The Dispatch
No XLVIII · Finance · 7 min
Financial planning after divorce, seven moves that matter
Divorce halves the household income and doubles the admin. Seven moves I'd make in the first six months, ranked by what actually matters.
No XLVII · FINANCE
Rebuilding your life after divorce
Rebuilding isn't a single decision. It's a thousand small ones, made on bad days, that eventually point in the same direction.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XLVI · FINANCE
The single-income mortgage conversation
On one income the mortgage maths flips. Here's the conversation I had with myself, the bank, and the broker, in that order.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XLV · FINANCE
The Australian FIRE number, calculated honestly
Most FIRE calculators are American. Here's how I run the number for an AU context, with super, tax, and a realistic withdrawal rate.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XLIV · FINANCE
Super vs ETFs vs property, the real comparison
Three asset classes, three tax treatments, three return profiles. Here's how I split capital across them and why.
26 Apr 2026 · 8 min
No XLIII · FINANCE
The three-ETF portfolio that beats most active funds
Three tickers, one rebalance a year, no stock picking. Here's the AU-resident portfolio I'd defend in front of any active manager.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XLII · FINANCE
Property as an investment, the honest version
I own four properties. Here's what the property spruikers won't tell you about returns, costs, and the years that quietly bleed.
26 Apr 2026 · 9 min
No XLI · FINANCE
Debt recycling, explained
Debt recycling turns non-deductible mortgage debt into deductible investment debt. Here's the mechanic, the maths, and the risks.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XL · FINANCE
Lifestyle creep, the quiet killer of wealth
Lifestyle creep doesn't show up in a single decision. It compounds across hundreds of small ones, and it'll outlive any pay rise.
26 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXXIX · FINANCE
The 50-by-50 mortgage payoff
Most Australian men my age are still paying off the house at 65. There is a better target, and the maths is less scary than the bank wants you to believe.
28 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXXVIII · FINANCE
Super and the balance cap, explained
Most blokes treat super like a magic box where money disappears for 30 years. Then they hit a cap they did not know existed and lose tens of thousands in tax they did not need to pay.
28 Apr 2026 · 8 min
No XXXVII · FINANCE
The emergency fund after 40
Three months of expenses is the right answer for a 25-year-old in a share house. After 40 with a mortgage and kids, the right answer is closer to nine.
28 Apr 2026 · 6 min
No XXXVI · FINANCE
Insurances you actually need as a dad
Six categories of insurance get sold to Australian men. Three of them matter, two are situational, and one is a confidence trick. Here is the honest breakdown.
28 Apr 2026 · 8 min
No XXXV · FINANCE
The tax return mistakes that cost you
The average Australian man overpays the ATO by about $1,200 a year through honest ignorance. Here are the mistakes I keep seeing, and the fixes are worth more than a good accountant costs.
28 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXXIV · FINANCE
Estate planning, the blokes' version
Will, EPA, advance care directive, super nominations, life insurance. Most men have none of these. What it costs to fix and what happens if you don't.
28 Apr 2026 · 8 min
No XXXIII · FINANCE
The family trust question
Discretionary trusts get sold to ordinary households who don't need them. When they make sense, when they don't, and the Section 100A trap nobody mentions at the BBQ.
28 Apr 2026 · 8 min
No XXXII · FINANCE
Redundancy payout, what to do
Tax-free thresholds, the temptation to spend, the mortgage offset versus investing question, and the runway calculation that decides everything.
28 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXXI · FINANCE
One-income household finances
The household drops to one income and everything has to change at once. The new budget, the mental load, and how to do this without resentment quietly compounding.
28 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXX · FINANCE
The ten-thousand rule of investing
Below $10k a year going in, fees eat any alpha. Above it, it depends. The simpler-is-better argument, the four ETFs that cover most of it, and the DCA habit that makes the rest of it work.
28 Apr 2026 · 7 min
No XXIX · FINANCE
Net worth tracking without the spreadsheet trap
Monthly tracking helps. Daily tracking ruins your life. The simple structure, what to include, what to leave off, and the only chart that matters.
28 Apr 2026 · 6 min