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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
Thanks Dick. I've never been inside a Costco, but I think your message is pretty universal. There is so much marketing surrounding us, and the internet has made buying so quick and frictionless, that we always have to resist purchasing well above our actual needs.
Post: Frittering away Frugality
Link to comment from July 9, 2026
Dick, I 100% get the attraction of new cars. Heated seats, cameras pointing in every possible direction and all the modern driving aids. And I think once people have reached the necessary financial situation, buying a car you love is a great way to use money to enrich your life. For me, the car I actually want to drive is my 21 year old Toyota. As part of my current job I was offered a modern car, but politely declined. I just enjoy the simpler, more straightforward nature of my vehicle compared to the newer options. To each, their own!
Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post
Link to comment from July 5, 2026
The first 3 cars I owned I sold with over 400,000km (250,000 miles) on the clock. Fond memories of all of them!
Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post
Link to comment from July 3, 2026
Mark, as an owner of a 21 year old Toyota Hilux and manager of an automotive workshop for 9 years, I agree wholeheartedly. Keeping an older car going, unless the repairs are catastrophic, is almost always the best financial decision. In many instances our customers were considering dumping their second hand car to buy another second hand car. I would always remind them that currently they "know what they've got". If they go and buy another second hand car, they may well be taking over someone else's headache.
Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post
Link to comment from July 3, 2026
I think people that eat well and exercise regularly would ask a similar question about people who treat their body poorly. Why don't they do what they know is good for them? Unfortunately knowing what is good for us in the long term, and having the motivation to do it today, are very different things.
Post: Why can’t more people plan for their retirement future?
Link to comment from June 29, 2026
Interesting piece - thanks Mr. Quinn. Two thoughts. Firstly, here in Australia our superannuation system has been operating for a period of time where we are just starting to see a significant number of retirees drawn down on their investments. And currently there are not well structured arrangements for retirees to use. I see a lot of talk about our super funds putting together annuity-style arrangements, which I think would be a good thing. Secondly, we are probably about 10 years away from retirement, and I'm not sure how we will feel once we are actually drawing down on our investments. But I think a possible arrangement for us is to continue to use our fee-only financial advisor to provide guidance and confidence on a "safe spend" rate, without needing to move to an annuity.
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 27, 2026
Thanks Dan, great article. For me, the combination of tertiary education and life skills were the key. My engineering degree gave me access and opportunities that I would never have had otherwise. But the life skills learned along the way were necessary to actually generate some success and maintain a healthy balance in life. In particular, when I first left university I went to work in an engineering role at an underground mine. For the first 6 months I was put on an underground shift crew to assist with maintenance. That 6 months was certainly a crash course in life skills!
Post: Lessons Learned Along the Way
Link to comment from June 26, 2026
I'm 100% with you on this one. One key financial aim that we have always had is to pay down debt as quickly as we can, and avoid taking on any new debt. And it worked well for us. I get it that the math says that taking on debt can lead to a better financial result, rather than dipping into investments. But we all need to sleep at night, and debt can interrupt your sleep! With regards emergency funds, we have never had something we might think of as an emergency account. But we have always had some way to access funds if required. Sometimes that was by drawing down on investments, which ran this risk of selling at a loss if our timing was bad. But the benefits of being invested over the long term have far outweighed the downside of selling a portion of an investment at a loss (which has happened).
Post: Leverage
Link to comment from June 20, 2026
Another great piece, thanks Mark. In Australia we have a lot of FIFO workers - Fly In, Fly Out. Typically remote mine sites where employees live at the mine for a period of time, then return home. Something like 2 weeks on, 1 week off is pretty common. The pay can be exceptional. The impact on families can be devastating.
Post: Risk Adjusted: The Family Ledger
Link to comment from June 20, 2026
Mike, thanks for putting into words so neatly what I was feeling. I have had periods where I worked really hard, and my wife bore a huge load in holding our family together and supporting our two daughters. I have very few regrets, but if I had my time again I would try to strike a better balance between working to pay off mortgages, save for retirement etc. and providing more support to my wife and daughters. Like yourself, I've been lucky that it all worked out ok. Most importantly, congratulations on 52 years of marriage!
Post: Risk Adjusted: The Family Ledger
Link to comment from June 20, 2026