No, not staring at your phone, takeaways, or eating ham while pregnant – the most dangerous substance to get hooked on is the belief that playing it safe, reduces the chance of bad things happening. Comfort-seeking chases safe bets, predictable returns, and validation‑rich investment narratives. It dulls our risk-awareness, and sets us up for a
Passive retirement income sounds like the holy grail, right? Imagine the money quietly rolling in while your capital sits there untouched - perfect! Yet when you dig into how this is usually sold to retirees and pre‑retirees, it often turns into something very different: concentrated bets, misunderstood risk, and portfolio structures that look “safe” on
[Originally published in the Herald - August 2025] Is Your Investment Strategy 'Age Appropriate'? The younger we start, the faster a little bit of money can grow. To take a little and make it greater, we need to understand the double-edged sword of ‘risk’. ‘Riskier’ investments or strategies can give you the edge, to avoid
When the Beast Controls Your Wallet I had a chance recently to catch up with the legendary author G. Edward Griffin. At age 93 he may not see it come to pass, but he's been warning we're in the final stages of the current monetary system. It sounds scary, but if you're prepared, and you
The world is changing Trade wars, tariffs, and a new way of thinking about money are all hitting at once. If you’re an everyday investor, this is about your wealth, your future, and how to play the game when old rules are being followed. Trade’s Getting Messy, and It’s Not Just Talk Since Trump took
In a typical week I'll have 3-5 'one-on-one' meetings to help people make financial decisions with massive long-term consequences. 'How do we purchase our first home?' 'How can I financially split from my partner' 'What's the best way to invest now, now there's a bit of money coming in?' The most nuanced and personalised conversations
These three groups have the ability to influence your wealth significantly, but they all hold secrets: Financial advisers, product manufacturers, and regulators. At an organisational and individual level, incentives abound in each of these three groups. Incentives which may or may not be aligned with yours. Each group contains imperfect people, working in their part
Is Wall Street Crashing Main Street, or Is Main Street Crashing Wall Street? In a recent conversation with Rupert Carlyon, Managing Director at koura Wealth, we talked about the volatile interplay between Wall Street and Main Street, sparked by a dramatic 9.5% surge in the S&P 500—the largest daily rise since 2008. This market upheaval
Finding Your Way to Wealth: No One-Size-Fits-All An investment strategy is a framework for you to go about putting money to work in markets. There are many valid strategies you can choose from—you can even make your own. It’s your money, after all. Here’s a few you may have heard of. Dollar cost averaging, or
I'm getting this question a lot lately, and it's understandable after a period of strong, rising prices, followed by a sharp pull back. For full disclosure, we've used property to build the majority of our net worth. Just because prices are down, there's no way I'm selling now. Why? Because there's no material change to what
