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18 June 2026
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Welcome to the fourth episode of Inside Investing.
James Marlay, co founder of Livewire Markets, and I take you inside the investing world we experience each week. Inside Investing Episode 4 features:
Please click on the podcast, and links to the articles are listed below. All Inside Investing podcasts are available on iTunes here.
Thousands of share bikes laid to rest in the south-eastern Chinese city of Xiamen. Photograph: Chen Zixiang for the Guardian
The content on Livewire complements Cuffelinks as it has a greater focus on stock picking, often sharing the ideas of prominent fund managers in an entertaining video format. Livewire publishes each day and for those of you managing your own portfolios, it can give new investment ideas and thoughts to start the day. For Cuffelinks readers not familiar with Livewire, I recommend visiting their website and registering for the daily newsletter.
In Episode #6, we discuss the Future Fund versus SMSFs, Telstra's prospects, Geoff Wilson's outlook, ETF trends, LIC reporting and the business case for the stadium rebuilds.
The weekly podcast covers behavioural economist and author Dan Ariely, an optimistic fund manager, a CIO profile, a thriving Aussie company, the Amazon impact and surprising tales from Kim Beazley.
Episode 3 focusses on the small cap rally, how to recognise good startups, Bitcoin, retirement spending, tourism, a new product misrepresenting its features and a Chris Cuffe classic from our archives.
Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.
Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.
The debate over the budget is increasingly shaped by frustration and perceptions of unfairness, rather than clear-eyed assessment of policy outcomes.
Inflation doesn’t just raise today’s bills - it quietly increases the amount needed to retire, while simultaneously making it harder to save. Three steps to take before June 30th to improve retirement outcomes.
Inheritance tax implications in Australia may surprise some, as poor estate planning without proper wills or trusts can lead to costly tax bills and delays for beneficiaries.
A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.
Beneath the dominance of the ASX's largest stocks, much of the market has been left behind. High-quality companies are now trading at levels rarely seen, offering opportunities for investors willing to look deeper.
Something unusual is happening in markets. The winners are pulling further ahead at an extraordinary pace. As return dispersion hits extreme levels, volatility is rising and the investing landscape is becoming harder to navigate.
Extreme wealth concentration is no longer just a side effect of growth. As inequality deepens, its consequences are shifting from a social concern to a broader threat to economic stability and democratic resilience.
AI exuberance is colliding with economic reality. Cracks are emerging as spending surges, ROI remains uncertain and enterprise behaviour shifts. The next phase may look less like an expansion and more like a reckoning.
The 2026 budget has reignited Australia’s tax reform debate, but more work remains. Beneath the surface lies a harder question: what structural reforms are needed to make the country's tax system fit for the future?
The Budget's negative gearing changes defer deductions rather than deny them, yet a worked example shows quarantining can halve the tax benefit's present value for buyers of established dwellings.
In just four years, Australia's private capital landscape has transformed. We are seeing changes across who deploys capital, how deals are structured and why new platforms and investor pathways are rapidly emerging.