Total control over your super sounds empowering, right up until you realise you are also the trustee, the compliance manager and the last line of defence against mistakes. We sit down with superannuation specialist Marco Millardo to unpack what self-managed super funds (SMSFs) really are, why Australians set them up, and why plenty of people later decide to wind them down.

We talk through the practical stuff most brochures skip: typical set-up and running costs, why fixed admin and audit fees can hurt smaller balances, and how SMSF insurance often lacks the buying power of group cover in an industry fund. We also dig into the unglamorous reality of being responsible for every decision and every signature, plus the growing risk of scams and illegal early access when you control the bank account.

Listener questions take us into the tricky corners: rolling an SMSF into another fund, managing “lumpy” assets like property, paying expenses correctly, and coping with minimum pension drawdown rules as you age. Marco also explains why defined benefit super funds can be worth their weight in gold, what to think about before giving one up, how SMSF borrowing works via an LRBA, and the tax traps that can hit adult children through non-dependent death benefit tax.

If you are weighing up an SMSF, already running one, or wondering when it is time to simplify, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a mate who loves spreadsheets, and leave us a review with your biggest SMSF question.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Hiring a financial adviser can feel like handing your future to a stranger, especially when you’re already under pressure from a big life change. We talk through the moments that commonly push people to seek advice, from starting a family to receiving an inheritance, but the biggest trigger is approaching retirement. What surprised us is how much this timeline has shifted: more Australians are starting retirement planning in their 40s and 50s because the real work happens over decades, not in a last-minute scramble.

We also get practical about what financial advisers actually do. Yes, there’s superannuation advice, investing and retirement planning, but there’s also budgeting, debt management, life insurance, and the role of an adviser as an objective sounding board when family emotions are running hot. We share how to find the right fit, including referrals, the Financial Advice Association directory, and the checks you can do before you meet: Google their name, read client testimonials, and confirm qualifications and registration on the ASIC Financial Advisers Register. We also explain what a good first meeting should look like, and why it should start with your values, goals, and the life you want to live.

Then we tackle the sticky questions listeners always ask: what advice costs and why, plus clear super rules around concessional and non-concessional contributions, the $1.9m total super balance limit moving to $2m from July, work tests after 65, contribution cut-offs around 75, and deadlines like making sure money lands in your fund before 30 June. We finish with a grounded take on high growth investing in retirement and how to think about volatility. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a mate who’s putting this off, and leave us a review so more Australians can find the show.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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The ATO is waving a big flag at tax time, and it’s not just about rental property deductions and work-related expenses anymore. We dig into the areas that trip up real people: capital gains tax on shares, the fast-growing crypto tax footprint, and why “surely they won’t know” is no longer a strategy when data matching is this strong. If you’ve bought, sold, swapped, or simply forgotten what you did over the year, we walk through the mindset and the record-keeping that makes your numbers easier to defend and your return easier to lodge.

We also get stuck into a mid-year portfolio clean up. Markets have been stronger than the mood music suggests, which is exactly why it’s worth reviewing what you own and why. We talk through the psychology that pushes us to sell winners for a quick win while clinging to losers out of pride, plus how capital losses can be useful if you genuinely need to exit a position. Then we spell out the wash sale problem in plain language: if you sell purely to manufacture a loss and buy back straight away, the ATO may treat it as a no-go.

From listener questions we move through real-world examples and decisions: how ETFs work compared with managed funds, why fees and simplicity matter, and how “more return” almost always means “more risk”. Finally, we tackle a classic superannuation dilemma: moving to cash because a recession feels close, then watching markets jump without you. That’s sequencing risk, and it’s brutal, so we explain how a sensible asset allocation can keep you invested without forcing you to predict the future. If this helped, follow the podcast, share it with a mate who’s stressing about tax time, and leave us a review. What money decision are you second-guessing right now?

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Interest rates don’t jump from near zero to around 4% without consequences and when they do, investors start asking the same urgent question: what breaks first? We talk through the shockwaves from the Silicon Valley Bank deposit run and why governments move fast to protect confidence in the banking system. Then we bring it back home to Australia, where our banks are more tightly regulated and better capitalised, but we’re still tied to global markets and the mood of investors worldwide.

From there, we get practical. We tackle the classic dilemma of whether to pay down your mortgage or invest, especially when rates may be nearing a peak and share markets could stay bumpy for months. We also unpack why bond markets can look “deeply worried” even when equities seem oddly calm, and what that mismatch might mean if you’re nearing retirement and need a more defensive investing approach.

Listener questions take us into real-world choices: using salary sacrificing to manage tax brackets, putting an inheritance into a term deposit, and weighing bank shares with attractive yields against the certainty of a 4% to 4.5% term deposit rate. We also share a straightforward way for younger investors to build exposure to diversified ETFs by averaging in over time, rather than trying to pick the perfect day to buy.

