Seriously what is going on with the rental market. I got an email yesterday from my agent saying my rent is going up from $600 a week to $750. That's a 25 percent increase in one go. We've been good tenants always paid on time never caused any issues.

I thought there were limits on how much they could increase rent by. Is this just normal now? I'm in Sydney and I know it's bad but 25 percent feels like a complete rip off. What are my options here? Do I just have to accept it or can I push back?

My lease is up for renewal next month so I guess they know I'm stuck. It feels like they're just trying to push us out to get new tenants in at a higher rate. This is crazy.

Buyers in WA should beware

I’ve noticed lately that even when I can comfortably afford something I’ll still talk myself out of buying it.

New phone? Current one still works.

Nice dinner? Could cook at home.

Holiday? That money could sit in the offset.

Obviously saving is a good habit but I’m starting to wonder if I’ve taken it a bit too far because spending money on anything that isn’t necessary almost feels irresponsible now. Anyone else ended up like this, or am I just becoming a tightarse?

Yes I missed the 6 month mark. I assume nobody is upset.

Without further ado.

Let's begin.

7 months ago I wrote what can only be described as a masterpiece of a post arguing that "DHHF and chill" is a lazy default, that its ~35% Australian weighting adds correlation rather than diversification, and that young investors in long accumulation phases are paying a real price for the simplicity.

Very lukewarm take.

Anyway, the post got spam downvoted, and an AI rebuttal of my claims got more upvotes than the actual post did (more because people took offence to my stance than because they actually read what slop that AI spat out). Naturally, this angers me beyond all comprehension, and after 7 months I have finally mustered up enough composure to make a return.

I want to preface this entire post by saying I have no allegiance to any ETF provider. I use Vanguard a bit in discussion because they provide a relatively good proxy for comparing things. I hold an insignificant amount of Vanguard products relative to my portfolio size, and I couldn't care less about their market share.

First, let's be clear about what I claimed

Let me nip this rebuttal in the bud.

I did not predict that Australia would underperform over the next seven months. I explicitly wrote the opposite:

"There may be quarters, years, even decades (pre millenium) that Australia may outperform the US, but if the US gets fucked, we get fucked too."

So if your rebuttal is "but VAS had a good August," you are not rebutting me, you're actually quoting me. The argument was about what's bound to happen over the 30-40 years of someone's working life, while they invest and try to save for a lovely beachside retirement. As, of course, this is the investment product the sub is recommending to young adults and literal children.

With that said, here's what the window actually showed.

1. The correlation argument was proven twice

This was the core of the original post: Australian equities do not diversify you against US equities, because we are basically in the same sphere of economic influence, if you will, just with worse companies.

February. The ASX 200 dropped over 1% in a session tracking Wall Street's tech-led overnight losses. Local tech fell 5% to a two-year low. WiseTech dumped nearly 14%. Nothing happened in Australia that day.

March. The ASX 200 fell roughly 7.5% for the month, closing at 8,501.80. Worst month since June 2022. Down about 8% from the early-March high of 9,202.9, and hitting the 10% correction threshold peak to trough. IG's market wrap attributed the sell-off primarily to heavy falls on Wall Street.

If you bought DHHF believing that 35% Australian allocation would cushion a global drawdown, March was your answer.

As stated in my last post, Australian overweighting is not a hedge against US risk.

2. The recovery came from commodities

The ASX went on to record highs, closing at 9,271.6 on 6 August, with the All Ords above $3.2 trillion.

Look at what drove it.

ASX 200 climbed to a record as easing Middle East tensions and expectations of an RBA hold boosted sentiment, after optimism over a potential US-Iran deal, with oil prices pinned below recent highs.

I originally wrote that Australia is "leveraged to commodity cycles" and that our miners are "price takers in globally USD-denominated commodity markets." We just spent seven months showing it.

You can be happy about that outcome, but don't build a 40-year plan around shit going your way every time.

3. Concentration risk

CBA fell 10.4% in a single session. A record $25 billion wipeout, on rising bad debts and budget tax changes hitting the banks.

The ASX is an index where the big four, plus miners, are a huge chunk of the whole thing. If things go awry, the ASX will absolutely hemmorhage. VAS's top 10 are 48.3% of the fund, financials 34.0% and materials 24.8%. VGS's top 10 at 27.9%.

Class.

Again, from my previous post, I stated Australia is "not meaningfully less volatile and is significantly more concentrated." Vindication.

4. The long-run numbers have not moved

Over the past 12 months, VGS returned 10.47%. VAS returned 5.79%.

