by Adam Preston | Nov 11, 2025 | Podcast
Summary
This week, I’m joined by Ben Felix, Chief Investment Officer at PWL Capital and co-host of the Rational Reminder podcast. Ben is best known in the FIRE community for his YouTube channel, which has nearly 500K subscribers and features insights on investing, financial decision-making, and living a good life. Ben is one of the clearest voices in evidence-based investing. His work breaks down complex financial ideas into straightforward, data-driven insights that help investors cut through the noise. It’s a masterclass in rational investing, delivered by one of the best in the game.
In this conversation, we cover:
- The truth about “beating” or timing the market (00:13:06)
- Why market efficiency matters more than most investors think (00:24:41)
- How to think about asset allocation and your own risk tolerance (00:49:26)
- Why chasing dividends might not be the smartest path to FIRE (00:56:55)
- What a realistic safe withdrawal rate looks like today (01:07:52)
Links
by Aussie Firebug | Oct 16, 2025 | Net Worth
I share these net worth updates to stay accountable, seek feedback on our strategy, and prove that achieving financial independence in Australia is feasible without relying on extraordinary luck or wealth. The table below tracks our journey from $36K in debt to reaching our goals. 🔥
My daughter turned two in September.
It’s a cliché, but bloody hell, it’s true. Time really does speed up as you get older.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that wifey and I were gallivanting around Europe without a care in the world?
Kids were always something we’d “get to one day,” and now they’ve rocked up, raising hell and melting down because The Wiggles came on instead of Bébé Finn (apparently, that was on us).
Why are they so damn cute when they tantrum though? That’s something I’d love Mother Nature to explain. It’s hard not to laugh and encourage them when they’re carrying on like a pork chop. But seriously, why so cute?
One of life’s mysteries, I guess.
So now I’m dealing with a toddler and a baby, who’s an absolute dream compared to her psychotic sister.
One minute you’re negotiating with a tiny dictator over not having Riff Raff at the dinner table, and the next you’re melting because they’ve wrapped their arms around their sister and said, “Love you, Sissy.”
😂🥰
Net Worth Update
Pretty quiet month overall. We had a few larger household expenses come through, but aside from that, it was business as usual.
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*Expenses include everything we spend money on to maintain our lifestyle. We do not include paying down our PPoR loan as an expense, only the interest
*Investment income is simply 4% of our FIRE portfolio divided by 12
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Shares
The above graph was created by Sharesight
We didn’t buy any shares this month.
Networth
by Adam Preston | Oct 14, 2025 | Podcast
Summary
Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Alan Donegan – co-founder of Rebel Business School and host of the Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast. Alan and his wife Katie reached financial independence in 2019, and since then they’ve been travelling the world, teaching people how to start businesses debt-free and take control of their finances.
In this episode we cover:
- What role did your upbringing play in shaping your view on money and risk? (00:04:57)
- Tell us about the Rebel Business School – when was it created and what’s its mission? (00:47:20)
- You’ve taught business and finance around the world – have you noticed cultural differences in how people think about money and entrepreneurship? (01:10:16)
- If you could only teach one skill outside of finance and business, what would it be and why? (01:13:31)
Links
by Adam Preston | Sep 16, 2025 | Podcast
Summary
Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Andrew Page – founder and Managing Director of Strawman.com. With over 20 years’ experience as an analyst, commentator, and private investor, Andrew is a well-known voice in the Australian investing community. Before launching Strawman, he worked at The Motley Fool and Team Invest, and now focuses on helping everyday investors cut through the noise and build better portfolios.
In this episode, we cover:
- How Andrew first got started in investing (00:03:09)
- Why he believes stock picking still has a place, even in the age of index funds (00:27:21)
- What separates a good business from a bad one, and how he evaluates founders (00:45:18)
- His thoughts on Bitcoin and where it fits in a value investor’s world (01:28:49)
- The best resources for anyone looking to branch out from passive investing (02:14:02)
Links
by Adam Preston | Sep 2, 2025 | Podcast
Summary
Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Evan Lucas – behavioural economist, financial commentator, author of Mind Over Money, and former Head of Strategy at InvestSMART.
Some of the topics we dive into are:
- How the increase in dual income households is reshaping family dynamics. (00:16:03)
- How we can rewire our brains to spend less and live more freely. (00:34:06)
- The link between identity, emotion and financial behaviour. (00:47:19)
- The role behavioural finance plays in reaching FIRE. (00:41:09)
Links
