In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, your hosts Owen Rask and Drew Meredith discuss
- Why Drew invested in a Melbourne bar
- Rising distrust in superannuation
- Div 296 and SMSF strategy question
- Retirement bucket strategies and FIRE investing
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Why Drew invested in a bar
Drew explains:
- When the opportunity emerged (2018)
- The due diligence process
- Why having the operator with skin in the game mattered
- Surviving COVID
- Lessons from inflation and margin pressure
- Expansion to Baby Driver
Big takeaway:
Keep costs low. Avoid debt. Align incentives. Bootstrapping works.
Super distrust: what’s going on?
A recent survey showed:
- 58% of pre-retirees plan to withdraw super in lump sum
- One third considering high-risk assets (including crypto)
We discuss why disengagement with super leads to poor decisions and why understanding the structure matters more than fear.
Listener Question: $4m SMSF and Div 296
A listener who achieved FIRE at 39 asks:
- Should they sell down to avoid Div 296 impacts?
- Should growth sit outside super and income inside?
We explain:
- What Div 296 actually does
- Why average tax rate matters
- Why panic selling rarely helps
Bucket Strategy Explained
Yoda Best asks about bucket strategies.
We break down:
- Short-term cash bucket (2 years expenses)
- Medium-term income assets
- Long-term growth bucket
Purpose:
Reduce emotional decision-making in retirement.
Hypotheticals
- If franking credits were abolished overnight
- If passive investing was banned
- If you could have lunch with any investor (living or dead)
Plus: Japanese ETF discussion and CGT property rules.
Topics Covered
- Private business investing lessons
- Super strategy and Div 296
- Retirement income planning
- Behavioural investing mistakes