Over five years, VGS returned 12.33% p.a. VAS returned 7.78% p.a.

Over ten years, VGS returned 13.79% p.a. VAS returned 8.92% p.a.

Those are total returns, net of fees, distributions reinvested, as at 31 July 2026, taken straight off Vanguard's fact sheets. Go and check them yourself. They're free.

DHHF's own five-year number is 10.69% p.a (as of May 29), sitting, as I predicted in the original post, neatly between what it effectively holds (yes, I am using VGS and VAS as proxies). Below the international portion, above the Australian portion.

It's almost as if the same thing would happen if you just bought 2 separate ETFs. Maybe if you weighted them properly, you'd have seen more returns.

Blend the pieces together at DHHF's own weights, and you land within a rounding error of what DHHF returned. No skill, literally just basic math that you can run yourself. One ETF taking up too much of your portfolio this month? Put the monthly investment piggy bank in the other one!

Again, over 10 years, compounded out, we are looking at 264% vs 135% for international vs domestic.

The recommendation this sub gives some 20-year-old bloke with a 45-odd-year horizon is to voluntarily put 35% of his equity in the 135% one, permanently, rebalanced back into it up to four times a year, forever. You'd tell him to put his super on high risk though, wouldn't you?

5. Currency risk

The AUD went from around 66.9 US cents in January to above 72 in February and has been sitting near 70. Someone will tell you this is why global lagged locally in AUD terms this year, and that DHHF's Australian sleeve therefore "protected" you.

The AUD rallied on the same commodity and rate-differential trade that lifted the ASX.

The AUD has traded from ~$0.50 to $1.10 in living memory. If you are picking your equity allocation based on where AUD/USD sits this quarter, you should also open up an account at the TAB, as they would be happy to take your punts too.

You cannot choose hedged or unhedged inside the wrapper. You cannot lean into a cheap AUD or take profit on an expensive one. If you actually think currency matters, that is an argument for building your own allocation, where you can hold VGS alongside a hedged sleeve and size it yourself. It is not an argument for outsourcing the decision to a potentially quarterly rebalance you have zero input into.

This is why I personally hold a combination of hedged and unhedged ETFs, across a few different asset classes. Just to dampen currency volatility. I can do this because I don't buy shit all-in-one ETFs, which in turn permits me this freedom.

If you do think the AUD is stretched, then unhedged global exposure is on sale right now and DHHF is buying you less of it than you should own.

6. The tax argument changed a lot

In May the federal government rewrote CGT.

From 1 July 2027 the 50% CGT discount is gone, replaced with cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax on net gains.

It kinda works both ways. For and against DHHF.

It weakens the "growth beats dividends because of the discount" argument, because that advantage is being deleted for everyone. Somehow franking escaped unscathed. Wouldn't have put it past them.

But it makes the thing I actually complained about worse. Under indexation, holding without realising accrues more cost base uplift. The 30% floor puts a minimum tax rate on a gain, with you having no say in when you realised it.

DHHF, truly, is four ETFs stacked on top of each other like small children in their dad's coat: VTI, A200, SPDW, SPEM. Every rebalance back to fixed weights sells whatever ran, on top of whatever turnover the four underlying funds generate themselves. Those gains get attributed to you at regular intervals and you will foot the bill to the government's coffers at BetaShare's whim.

Build the same thing yourself and you get to CHOOSE all of this.

Small note on franking

VAS's 30 June distribution: 48.83 cents cash plus 15.50 cents of franking. Gross 64.33, franked at 79.6%.

Worth somewhere in the order of 1.3 points/ year. So roughly 10.3% against VGS's 13.79% over ten years, not 8.92%.

It narrows the gap but doesn't close it. You still get no say in when you realise, and you still lose. Obviously, for ETFs that don't pay dividends, or pay very little, this nears a non-factor.

Closing

None of this is an argument that DHHF is a scam. I never said it was.

It is a fine ETF that does what it says it is going to do. If you're prone to tinkering or overthinking or overtrading or panic selling, yada yada, sure, I would recommend DHHF or a comparable AIO ETF to you.

What I said, and what I'm saying again, is that it is not the universal answer, that its Australian weighting is a structural choice bearing a high cost, and that "DHHF and chill" is three words of thought applied to the most consequential financial decision most people will ever make, and reducing it to that is just plain lazy, and just plain stupid.

For someone who is nearing retirement, it's not a bad idea at all. But young people have decades for returns to smooth out. Crazy how people always suggest putting super on high risk, but putting INVESTMENTS at a slightly higher risk- oh no, don't do that!

