# Mortgage Free in 2 Years | Diana & Norman | CHANGING LIVES | Season 3 Ep 62

An episode of [Money Mentor Podcast™](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1632604767), 23 Dec 2025, 1 h 21 min.

Audio: https://episode.flightcast.com/v3jv5261329n4qphmuhc8pp5.mp3

Diana and Norman share how they transformed their finances in just two years by committing to disciplined budgeting, financial education, and expert guidance. After moving from Sydney to the Gold Coast for a better lifestyle, they sold their NSW investments and used the proceeds to eliminate their mortgage far earlier than expected. Their contrasting money habits, Diana’s cautious upbringing versus Norman’s past as a carefree spender, made the early stages challenging, but aligning their goals and merging finances became a turning point. With structure and clarity from Infinity, they built multiple investment properties, including assets held through their self-managed super fund. Their story highlights how a shift in mindset and consistent financial discipline can dramatically improve both financial and personal well-being. By following a clear plan, managing spending, and focusing on long-term growth, they reduced stress, improved their lifestyle, and strengthened their relationship. Today, they enjoy greater freedom, better work-life balance, and a secure foundation to support their children’s future, showing how quickly life can change when a couple embraces strategy and teamwork. 👉 Follow the link https://bit.ly/43V2jKN to watch the free webinar and start your journey to financial freedom now!

