Sep 7, 2026 · 43 min
A financial adviser challenges Australia’s favourite investing shortcuts
Ask an Adviser: Investing, Property & Super - Community Mailbag with Glen Hare
The episode tests popular strategies against the less visible constraints of tax, liquidity, insurance, fees, leverage and changing life goals.
- 1Investment decisions should fund specific life goals, not simply maximise tax benefits or chase market exposure.
- 2Gearing, rentvesting and debt recycling can amplify outcomes, but only when financing risks and long-term commitments fit the investor.
- 3Super fund comparisons require long-term performance, fees, investment options and insurance checks rather than a single year’s result.
Don't miss
Glenn Hare explains why combining debt recycling with an already geared ETF can magnify risk, especially for younger investors whose circumstances may change.
The brief
Financial adviser Glenn Hare of Fox & Hare brings a younger-client perspective to questions about windfalls, tax, property, ETFs and superannuation.
His central argument is that investing should begin with the life a portfolio must fund; tax advantages and market access are secondary to goals, liquidity and diversification.
The sharpest warning concerns leverage: geared ETFs, debt recycling and property borrowing can magnify returns, but also compound risk as family and housing needs change.
Hare also targets quieter portfolio errors, including excessive ETF duplication, inefficient ownership structures and investment bonds whose costs and inflexibility can outweigh their tax appeal.
The closing discussion turns to super, where long-term performance, fees, investment choices and insurance matter more than reacting to one disappointing year.
What was said on this episode
39 statements · 17 positive · 10 negative · 2 mixed · 10 neutral
The market will eventually crash.
“We cannot forget that the market will crash.”
Listen at 0:07
Tax considerations should follow, not drive, good investments.
“tax should always be considered but is a byproduct of a good investment.”
Listen at 3:55
Tax should not be the primary driver of investment decisions.
“Tax should be considered, but it shouldn't be the key driver as to why you do or don't make a clear investment decision.”
Listen at 4:08
Falling property prices create an opportunity for prospective first-home buyers.
“the market has dropped. So, this is an opportunity for those that have been working towards or are close to being in a position to or feel closer to being in a position to purchase their first home.”
Listen at 5:11
People in their twenties or thirties should focus on growth investments.
“if I was in my 20s or 30s, I'd be focusing on growth.”
Listen at 8:49
Growth investments such as shares, ETFs, and property can build wealth.
“What I'd be looking at are strategies that build wealth through growth investments, whether that be shares, exchange-traded funds. property or the like.”
Listen at 9:01
Investors with windfalls should consider maximizing unused concessional super contributions.
“you may as well look at what your unused concessional cap is, load as much into super as you can in an incredibly tax-effective environment.”
Listen at 9:25
A $100,000 super contribution can compound significantly over decades.
“putting 10% in at that age, an extra 100 grand compounding over decades, future you will genuinely thank you.”
Listen at 9:41
Homeowners with non-deductible debt should consider debt recycling.
“I would genuinely be considering a debt recycling strategy.”
Listen at 10:17
Glenn currently favors BetaShares Geared Australian Equity Fund (GHHF).
“The one that I'm really liking at the moment is GHHF, which is BetaShares Geared. geared fund.”
Listen at 10:51
GHHF will fall more than the market during market declines.
“when the market drops, this fund will drop more.”
Listen at 11:20
Glenn would not debt recycle into a leveraged ETF such as GHHF.
“I wouldn't.”
Listen at 11:55
Double gearing through debt recycling and leveraged ETFs is unsuitable.
“To gear and then to gear again, like double gearing essentially, I just don't see that.”
Listen at 11:57
Geared funds require an investment horizon of at least eight to ten years.
“the investment horizon or the recommended investment horizon is eight, nine, ten plus years”
Listen at 13:12
Holding investments in a lower-income partner’s name may reduce marginal tax.
“if they had that investment in their partner's name... it would be taxed at a lower marginal tax rate.”
