Australian Investors Podcast

John Addis is the Founder of IntelligentInvestor, a brilliant writer, thinker and entrepreneur. John Addis's lessons are deep and vast, making this Australian Investors Podcast episode with Owen Rask oh-so special.

You'll L-O-V-E this episode if you love value investing, how to live an alternative life with meaning and purpose, the pitfalls of founding a company, Warren Buffett, what makes most great investors great writers, daily rituals to live by, and more.

John Addis podcast talking points

Aside from enjoying a G&T, what daily, weekly or yearly rituals do you practice and why? If any.

What’s something you believe about investing or business, that few people would agree with you on?

If you could grab a new investor by the shoulders and shake some sense into them, what would you say?

Related: what were the key learnings, failures or successes you experienced and can now reflect on?

Do you think Buffett is as good as everyone thinks? Why, why not?

Why is the learning curve for investing so steep?

Behind the scenes at II, do you now spend more of your time teaching people to invest or to rite gud?

Why is it important to be able to write well?

Which writers do you look to for their quality? What do they do well that others could leverage?

With the rise of AI, is writing a dying form of communication?

Is AI in a bubble? How would we even know? Isn't this just a simulation?!

Will AI make stock pickers redundant?

What have been the most surprising trends, one to the upside and one to the downside, over your investing career?

Which Australian company brings you the most frustration?

What’s been the biggest mistake of your investing career?

What's been the best?

How do you think about the consumption of news and information? How do you curate your home screen or online habits?

What specific strategies or methods have you learned from the II team? Past or present?

The role that optimism plays in human affairs.

Have you read Hans Rosling's Factfulness? If yes, what did you make of it?

What’s the most overrated investing book? Conversely, which one changed your life and why?

How do you think about the passive versus active debate? Who should be stock pickers? Who shouldn't bother?

How do you think about teaching kids about money and investing? Do you do anything that others might not?

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Join Pearler using the code "RASKSWITCH" and get $32 of Pearler Credit

– Whatever comes next for your business, power it with Stripe

Rask resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

Disclaimer

The information in this episode is provided by The Rask Group Pty Ltd and contains general financial product advice only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate for you and consider seeking personal advice from a licensed financial adviser. You can read our Financial Services Guide at www.rask.com.au/fsg. If a financial product is mentioned, consider the relevant PDS and TMD, where applicable, before making any financial decision.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns are not guaranteed and capital may be at risk.

The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1280930 of Rask Licensing Pty Ltd, AFSL 563 907.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Owen Rask sits down with Marc Jocum from Global X for episode five of the portfolio construction series, this time taking an inversion approach: instead of focusing on the perfect ETF portfolio, they unpack what not to do.

Marc explains why investors so often start in the wrong place by chasing trailing returns in growth ETFs or headline yield in income ETFs. He argues that the better starting point is always what sits under the hood: the earnings growth, the income source, the concentration, the index methodology and the actual role the ETF should play inside a broader portfolio.

The conversation also explores the practical mistakes investors and even sophisticated allocators keep making, including overlap, paying too much in fees, misunderstanding spreads and liquidity, ignoring tracking error, and mistaking a strong short-term narrative for a durable thematic opportunity. Marc also explains why thematic ETFs get scrutinised so heavily and how to think more clearly about public market depth, commercial adoption, government support and longevity before taking a view.

They finish by breaking down the few times it really can make sense to sell an ETF, including when your thesis changes, when a life event forces the decision, or when rebalancing is needed. If you want a sharper checklist for avoiding avoidable ETF mistakes, this episode is a practical one to keep handy.

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Join Pearler using the code "RASKSWITCH" and get $32 of Pearler Credit

– Whatever comes next for your business, power it with Stripe

Rask resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

Disclaimer

The information in this episode is provided by The Rask Group Pty Ltd and contains general financial product advice only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate for you and consider seeking personal advice from a licensed financial adviser. You can read our Financial Services Guide at www.rask.com.au/fsg. If a financial product is mentioned, consider the relevant PDS and TMD, where applicable, before making any financial decision.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns are not guaranteed and capital may be at risk.

The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1280930 of Rask Licensing Pty Ltd, AFSL 563 907.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Australian Investors Podcast, Owen Rask speaks with Jon Stahl from Salesforce about how AI agents are moving beyond answering questions and starting to complete real work inside businesses.

Jon explains the difference between a chatbot and an agent, including how agents can reason through multistep tasks, call tools and APIs, update business systems and retain useful context. He shares where the technology is already creating value across customer service, software development, research, order management and commerce.

The conversation also tackles the controls businesses need before giving an AI agent meaningful autonomy. Jon compares an agent to the “world’s smartest but least experienced intern” and explains why permissions, clear identities, audit logs, hard-coded guardrails and human escalation remain essential.

Owen and Jon then explore what must happen before agents can safely buy products or make payments on our behalf. That includes verified authority, spending limits, tokenised payment credentials, merchant recognition and common standards across the payments ecosystem — challenges that cannot be solved by a smarter language model alone.