## Transcript

[0:00] What's the mortgage today?
[0:02] Zero.
[0:03] Zero.
[0:04] Zero.
[0:04] I did the sums and I said to Norm pre-joining, I said, if we stay on the same trajectory we're on right now, you're going to be 71 when we pay off the mortgage.
[0:16] 71.
[0:17] 71.
[0:17] I did the stats.
[0:18] You'd trade him in by then.
[0:19] I know.
[0:20] I need to, you know, find myself in the name.
[0:24] So, and it was, it was, I said, wow, like that's not even enough time for us to retire and enjoy life.
[0:31] Money isn't the root of all evil.
[0:32] The fucking lack of it is.
[0:33] Not money.
[0:35] The lack of understanding money.
[0:36] When I put that into emphasis, when I realised that psychological effect and how it hit our family, I have to be in the fucking way.
[0:43] You are now watching the Money Man Talk podcast.
[0:45] With Graham Holmes.
[0:46] Graham Holmes.
[0:47] Graham Holmes.
[0:48] Graham Holmes.
[0:53] Welcome back to another episode of The Money Mentor.
[0:55] We have two very special guests today.
[0:57] Hello to Diana and Norm.
[0:59] I'm not going to say Norman.
[1:00] I don't know.
[1:00] Norm.
[1:01] It's Norm.
[1:02] Yeah, Norm and Diana.
[1:03] Good morning.
[1:03] She calls me Norman when I'm in trouble.
[1:06] Well, maybe I'll call you Norman to start.
[1:07] Yeah, maybe.
[1:08] How are you guys?
[1:09] Good.
[1:10] How are you, G?
[1:10] Good.
[1:11] I can't complain.
[1:12] I'm good.
[1:12] I'm good.
[1:13] Actually, I'm fucking great.
[1:16] Let's talk about you guys.
[1:17] If you can give everyone at home listening in some background.
[1:21] And guys, before you even get the background, we are completely mortgage-free.
[1:27] In two to three years?
[1:28] Two and a bit years?
[1:29] Yeah.
[1:30] Two years?
[1:31] Two years.
[1:31] Two years.
[1:32] Okay.
[1:33] So I want everyone to really pay attention to this episode.
[1:36] Beautiful human beings absolutely fucking nailed it in just two years.
[1:40] But who are you first?
[1:43] I'll start.
[1:43] You start.
[1:45] So, Diana, Lester, background, I work in sales administrations.
[1:52] And yeah, so background history was, we've got six of us in the family,
[1:59] Two children each.
[2:00] I'm so nervous.
[2:01] That's fast.
[2:03] So, yeah.
[2:04] So, our background is we moved from Sydney in 2018 up to the Gold Coast.
[2:08] That's a big move to move the children up.
[2:10] Huge move.
[2:11] And, yeah, so that's sort of background of where I come from.
[2:15] Yeah.
[2:15] Pre-COVID move.
[2:16] Pre-COVID, yeah.
[2:17] Just on pre-COVID.
[2:18] Yeah, what triggered the move?
[2:20] So I worked for Toyota Motor Corp for 18 years and they were moving to Eastern Creek.
[2:26] So that would be a two-hour commute.
[2:28] With family life, children, too hard for us to navigate.
[2:33] So thought process was we either moved to the sticks over in Eastern Creek or we'd take the plunge and move to the Gold Coast.
[2:42] We took the plunge and it's the best move we've ever made.
[2:45] Okay, that was 2018.
[2:46] Yeah.
[2:46] Yeah.
[2:47] Okay, kids all different ages.
[2:49] 23-year-old son, 17-year-old son, and twin 16-year-old girls now.
[2:54] But they were obviously much younger than primary school age then.
[2:58] Oh, they're versatile.
[2:59] They're very – primary school helps, right?
[3:02] Yeah.
[3:02] 100%.
[3:02] Yeah, okay.
[3:04] Okay, Norm?
[3:06] I was a Bankstown boy.
[3:07] I grew up in Bankstown and I'm back from a, you know, Italian Maltese family and, you know, we, my parents never had, you know, great experiences with money and only because that was, you know, the jobs weren't the best.
[3:24] They were immigrants and that sort of thing.
[3:26] So that sort of came through with me as well.
[3:32] I wasn't good with money.
[3:34] I used to, you know,
[3:35] muck around and do the naughty boy things until I met this wonderful lady and got together with her.
[3:43] I also worked at Toyota for 16 years.
[3:46] We took the redundancy and made the move.
[3:49] Okay.
[3:50] And here we are.
[3:51] Here we are.
[3:52] Okay, so 2018 and so pre-infinity and blended family?
[3:57] Yeah.
[3:58] Yeah, two each.
[3:59] I have the two boys, so 23 and 17.
[4:01] I've got the twins, twin girls.
[4:04] We're all entitled to one bad marriage.
[4:06] I know, right?
[4:06] Except for Rebecca because I'm her first.
[4:08] Well done, well done.
[4:10] But everyone else is entitled to one bad marriage, right?
[4:12] Shows right.
[4:14] Okay, so, and you mentioned you were the spender norm.
[4:19] Were you pretty tight with money?
[4:21] Yeah.
[4:21] When I say tight, like structured or spender as well?
[4:25] No, from my background, we were pretty poor growing up.
[4:27] Okay.
[4:28] So four children in our family unit.
[4:31] So mum worked all through school holidays, not used to, you know, holidays as a family or anything like that.
[4:37] So money was always tight and it was just understanding what we can and can't afford.
[4:43] Yeah.
[4:43] Putting together a blended family and saying, you know, money's even tighter.
[4:48] Yeah.
[4:48] um we had i i when i was single with my two children i did purchase a small unit in kirui okay um so that was sort of my starting i i had a property get a free pair of thongs when you moved to the shire i used to joke because i lived in baronier and i said oh what's it like i said you practically get a free pair of thongs from the local cafe when you moved to the shire
[5:11] It's great.
[5:11] Well, it's been sort of like a journey because my sort of journey with you was following you because first property was Dapdo.
[5:18] Oh, really?
[5:20] Yeah.
[5:20] First husband and I purchased in Dapdo.
[5:22] Wow.
[5:23] And that was sort of like... You followed me from Dapdo to the Shire.
[5:26] I literally, when I was looking at Infinity, it was...
[5:31] Why should I – I saw you on Facebook.
[5:33] Why should I follow this guy?
[5:36] And it was just – there was signs.
[5:39] I followed the signs.
[5:39] We learned your story and it was like –
[5:42] and there was a Shire connection.
[5:43] Shire and then Gold Coast.
[5:46] And it's like, it's just like.
[5:47] We got trapped here in COVID.
[5:49] Well we moved here then moved away but yeah.
[5:51] Okay.
[5:52] Yeah so background, pretty poor upbringing.
[5:56] Op shops were the clothing option.
[5:58] Still love that now.
[6:01] But yeah, it was sort of learn how to manage.
[6:04] And mum had the envelope system.
[6:06] Yep.
[6:07] Money get.
[6:09] Good old filing system of put $5, $10 each away.
[6:13] It's embarrassing to stand in primary school and you can't pay for your school excursion.
[6:18] Mm-hmm.
[6:19] So, moving on.
[6:20] Yeah.
[6:20] Okay.
[6:22] Okay.