Listen at 14:12
Overlapping ETFs and shares create unnecessary transaction costs and management fees.
“there's just a lot of, to be frank, unnecessary overlap, which is one. comes with transactional costs but also additional management fees.”
Listen at 15:07
Holding 27 ETFs is probably excessive.
“yes, I think 27 is probably a bit overkill.”
Listen at 15:37
Increasing stock-market participation among young Australians is beneficial.
“More young Australians are investing in the stock market than they ever have before. That's not a bad thing.”
Listen at 20:37
Stock-market investing may not achieve young investors’ financial goals.
“what I don't think is being discussed enough... is, is this strategy going to get people to where they want to be?”
Listen at 20:53
Young renters’ preference to avoid property often changes after starting a family.
“what I've noticed is that tends to change when people do start a family.”
Listen at 21:22
Property ownership forces regular investment through mortgage repayments.
“property, regardless of the return, is forced. It's all forced investment.”
Listen at 22:44
Stock-market investing offers flexibility that can reduce investment consistency.
“One of the advantages but also disadvantages of investing in the stock market is the flexibility.”
Listen at 23:00
Inconsistent investing during one’s twenties and thirties sacrifices compounding benefits.
“if you're not consistently investing in your 20s and 30s, you're losing. out on that compound impact.”
Listen at 24:56
Investing $500 monthly may not guarantee financial security.
“I just don't want there to be false hope. Oh, if I'm investing 500 bucks a month, everything's going to be okay.”
Listen at 25:05
A clear property plan helps investors align their actions with homeownership goals.
“creating clarity around what the way forward looks like in line with that goal. also enables people to align to it more.”
Listen at 26:47
Full tax deductibility requires selling the portfolio and re-establishing the investment loan.
“They would have to sell down the entire portfolio, pay off that loan, and then re-establish a new investment loan with that full amount in order to claim the tax deduction on that full amount.”
Listen at 29:33
Restructuring debt recycling can trigger capital gains tax.
“Just be mindful of the capital gains tax that you're going to have to pay as a result of the restructure.”
Listen at 29:57
Investors should wait before acting on unlegislated budget changes.
“If it's not being legislated, wait.”
Listen at 33:00
Trust decisions should wait until proposed changes are legislated.
“we'll only make a decision once we're clear in terms of what's actually legislated, not just chats.”
Listen at 33:27
Investors should wait before opening trusts after the budget.
“Wait and see.”
Listen at 33:38
Consistent five- to ten-year underperformance justifies considering a fund change.
“if you are looking at, you know, five, 10-year data and it's consistently underperformed other funds, then I'm not sure what we're waiting for.”
Listen at 34:27
Super funds should be evaluated using their longest available performance history.
“Yeah, I look at the long-term average. So the long-term average over the longest period they have.”
Listen at 34:45
Retain a small super balance for insurance and invest the remainder in a suitable high-growth option.
“what I'd be looking at doing is keeping a small balance in the fund to keep the insurances active and alive and investing the remaining balance is something that's going to align to my risk profile and generate far better returns over the long term.”
Listen at 36:18
Maintaining two super funds can still cost less than one expensive fund.
“even having two super funds the fee could still be less”
Listen at 37:13
Income protection is Fox & Hare’s primary insurance focus.
“The number one insurance that we really do focus on, albeit we do focus on all four kind of policies, is income protection.”
Listen at 39:04
Personally paid income-protection premiums are tax deductible.
“premiums on income protection if paid personally, so not through super, are tax deductible in your personal name.”
Listen at 39:48
Large super funds offer multiple investment options.
“the big funds do bring out different investment options”
Listen at 40:25
Superannuation should be treated as another investment vehicle.
“Super is just another investment. That's the way I think about it.”
Listen at 41:20
Gearing through super can make money for informed investors with long horizons.
“gearing through super, sure. If you understand it and you've got a long time horizon, there's money to be made.”
Listen at 41:47
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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