Finally, Jon separates the hype from the practical opportunity. Fully autonomous shopping is still largely experimental, while brand, trust and storefronts remain important. He also explains why trusted business data can dramatically improve an agent’s usefulness, and how businesses may soon use agents to resolve delayed orders, enrich product catalogues, support sales teams and help employees build their own tools.

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Join Pearler using the code "RASKSWITCH" and get $32 of Pearler Credit

– Whatever comes next for your business, power it with Stripe

Rask resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

Disclaimer

This podcast episode was sponsored by Stripe.

The information in this episode is provided by The Rask Group Pty Ltd and contains general financial product advice only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate for you and consider seeking personal advice from a licensed financial adviser. You can read our Financial Services Guide at www.rask.com.au/fsg. If a financial product is mentioned, consider the relevant PDS and TMD, where applicable, before making any financial decision.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns are not guaranteed and capital may be at risk.

The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1280930 of Rask Licensing Pty Ltd, AFSL 563 907.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Owen Rask explores why the business stack of the future may be changing investing faster than most markets really appreciate today.

Starting with Stripe’s 2025 annual letter, Owen breaks down four business clocks now speeding up at once: how fast companies can build, distribute, monetise and scale. He explains why APIs, cloud software, AI tools and global payments infrastructure are compressing the path from idea to paying customer.

This is not just an AI hype story. Owen looks at what faster growth means for investors, including why power-law winners may pull away harder, why weaker competitors can still launch more easily, and why speed is not the same thing as durability. Using Stripe, Anthropic and WiseTech, he shows how stronger products can create reinforcing flywheels of usage, revenue, talent and trust.

He finishes with a practical framework for analysing fast-growing businesses: what has actually become faster, what reinforces the lead, whether the economics improve with scale, whether the infrastructure itself is an advantage, and what headline number you are really looking at. If you want a clearer lens on AI, software infrastructure and modern business economics, this episode is a smart place to start.

Episode resources

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Join Pearler using the code "RASKSWITCH" and get $32 of Pearler Credit

– Whatever comes next for your business, power it with Stripe

Rask resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

Disclaimer

This podcast episode was sponsored by Stripe.

The information in this episode is provided by The Rask Group Pty Ltd and contains general financial product advice only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate for you and consider seeking personal advice from a licensed financial adviser. You can read our Financial Services Guide at www.rask.com.au/fsg. If a financial product is mentioned, consider the relevant PDS and TMD, where applicable, before making any financial decision.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns are not guaranteed and capital may be at risk.

The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1280930 of Rask Licensing Pty Ltd, AFSL 563 907.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Australian Investors Podcast host Owen Raszkiewicz and financial planner James Phelan (Co-Head of Advice at Rask Advice) discuss the major structural debate: Family Trusts vs. Holding Companies.

Click here to get advice.

They break down the latest discretionary trust tax changes proposed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, explaining how the exposure draft legislation affects bucket companies and why trusts might not escape a stamp duty hit.

They also share their thoughts on OpenAI's Astra, evaluate whether government bonds are finally attractive again after the recent sell-off, and answer several listener questions.

Key Topics Covered:

- News of the Week: Jim Chalmers' proposed discretionary trust tax changes and exposure draft.

- OpenAI Astra: Owen's take on OpenAI's Astra and its potential impact on the stock market.

- Trusts 101: How family trusts work, legal vs. beneficial ownership, distributions vs. dividends, and costs.

- Companies 101: Cash flow, franking credits, director vs. trustee roles, and why some companies are taxed at 25% or 30%.

- Property & Bucket Companies: Are companies really a better structure for holding property, and how are bucket companies used?

- First Home Super Saver (FHSS): The benefits of the FHSS scheme inside super vs. holding your deposit in a cash savings account.

- Bonds & Fixed Interest: Are AAA-rated government bonds finally a long-term hold, or is the long end of the market still dangerous?

- AI Bubble & US Debt: How to protect your portfolio from high US debt levels and market concentration in tech.

- Maximising Returns & Diversification: Does a diversified portfolio eventually just trend toward a blended historical average, and how do you maximise returns in an SMSF?

- Super Allocations: Whether to invest outside your default super in thematic ETFs, small caps, and emerging markets, or stick to a core strategy.

Episode resources

– Treasury Exposure Draft on Discretionary Trusts

– AFR: Trusts might not escape stamp duty hit

– AFR: Chalmers' trust changes preserve the bucket company

– Speak with the Rask Advice team

– Ask a question (select the Investors podcast)

Show partner resources

– ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds

– Join Pearler using the code "RASKSWITCH" and get $32 of Pearler Credit

– Whatever comes next for your business, power it with Stripe

Rask resources

– All services

– Financial Planning

– Invest with us

– Access Show Notes

– Ask a question

– We love feedback!

Follow us on social media

– Instagram: @rask.invest

– TikTok: @rask.invest

Disclaimer

The information in this episode is provided by The Rask Group Pty Ltd and contains general financial product advice only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate for you and consider seeking personal advice from a licensed financial adviser. You can read our Financial Services Guide at www.rask.com.au/fsg. If a financial product is mentioned, consider the relevant PDS and TMD, where applicable, before making any financial decision.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns are not guaranteed and capital may be at risk.

The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1280930 of Rask Licensing Pty Ltd, AFSL 563 907.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices