Financial Spectrum - Financial Planners Sydney

30/10/2026

For years the move for anyone priced out of the suburb they wanted was to rent there and buy an investment somewhere cheaper. Rentvesting worked while the tax system helped carry the cost of holding that investment, but the 2026 budget has changed that maths, and for a first purchase most of the appeal has gone. A growing number of Sydney buyers are turning to something we’ve started calling stepvesting: buying a home to live in as a deliberate step toward the one they actually want, chosen with an investor’s discipline and the exit planned from the outset.
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Stepvesting is buying a first home as a deliberate step toward the one you want. Here's what it is, and why it's replacing rentvesting after the 2026 budget.

29/10/2026

Most people assume there’s a magic number that means they can finally stop working, and then feel behind when they can’t name it. The truth is there isn’t one, because what counts as enough depends on the life you want to lead, not a figure that applies to everyone. Our latest piece walks through how to work out your own, and why it turns out not to be a number at all: https://financialspectrum.com.au/blog/how-do-you-know-when-you-have-enough-to-stop-working/
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23/10/2026

Ever told yourself you’ll retire after just one more year, then said the same thing twelve months later? Often the hold-up isn’t the money at all, it’s what work gives you and the worry that stopping can’t be undone. In our latest article we look at how to tell a real financial gap from an old habit of worry, and how to work out what enough looks like for you.

How much is enough to stop working? The answer is as much emotional as mathematical. Here's how to work out what enough looks like for you.

15/10/2026

Was money a constant worry in your house growing up, or never mentioned at all? Either way, you picked up beliefs about money as a kid that are probably still shaping how you spend, save and stress today, and our latest article covers the four “money scripts” and how to spot the ones you’re running.

Your money habits were shaped in childhood by watching your parents. Learn the four money scripts, how you inherited yours, and why it shapes your finances.

12/10/2026

Thinking about building a granny flat to rent out? Because you build on land you already own, the return usually beats buying a separate investment property, but the rent a builder quotes is gross, and what you keep depends on tax, costs and how you let it. Our latest article breaks down the full picture for Sydney homeowners, from build costs to capital gains.
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Building a granny flat to rent in Sydney? What it costs, what it earns long-term or short-term, and how tax on income, capital gains and land tax works.

02/10/2026

Rates are up again and house prices have softened. Less obvious is how different the picture now looks for savers and investors. Our October economic update is a plain-English look at rates, inflation, housing and markets, and what it all means for your money.

Rates are higher, house prices have slipped, and cash pays a real return again. A plain-English look at the economy and what it means for your money.

18/09/2026

Rentvesting used to be a smart way in for younger buyers, but the May budget changed that. Brenton Tong spoke to the Financial Review about what the wind-back of negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts means for Gen Z, and why "stepvesting" might be the new way in.

The May budget changed the maths on rentvesting. Brenton Tong on why it's harder for Gen Z and why "stepvesting" may be the way in.

11/09/2026

Many high earners still feel stuck financially. This article explores why income alone isn’t enough — and how to build the clarity, control and structure to achieve real financial freedom.

Earning a high income doesn’t guarantee financial freedom. Learn how to avoid the high-income trap and build a strategy for long-term financial independence.

03/09/2026

You’ve spent thirty years putting money into super. Nobody tells you how to start using it while you’re still working. A transition to retirement pension is built for exactly that, and it’s widely misunderstood. Here’s how it works, and how to tell whether it’s worth setting up for you.

How a transition to retirement pension lets you access your super from age 60 while you keep working, and when the strategy is actually worth it.

28/08/2026

An inheritance almost always arrives with grief attached, and no one teaches you what to do with it. Here’s how to give yourself room to think, and how the right move changes depending on where you are in life.

Inherited money and not sure what to do next? How to give yourself time, handle the tax, and make the right call for your stage of life.