing to make smart use of one of the simplest tools available to them: their offset account. A recent survey by Finder found that nearly half of Australians with offset…