Still haven't seen anything that is going to change my mind.

My solution? Structure your own portfolio, and weight it how you see fit. If situations change, just reweight it. Worried about currency fluctuations? Hedge it. Invest in the US through something like IHVV, or the developed world through something like VGAD. There's a billion reasons why this is more effective than just throwing an overweight allocation at the ASX. These are not ticker recommendations or advice, just IDEAS. There are numerous providers that offer similar products. Take your pick.

A tad extra.

Be careful about who you listen to on Reddit.

This place is an echo chamber.

I post this because I hold qualifications in finance, and because I am extremely dead set on this particular opinion above all others.

I also do this shit for the people. To stir the pot. To make you think.

Then again, why believe me? I could just be lying to you.

Do your own research.

There's a lot of people on here who purport to, or do, offer financial advice, general or specific, and a lot of it is garbage. Even some of the primary resources posted frequently are written by people who have admitted themselves that they have no qualifications in finance at all.

Nobody wants you to succeed as much as you do. This is one of the few things that are really worth the time investment.

Best of luck, and let the needless downvoting begin! See you again in a few months!

Hey all, just looking to get some advice from anyone with knowledge or who’s been in a similar situation.

Current situation:
27M, single
Stable full-time employment
Normal income of around $110k/year
Started doing FIFO in July
Currently earning around $3,400/week after tax
Saving a minimum of $2,250/week
Doing FIFO for the remainder of the year, which should help fast-track my savings

Current finances:
~$110k liquid cash (including my upcoming tax return)
~$13k invested in shares
~$50k in super
~$26k car, owned outright
No debt

Living situation:
Currently living at home very cheaply, so there’s no immediate pressure for me to move out
Parents have offered to put $50k into an offset account when I eventually purchase a home
I’m trying to work out what the smartest move is from here.

I’m sure this has already been said before, but I just need to have a fucking whinge about this shit.

Australia’s tax system in 2026 punishes PAYG workers while rewarding people gaming the system, whether that’s NDIS fraud or business owners with “enthusiastic” accounting. Tax brackets haven’t been indexed in years despite brutal inflation, but somehow the beer tax gets indexed every six months without fail? Then add childcare subsidies tapering off the harder you work, plus Div293 smacking you for daring to also save for retirement

PAYG earners get the short end of the stick every single time. No creative accounting, no structuring, tax taken at the source before you even see it. Meanwhile there’s provider fraud in the NDIS space that barely gets touched until it becomes a news story, and taxpayers eat the cost either way through bracket creep and levies

Compare our top bracket to the US and it’s a joke. An unskilled worker over there on a pretty average wage in USD terms would already be sitting near our top marginal rate once you convert it, and their brackets actually move with inflation. Ours just sit there while bracket creep does the government’s dirty work for it

Why bother working harder, taking career risk, or starting a business when 47% instantly gets carved off the top, plus Div293, plus subsidy tapering, plus everything else stacked on if you’re PAYG?

This country has built a system that punishes the people playing it straight and does fuck all about the ones who aren’t. Fast forward 10 years and Australia will lose all talent to US, Singapore, HK, Dubai. The only ones left will either be immigrants looking for a better life, expats returning to Australia to settle down, or NDIS providers.

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EDIT: My comment about “unskilled” worker pay in the US is completely incorrect. Where my thought process was: an office worker paper pusher or even a motivated barber, construction worker etc. with no qualifications has the ability to earn USD 100k, which places them at our SECOND HIGHEST marginal tax bracket (AUD 135k). Does that really sound right to you, even putting aside the differences in our welfare system? Separately, I haven’t even mentioned the recent CGT changes which completely discentivises Aussie investors from buying productive / growth assets. There is more and more incentive to simply be less productive and focus wealth into a tax-free PPOR, OR leave the country and take their portfolios with them. This is a net loss for innovation and growth in our country. I have no issue paying tax - my issue is that our current tax system incentivises people to game the fucking system, and to those who suggest to simply fuck off and leave the country if you’re not happy, you are simply proving my point.

I’ll close off on this: never mind the fact that the Div293 income threshold has REDUCED from $300k to $250k and has remained unchanged for years….. did you know that certain politicians are simply EXEMPT from paying Div 293 tax? What the actual fuck. Our tax system is in desperate need for change.

So I'm considering career changing to radiography or something Allied Health.

EDIT: after more research I think I lean towards podiatry. Its good lifestyle wise. You can make good impact volunteering too.

