Equity Mates Investing Podcast

What would it take to make work optional by 50? And how do you actually turn decades of investing into an income you can live on? Bryce & Ren are joined by James Wrigley, principal & financial adviser at First Financial and author of Retire Life Ready, to unpack the numbers, strategies and mindset behind early retirement.
From the 20x rule, to minimising tax, managing your mortgage and protecting your portfolio from a market crash, James shares a practical roadmap to financial freedom.

In this episode:
00:00 So You Want to Retire Early? Making Work Optional
03:36 The Reality of Early Retirement: Freedom, Purpose & Lifestyle
11:16 How Much Money Do You Actually Need? The 20x Rule
17:14 The Three Phases of Retirement & How Spending Changes
18:49 Building Your Portfolio: Super, ETFs & Tax-Efficient Investing
25:26 Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Before Retiring?
28:36 Living Off Your Investments: The Three-Bucket Strategy
33:05 Where to Start & the Biggest Retirement Mistakes to Avoid

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Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

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Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October was a rough month for growth investors, but not every stock got the memo. Bryce & Ren unpack their latest portfolio performance, from big wins in Eli Lilly, Spotify and Pro Medicus to painful drawdowns in Alphabet, TransMedics and Asian tech. They dig into Google's slowing search growth, the future of weight-loss drugs, and a leaked CEO memo that has Ren questioning his investment in Sea Limited.

In this episode:
00:00 October's market wrap: Rate hikes, AI wobbles & global returns
07:19 Portfolio updates: The winners, losers & performance
12:46 Intuitive Surgical: Why Bryce is still buying
13:57 Rule Breaker Investing: Finding great companies
19:27 Alphabet: Is Google's search business in trouble?
22:44 Spotify & Eli Lilly: Growth, GLP-1s & what comes next
27:56 Sea Limited: The leaked memo that has Ren questioning his investment
30:03 Grab & Shopify: Two growth stories worth watching

Stocks & ETFs Mentioned: Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Spotify (NYSE: SPOT), Pro Medicus (ASX: PME), Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), TransMedics (NASDAQ: TMDX), Sea Limited (NYSE: SE), Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG), Hims & Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS), Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), SK Hynix (KRX: 000660), Samsung Electronics (KRX: 005930), Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), Grab Holdings (NASDAQ: GRAB), Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER)

Get started with Sharesight and save 4 months on an annual paid plan: https://www.sharesight.com/equitymates

———

Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to FinFest Week 2026, proudly brought to you by Betashares. Over the coming week we’re releasing 10 of our favourite sessions, recorded live at FinFest, Australia’s largest finance festival.

Today’s session is The Insurance You Can’t Afford to Ignore with Sonny Lowe, CEO and Managing Director of Sustainable Life Group. Insurance is the part of our finances most of us ignore until it’s too late, so Owen Rask, founder of Rask, sat down with Sonny to help fix that.

Missed a session on the day? We’re getting all 43 FinFest sessions ready to release on our YouTube channel by 30 November.

Want to be there next year? Join the FinFest 2027 waitlist here.

A big thank you to all of our FinFest partners, including this session’s stage sponsor, Sustainable Life.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Finfest
03:06 How Sunny Started
05:22 Why Insurance Feels Personal
07:30 Sonny’s Family Story
10:17 When Income Stops
13:30 Income Protection Explained
15:10 Four Types of Cover
17:42 Insurance Through Super
20:27 Tax and Trauma Cover
23:26 Underwriting and Claims
25:42 Commissions and Advice
28:09 Reviewing Cover Over Time

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Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to FinFest Week 2026, proudly brought to you by Betashares. Over the coming week we’re releasing 10 of our favourite sessions, recorded live at FinFest, Australia’s largest finance festival.

This session is Property Investing Dead Post-Budget? with Chris Bates, founder of mortgage advisory Alcove, and Scott Aggett, founder of Green Shoots Property, who has more than 30 years in the industry. The Budget has a lot of people asking whether property still stacks up, and Chris and Scott share where they think it stands.

Missed a session on the day? We’re getting all 43 FinFest sessions ready to release on our YouTube channel by 30 November.

Want to be there next year? Join the FinFest 2027 waitlist here.

A big thank you to all of our FinFest partners, including this session’s stage sponsor, Ausbil.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:34 Is Property Investing Dead?
03:05 The Old Model’s Challenges
05:25 Capital Growth And Market Fear
07:46 Property Advice And Regulation
09:34 How To Vet Property Advice
11:56 Buyer Agents’ New Pitches
14:22 A Blueprint For Better Investing
16:27 The Risks Of Buying New
19:17 Interest Rates, Tax And Selling
22:48 Renting Versus Owning
23:32 The Property Market In 2036
28:55 Audience Q&A

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Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to FinFest Week 2026, proudly brought to you by Betashares. Over the coming week we’re releasing 10 of our favourite sessions, recorded live at FinFest, Australia’s largest finance festival.

Today we’re sharing Crypto’s Next Evolution: How Traditional Finance and Digital Assets Are Converging with Adam Judd, Chief Operating Officer of Coinbase Australia. Traditional finance and crypto used to sit in separate worlds, and Adam explains why that line is blurring fast.

Missed a session on the day? We’re getting all 43 FinFest sessions ready to release on our YouTube channel by 30 November.

Want to be there next year? Join the FinFest 2027 waitlist here.

A big thank you to all of our FinFest partners, including this session’s stage sponsor, Coinbase.

In this episode:
00:00 Welcome to FinFest Week: The Future of Crypto
01:37 Adam Judd: Rethinking the Financial System
05:11 Bitcoin & How Digital Assets are Changing Finance
07:02 Stablecoins & Tokenisation: Making payments + Investing Faster
11:09 How Crypto & Traditional Finance are Coming Together
15:07 Why Regulation & Trust Matter for Crypto Investors
18:03 Staking + Lending: Can you Earn Income from Your Crypto?
21:54 Crypto Derivatives, SMSFs & What Tokenised Ownership Really Means

———

Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.