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Greg is a proud husband and father of two young women, all living in Victoria, Australia. He has a long history of playing local cricket (poorly) and being involved in the volunteer effort required to run several cricket clubs. He also heads up the local chapter of Tough Guy Book Club, a great global organisation that aims to get men to read more, talk more and have more friends. Formerly a mechanical engineer working in the industrial sector, he has more recently opted for a slightly slower pace of life, managing automotive and small engine workshops.
Comments
Mark, I commend your plan - go for it! But I also remember the advice I was given once - always consider a loan to a family member as a gift. If it does get repaid, that's a bonus.
Post: Opinions Wanted: Please Reply Freely (I’m used to being called an idiot)
Link to comment from March 10, 2026
I know I have banged on about this before, but our superannuation system here in Australia means that every employee saves 12% of their wage for their entire working life. And all superannuation funds have a fiduciary requirement, to act in the best interest of their fund members. This should see most people well set up financially for retirement, and a significant reduction of the burden on our aged pension scheme. (An aged pension is available as a "safety net" for those without sufficient funds to service their own retirement.)
Post: How did you avoid being in the 39%?
Link to comment from March 9, 2026
Great article, thanks. Our kids came to us via a program called "permanent care" here in Australia, which basically gets kids out of foster care and into a permanent family until 18 years old. This was after about 10 rounds of IVF that were emotionally, physically and financially draining. They are now 21 and 23, and both going well. For us, the financial cost was never a consideration. The effort and determination required to help kids that had a rough start in life were far and away the most important things. Just quick note regarding fertility rates - there is often talk about fertility rates being low because of high costs of living. But fertility rates have been falling across most countries for many decades, and often centuries. For a visual representation of how fertility rates have changed over time: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?country=~OWID_WRL
Post: The Case for Kids
Link to comment from March 9, 2026
Mark, thanks for the link to the White Coat Investor article. A good description of the basis and nuances of safe withdrawal rates. His approach of considering the probability of running out of money over a particular timeframe, and the probability of dying during that same period, certainly gives a fresh perspective.
Post: Actually, Lets NOT Forget the 4% Rule – as Posted Yesterday 3/6/26
Link to comment from March 7, 2026
Dick, I think your last paragraph is spot on - "Not sure what this means other than there is no such thing as a single desirable withdrawal rate and there is significant value in a steady income stream in retirement-neither of which are a revelation." I think one thing that is often grossly misinterpreted is what the 4% (or now 4.7%) figure really means. It is simply a mathematical result of analysis of historical returns over an extended period. And it happens to be the result arising from retiring at the worst possible time. So it has some merit as a rule of thumb for retirement planning, but certainly should not be the gold standard for retirement planning or withdrawal calculation. I also think that the psychological benefit of a pension or annuity is very interesting. The concept of "risk free" money that helps retirees spend more is certainly not mathematical, but very emotional.
Post: Forget the 4% rule.
Link to comment from March 7, 2026
Our washing machine and air conditioner in the same month. How did your appliances get a message all the way to Australia that it's time fail?!?
Post: Smoke, Sparks and Retirement Spending.
Link to comment from March 6, 2026
Mark, thanks for another thoughtful article. Basically along the same lines as you, I get very frustrated when people use the words "risk" and "volatility" interchangeably. My own personal way of viewing risk (which I'm sure is not technically correct) is the probability that at the end your investment period, returns will be below a particular threshold level. Volatility along the way doesn't matter, as long as the return by the end meets your base level expectation.
Post: Volatility is your Best Friend
Link to comment from March 6, 2026
I tend to agree. The maths often indicates that investing is a better financial decision than paying down low interest debt, but that ignores the wonderful feeling of being debt free.
Post: It’s Never Too Late
Link to comment from February 27, 2026
Thanks William. I think all of us get stuck on how to make a meaningful start on something - losing weight, exercising, decluttering the house. I agree that the vision and the first steps are likely often enough to promote real progress.
Post: It’s Never Too Late
Link to comment from February 27, 2026
Thanks Mark. Great to hear of people making such progress despite lots of challenges.
Post: It’s Never Too Late
Link to comment from February 27, 2026