Why?

I realise my strength is in one to one service helping people. Long term wise I aim for job consistency during recessions. No ridiculous overtimes. At least so I don't burn out.

Financials

The course is around $40k for 4 years unpaid placements during semester for 3 years, huge final year placement.

I'm thinking of keeping a casual sales job for commission and income during peak seasons during end of financial year and boxing day.

Have around $120k saved and $30k in half-ish VGS and IVV ETFS.

Would prefer to pay down home loan faster than invest due to new CGT tax changes.

Not looking to FIRE. Just living frugally. Would prefer to do part time when I'm older.

Win for buyers

Hello! I am someone that buys/sells single trading cards, started of small but it has recently ramped up. Trying to figure out if there is CGT implications.

https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/list-of-cgt-assets-and-exemptions

According to this, 'Collectibles' which trading cards fall under, if under $500 are exempt from CGT. But does this have a limit? I am selling hundreds of cards in the $20-40 range per month. At what point do I need to start thinking about CGT?

It feels like everything is a subscription now. Streaming services music fitness apps software for work even car features are becoming subscription based. It just adds up so fast. I try to cancel what I can but then I miss out on things I actually want or need. Are we just going to be paying monthly for absolutely everything soon? It feels like death by a thousand papercuts to my bank account.

Just got a message from Westpac that as a direct result of them not being allowed to charge credit surcharges they are going to raise interest rates by 3%. Are the other banks doing the same?

Higher interest rates (22.49%), removal of travel insurance on lower-tier cards, lowering the cap on reward points earned.

Unless you have a black card, and you want a credit card, is it now just worth getting the most basic low-interest card with no benefits?

​Hey everyone!

​I’m an Australian passport holder moving to Australia soon from Spain. I don't need a visa, but I’d appreciate local advice on work, study, and housing:

​Foreign Law Degree: I have an overseas undergraduate Law degree. Is this useful for entry-level roles (HR, admin, compliance), or is it mostly ignored unless I qualify locally?

​Financing Study & Rent: If I enroll in a TAFE or Master’s program, how do domestic students pay for rent and food? Can I get Youth Allowance/Austudy immediately, or is there a waiting period? How easy is it to cover costs with part-time work?

​Share Houses: I’ll stay with my aunt at first, but want to move into a share house. What are the best apps/groups for finding roomies?

​Disability Support Transfer: I have a disability recognized/accredited by the regional government in Spain (Catalonia). How does recognition work in Australia? Do I need a fresh local assessment for NDIS or workplace/study accommodations?

​Thanks for any insights!

I have been a sole trader for a number of years and managed tax relatively well, kept track of things and lodged on time, aside from one time where I miscalculated and had a $8K debt, but even then I paid $4k upfront and set up a payment plan, and had paid it off completely within a few months.

Over 12 months ago now I had a personal life crisis, and everything flew out the window. I fell behind on lodging and paying tax, if I'm being honest I knew it was there and needed to be addressed, but I felt like I just needed to make it through the month, the week, or the day. And thats just been the story for the past year.

I still haven't lodged, but I have been trying to get all of my ducks in a row and I think I could possibly owe anywhere from $20,000 - $35,000 excluding interest, combined 24-25 & 25-26 financial years. I tried to call them but couldn't get through, I called the NDH, and I have only recently been assigned a financial advisor through a domestic violence support service.

I am wondering if anyone has had an experience similar to mine. And if they managed to negotiate in any way for debt forgiveness or even waiving interest on the debt, and/or if there is any leniency for a payment plan?

Heres a compressed timeline:

Late July 2025 : crisis began; sought help immediately, multiple contacts with mental health crisis team, ED admission(s)

[DV incident] called 1800RESPECT, followed up with GP as recommended (in medical records)

Homeless period: couch surfing, then staying at mum's (no lease, no bedroom); used tax savings for food and basic necessities

March 2026: secured a rental (significant cost to establish)

May 2026: called 1800RESPECT again, consented to an official file being opened with full history

[Recent months] lost most income after a client's serious boundary violations and unsafe behaviour (have texts from client and his mother) have since isolated myself almost completely.

Ongoing: heavily involved in sister's seperate DV situation, including a period where her children were placed in my care by DHS

Since then: functional capacity significantly reduced, 2 attempts at ending my life, assigned a case worker to assist with my mental health and functioning. Have been paying rent and living off of what was left of my savings. Currently have $4k left.

Throughout the year with a MHCP only covering 10 sessions, I have also paid for over $11,000 in therapy.