If you found this helpful, subscribe so you don’t miss the next chat, share it with a mate who’s weighing up term deposits versus shares, and leave a review to help more Australians find the show.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Retirement doesn’t sneak up all at once, then politely wait for you to be ready. One day you realise your “someday” plan needs actual numbers, and that’s where a retirement plan audit earns its keep. We walk through how we go from a retirement vision to a realistic retirement budget, then work backwards to check if you’re on track, using practical tools like the ASFA Retirement Standard and the retirement calculators on major super fund websites.

We also talk about the limits of most online superannuation calculators, especially if you’ve got assets outside super like shares, cash, term deposits, or investment property. From there we get into the real-world decisions people face: how to avoid having all your eggs in one basket, how to respond if you feel behind at 50 or 60, and why tiny savings hacks rarely move the needle compared to the bigger levers like contributions, time in the market, and your retirement date.

The conversation goes deeper into the risks retirees actually worry about, including illness and medical costs that Medicare may not cover. We explain why liquidity matters, how a cash buffer and lower-volatility assets can stabilise a portfolio, and what to watch for with Centrelink and the Age Pension, including what counts as an asset, how home contents are valued, and the five-year gifting rule that can catch families off guard. If you want clearer next steps for retirement planning in Australia, hit subscribe, share this with someone who’s avoiding their numbers, and leave us a review with the question you want answered next.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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You can feel “close to retirement” and still have no clear idea whether your plan holds up. We put a spotlight on the big gaps people miss by running a Retirement Plan Audit, a simple checklist that turns vague intention into practical steps you can action today.

We start where the pressure usually sits: debt. If a home loan or other non-deductible debt stretches into retirement, it can quietly drain your cash flow and limit choices later. We also unpack what happens if you die with a mortgage, why the debt becomes an estate issue, and why wills and powers of attorney belong in the same conversation as superannuation and investing.

From there we shift into lifestyle and spending, because your retirement income target is really about how you want to live. We talk through how to picture retirement in a realistic way, why a spending range is more useful than a perfect budget, and how modelling your capital (super, shares, cash, property) with conservative assumptions can reduce the fear of running out of money. Listener calls bring the rules to life: how ASFA defines “comfortable”, what to do if you receive money after 75, the quirks of super contribution deadlines and mandated employer contributions, the Centrelink gifting rules when helping family, and the key contribution caps that matter when an inheritance lands.

If you want retirement planning advice that’s grounded in Australian super rules, Age Pension realities, and clear next steps, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s putting it off, and leave a review with the one retirement question you want answered next.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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The hardest part of helping your parents with money is not the numbers, it’s the emotion. When someone who has “always handled it” starts to drown in paperwork, forget logins, or avoid conversations, stepping in can feel like taking away independence. We unpack how to start that chat with empathy, how to involve the right people, and how to make support feel like relief rather than control.

We get practical about simplifying financial administration in Australia: consolidating records, reducing mail chaos, and considering an administration service through an accountant, lawyer, or financial adviser so the decisions stay with your parents but the paper burden doesn’t. We also explain why moving issuer sponsored shares to CHESS sponsorship can make life easier for address changes, reporting, and future estate administration. On the tech side, we talk internet banking for seniors, building confidence with a supportive bank appointment, using a password manager, and why learning the app can actually help protect against scams.

Listener questions take us into real-world choices: what to think about when balancing HECS debt and indexation against getting a foothold in the property market, how to plan early if you want to give grandkids a meaningful 21st birthday gift, and why updating wills and powers of attorney matters most when incapacity, not death, is the real risk. We finish with a look at commercial property uncertainty, valuations, and the long tail of work-from-home on leases and income.

If this sparked a conversation you’ve been avoiding, share it with a sibling or a parent, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more families can find practical retirement planning and estate planning guidance. What’s the one money admin task you wish your family had sorted earlier?

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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A policy tweak can sound tidy on a press conference podium, then get very messy the moment it hits real portfolios. The proposed $3 million superannuation tax change is a perfect example: lifting the concessional tax rate to 30% might look targeted, but the way “earnings” are measured raises a bigger issue for SMSFs and anyone holding property or other illiquid assets. If the calculation captures year-to-year movements in value, you can end up facing tax on unrealised gains, even when you haven’t sold a thing and you don’t have spare cash sitting in the fund.

We talk through what that actually means in practice: how the balance movement is worked out, why a paper increase can trigger a bill, and why “lumpy assets” like farms and investment properties are at the centre of the stress. We also unpack the incentives this creates, from valuation disputes to early restructuring into other vehicles such as a family trust, and why we think it’s premature to make big moves while the legislation and political negotiations are still in flux ahead of 2025.

Then we zoom out to the part that affects almost everyone listening: retirement planning for the other 99.5%. If the goal is stronger self-funded retirement and less reliance on the Age Pension, we argue the contribution caps and Super Guarantee settings deserve at least as much attention as headline taxes on high balances. We finish with market talk on Woodside, dividends, franking credits, and why income strategies inside super may matter more if the rules tighten.

If you found this useful, subscribe so you don’t miss the follow-up, share it with someone sorting their super strategy, and leave a quick review with the question you want answered next.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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