The office might go quiet over Christmas, but the costs don't. Wages and super keep going out through the break, which is why the holidays can catch small business owners out.

Jase runs the numbers on a 10-person business closing for three weeks, and it adds up to around $60,000. For businesses that aren't trading over the break, that can be brutal, and it doesn't stop there. Shutdown notice rules, payday super deadlines and fringe benefits tax on the Christmas party are all worth getting right. Today Jase takes us through what you need to be across, so you can plan ahead and head into the break with no surprises.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(02:23) The cost of a work Christmas party
(04:40) What a Christmas shutdown really costs
(07:08) Christmas shutdown rules for staff leave
(08:18) When staff don't have enough annual leave
(09:48) Payday super over the holidays
(11:59) Fringe benefits tax and the $300 rule
(13:07) Going over $300 a head
(16:04) Which Christmas gifts are tax deductible
(18:34) Why FBT records are so hard to keep
(20:37) How likely is an FBT audit?
(21:14) Simple bookkeeping habits for FBT
(22:22) Planning cash flow for December and January

Check out some free resources from Inovayt here: https://www.inovayt.com.au/resources/

Send us an email at: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory: https://futureadvisory.com.au/ & Inovayt: https://www.inovayt.com.au/

Hosts:
Nick Reilly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickreilly/
Jason Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrobinsoncpa1/

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD: https://vidpod.com.au/

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rents are up in every Australian capital city, putting strain on a lot of weekly budgets, and with rates on the rise, plenty of would-be buyers are holding off. Today Nick works through why the rental shortage isn't getting fixed, and why higher rents and softer prices could soon bring investors back into the market, making this quiet stretch worth paying attention to if you're thinking of buying.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(01:47) Rents compared across every capital
(03:30) Australia's rental vacancy rate right now
(05:11) Victorian landlords leaving the market
(06:23) Why so many buyers are holding off
(10:43) Will rents keep going up?
(13:10) The housing supply problem
(14:02) Developers struggling to get funding
(16:10) Why investors could soon be back
(16:47) Investors moving into Melbourne apartments
(17:44) The risk of waiting for the bottom
(21:55) Where the cheap rentals went
(23:21) Share housing and other rent options

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we're celebrating 300 episodes of the podcast in style on the rooftop of Inovayt HQ. We're looking back at how much has changed since we started in 2021, from interest rates to property prices and investments. We also get into our favourite episodes and biggest flops, and throw out a few predictions on what we think will happen by episode 400.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(01:07) How many podcasts reach 300 episodes?
(03:46) Cash rate in March 2021 versus 2026
(10:12) What 300 episodes taught us
(13:25) Favourite episodes and biggest flops
(14:40) Does property double every 10 years?
(15:39) Property price growth by capital city
(22:35) Home loan repayments, 2021 versus 2026
(23:37) Gold vs Bitcoin vs shares since 2021
(25:51) Victoria's net debt and interest bill
(28:33) Predictions for episode 400

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cash flow's getting tighter, clients are paying later, and the bills aren't waiting. If that sounds like your business, you're not alone. Right now plenty of profitable Aussie businesses are running short on cash as rule changes and ATO pressure start to bite. Today Jase takes us through why good businesses are struggling and how much cash you should actually have in the bank to make sure yours isn't one of them.

On this episode, we discuss:

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Aussie property market is slowing, and most of us are wondering what happens next. New Zealand's already been through this same cycle, so we've had a real preview of how it plays out. They hiked rates before us. Their property fell before ours. Almost five years on, prices are still 15% below peak. Today Nick takes us through what actually happened across the ditch and what it means for anyone thinking about buying or already holding property here.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(01:17) Comparing Australia to New Zealand's property
(01:36) New Zealand is 6 months ahead of us
(04:43) NZ's lending controls vs Australia's tax approach
(06:18) How far New Zealand property fell
(06:35) Auckland and Wellington's steepest drops
(07:00) Mortgage arrears and negative equity in NZ
(09:01) How the first home buyer window opened
(09:22) First home buyer share of new mortgages
(09:59) Why New Zealand's recovery is still slow
(11:23) Nick's advice for Aussie first home buyers
(14:13) When Australian property might turn around
(18:36) How Australia has more support than NZ did
(20:38) 47,000 Kiwis moved to Australia in 2025

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you donate $100 to charity, how much actually reaches the person it's meant to help? Turns out there's no law that says any of it has to. Some big Aussie charities get 82 cents on the dollar through to beneficiaries. Others get 6 cents. Today Jase takes us through Australia's $239 billion charity sector and how to actually give in a way that makes it there.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(01:15) What Aussies expect from charity
(01:58) Why there's no minimum donation rule
(04:15) Australia's $239 billion charity sector
(06:54) How Save the Children hits 82%
(08:23) Where charity revenue really comes from
(10:13) 1% of charities get 57% of revenue
(11:50) The shopping centre donation trap
(13:05) What your monthly donation really costs
(16:06) Grilled's tree campaign gone wrong
(17:26) Oscar Wylee's $3.5 million penalty
(19:51) Live4Lily's 100% pass-through model
(22:31) Starting a charity in Australia

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm sure you've heard the saying that property doubles every 7 to 10 years. It's been the retirement plan for a generation. But 25 years of data doesn't quite back up the myth. Today Nick takes us through what the real numbers look like on property returns and, with the market slowing in Australia, what to expect if property is your wealth-building plan.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(00:42) The property doubling myth
(04:22) What property really returns over 25 years
(06:15) Capital city property growth compared
(07:50) Will past returns repeat in the next 40?
(09:55) 1990 mortgage stress vs now
(11:52) Why mortgage stress caps property growth
(13:53) Migration cooling and property demand
(15:11) Three headwinds against property returns
(16:53) Deposit trap and price-to-income
(21:20) Nick's model for planning property today
(25:17) Cash flow over capital growth

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Business closures and director penalty notices are hitting record highs across Australia. If you've missed a BAS lodgement or you're dreading a red letter from the ATO, you're not alone. Jase deals with this every week at Future Advisory. Today he covers what a Director Penalty Notice actually means, the rescue options like a Small Business Restructure that most owners don't know exist, and the one lodgement habit that keeps them all on the table.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(02:55) Why Two Franks Cafe closed despite the queue
(07:04) How Prime drink collapsed owing $8 million
(10:00) Director Penalty Notices, up 136% in a year
(12:01) What triggers a Director Penalty Notice
(15:37) Why to lodge on time even without paying
(18:06) Inside a Small Business Restructure
(19:19) How an SBR proposal works with the ATO
(22:25) What Voluntary Administration actually involves
(24:51) Straight liquidation and what gets clawed back
(30:29) What actually happens if you go bankrupt
(32:41) The income threshold during bankruptcy

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Check out our new website thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au. Browse the full show catalogue, jump straight to specific moments on the topics you love, or leave us a voice note.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.