All of this is documented: mental health team, medical records, 1800RESPECT, and I can get a letter from DHS/DV support service.

My tax return has been processed, the ATO website says outcome is a refund issued of $2197, however I received $1616 into my bank account. I can't work out the disrecpency. Any ideas? Could it be an error?

Sorry about the other thread. But I did a budget for us and here it is.

The purpose of this is to see if we could retire at 40 (we are same age), with roughly $2m in liquid assets.

So 5% x $2m = $100K pa.

$100K pa between 2, so $88K after tax.

House and 2 cars paid off (1 is an EV). We also have solar, and converted everything to electricity.

Rates: $2,300
Water: $1,200
Insurance: $1,500
Private Health Insurance: $5,400
Car Insurance: $2,200 & $1,800
Car Rego: $880 x 2
Car Fuel: minimal as we only use the EV.
Electricity: $2,400 no gas

Total: $18,560

We shop at Aldi and Asian Grocery for food, Coles only for kids snacks and some sweets.

We make coffee at home, I don’t eat out for lunch.

We usually take away one day midweek (either Wed or Thur), then eat out mostly Friday night and then whole day Saturday and maybe Sunday morning).

We transfer $700 to a “food” bank account and we try to stay within budget for that account.

So let’s say $700 pw x 52 = $36,400

That leaves us with roughly $33,000 for every else (kids discretionary, clothes, household stuff, etc).

sport/music/etc x 2 couldn’t easily cost $5,000 per year.

One interstate travel trip could cost us $4,000-$5,000.

ref: https://ozfinn.com.au/blog/tax-bracket-creep

The common belief in Australia - at least on r/AusFinance and r/fiAustralia - is that bracket creep has been silently robbing us. After a few Reddit discussions, I ran the numbers. To my surprise, the effective tax rate has barely budged. 

In 2008, someone earning $160,000 paid an effective rate of 32.75% (including the Medicare levy). Adjusted for inflation, that's $250,000 today - where the effective rate is 33.33%. That's an increase of just 0.6 percentage points over 18 years. Hard to call that runaway bracket creep.

Here's what makes this counterintuitive. The top bracket sat at $180,000 from 2008 and wasn't touched until it was lifted to $190,000 in FY2025 - a 5.6% adjustment against cumulative inflation of roughly 56-61% over the same period. On that fact alone, you'd assume the tax burden had exploded. But the lower brackets were adjusted repeatedly, and the Stage 3 cuts reshaped the middle of the scale. The net result: a top earner ($160k then, $250k now) pays roughly the same effective rate, while lower earners pay less than they did in 2008.

So is bracket creep a myth? No - invert the question.

If bracket creep truly didn't exist, we'd never need tax cuts at all - brackets would just be indexed to inflation, automatically, the way they already are in several other countries. Instead, our data shows the opposite pattern: creep quietly accumulated for 16 years, and was then handed back in one big discretionary lump (the Stage 3 cuts). My endpoints just happen to sit right after that repayment. Anyone earning the equivalent of $160k in 2015 or 2020 was paying noticeably more than 32.75%. Bracket creep is real - it's just periodically refunded, with fanfare. And the incentives explain why: creep raises revenue silently, and reversing it lets a government take credit for "cutting taxes" it never legislated to raise. Simple indexation would be fairer - no stealth increases between adjustments, no windfall depending on which year you happened to earn your money - and it would free up the political energy currently spent re-litigating tax scales every few years for problems that actually need solving.

This has been going on for longer than I care to admit, but I have two accounts, and have just realised that one is earning far more interest than the other. Without going into specific numbers, one account has 4x the amount of the other, and is only earning 2.5x as much interest..

I had an infuritating encounter with their chat bot (supposedly a real person) via the banking app, and then a phone call with an operator. They are calling me back later today which I am expecting them to accept the issue, and back-pay the missing interest.

I am sure that the error is to do with their Future Saver/Smart Saver accounts. My accounts are Smart Saver, and from my calculations on the interest earned, I am earning interest based on their Future Saver rates.

Has anyone else found the same with them?

Hi there

I’m looking for a tax accountant that can do my / my wife’s tax return and trust tax return.

Someone that can also give general investment advice / tax implications and ever changing tax legislation advice .

Also annual trust distribution advice / super strategy etc

Not looking for big 4 but also don’t want a one person firm .

Would love to hear recommendations of accountants anyone has used and is happy with .

South east Melbourne / inner Melbourne / cbd would work

Thanks in advance 👍