[6:23] So, and I've been there, I know exactly what's that like, the shoes with the holes in them, and Nan and Pop used to do some vinnies at Montague Street in North Wollongong.
[6:31] They used to volunteer a lot there, and I used to actually help with that.
[6:35] I used to clean and sweep and do this and help all the old vinnies, and then I'd get to get something, and I remember getting these shoes that had a hole in them, but it was the old, like Reebok pumps.
[6:44] And I remember my Pop, I was allowed to pick one thing, and I put them aside and worked all school holidays, you know, volunteered.
[6:49] And then you get that for like your work sort of thing.
[6:52] And then I remember Pop roasting me saying, and I had these brand new, I don't even remember, Dunlop K26s, I think they were.
[6:59] These things were like surfboards on your feet.
[7:01] They had like track things out.
[7:02] They were like flip-flops.
[7:04] And I remember Pop roasting me and sitting, you don't roast, but life is like, now you understand you've got these brand new shoes that I bought you.
[7:12] But some other little boy or little girl isn't going to get these because you want a second pair of shoes because they're cool.
[7:18] And I remember putting them back.
[7:20] And at that time, Pop was very religious.
[7:22] I don't know, somewhere he convinced me I ended up taking a Bible.
[7:25] I worked all school holidays for a Bible.
[7:27] It could be worse things, but I don't know how much impact it had on me.
[7:30] But anyway.
[7:31] But, yeah, some people grow up well-to-do and all that.
[7:36] They don't know what it's like.
[7:37] But a lot of people, especially migrant families, even Aussie families, did it pretty tough back in the day.
[7:43] Most people made their own clothes.
[7:45] Yeah.
[7:46] Never, ever, ever bought a meal out.
[7:48] Like, forget stopping at the Golden Arches.
[7:50] You know, you had hand-me-downs.
[7:53] You know, I remember non-modelling clothes on all the boys, even for the girls.
[7:56] They'd make you happy pants or your shit.
[7:58] Yeah.
[7:59] It's tough.
[8:00] Shit's changed so quickly.
[8:02] Yeah.
[8:03] right except it's just as tough now but people hide because now we have social media there's this big front of how well we're doing and all the brand name stuff but they're going without in all these other areas whereas back in the day you went without in the mod cons and the branding and the eating out but you did it tough in different areas so everyone's got their story okay so when did you find who found us and when did you find us
[8:30] I found on Facebook.
[8:32] Yep.
[8:32] You know, it's one of the sources of, yeah, it's 100% legit.
[8:35] So it's so sceptical.
[8:38] Yeah.
[8:38] But as I said, the signs were there.
[8:41] I believe in someone showing you path through life.
[8:45] Yep.
[8:46] So yeah, I did some background information.
[8:49] I'd already been to one of the banks and said I need a strategy and I need to understand what to do because my parents' background, they purchased property but it's the old school mentality of holding property.
[9:02] You don't leverage it, you don't use it for capital growth.
[9:06] It's not really a strategy, it's just buy and hold.
[9:08] It's just, yeah, it's really, and that's what happened.
[9:11] Both my grandparents to this day, they've still got three properties in a trust, and it's, okay, so there's no growth.
[9:18] There's nothing, it's just sitting there.
[9:20] So I know you get the benefit of the rental value, but there's no strategy of getting bigger or better.
[9:26] It's literally hold and be.
[9:29] So having a look at that, knowing that I'm stuck, I literally have, I shouldn't say stuck because I was lucky enough to put in, you know, tighten the belt, put in the effort to have the unit and then I was in a pub.
[9:44] in a pub and there was a conference going on and I walked past the conference and it's like we're doing investment properties in Brassel, Queensland.
[9:51] I'm like, I should do this.
[9:53] I don't know if I can afford it.
[9:55] I don't know.
[9:55] I'm still a single parent, two children.
[9:57] Right.
[9:58] I'm walking to this pub in the middle of the Shire and they've said, oh yeah, you can afford it.
[10:06] Guimere Trade Union Club.
[10:07] So I'm sitting in a seminar and they're saying, you can afford to buy an investment in Queensland.
[10:12] So I did.
[10:13] 2016, I purchased Brassel, four bedroom house land package.
[10:18] And as soon as we had full custody of the girls, we jumped on a plane to make sure it was real.
[10:24] Is it?
[10:25] I don't know.
[10:25] I got a piece of paper.
[10:28] 389,000.
[10:29] I've got a photo I can show you later.
[10:33] But, yeah, 380,000 I think it was.
[10:34] You would have done okay out of that?
[10:36] Yeah, just as we've recently just sold it.
[10:38] Yeah, you would have done okay out of that.
[10:40] Yeah, and that's sort of, it's scary.
[10:42] It's hard to navigate.
[10:44] I've got no one to help.
[10:45] I've got no one to understand if I'm doing the right thing.
[10:48] and sort of trying to navigate finances and saying, can I afford it?
[10:52] Because a guy in a room told me I could.
[10:54] I don't have anyone.
[10:56] What year was this?
[10:58] 2000?
[10:58] That was 2016.
[10:59] 16, okay.
[11:01] So I had a good paying job, but
[11:04] still don't know how that looked with children and I actually went to my father and said you may have to co-sign for me because I'm not sure what that looks like on paper so and it's not it's very young and and naive and not understanding
[11:20] expectations for myself and my goals and not understanding what I can and can't afford and not get myself in trouble.
[11:26] So how do I stop myself from, you know, over committing and not understanding if I can get out of it?
[11:34] So, and I was young at the time as well.
[11:36] So it's, yeah, it was difficult.
[11:38] But I did it.
[11:39] We flew up.
[11:40] So Norm and I got together after that.
[11:42] We flew up to have a look at it and we're literally walking in Queensland.
[11:46] Walking on a slab.
[11:47] Builders' rules.
[11:48] There's no builder's fence.
[11:49] So we literally found this place in the middle of nowhere called Brassel, walked into this concrete slab and we're walking around the actual house.
[11:57] Right.
[11:58] Saying, so it's true.
[11:59] It is real.
[11:59] It's not fantasy.
[12:01] And I have done the right thing.
[12:02] This is nine years ago now.
[12:04] Yeah.
[12:05] Okay.
[12:05] So, they had the unit in Kiriwe and the investment in Brussels.
[12:09] Okay.
[12:09] Yeah.
[12:10] Cool.
[12:11] So, the investment in Brussels, I must admit that I did borrow some of the boys' money.
[12:16] They had an inheritance.
[12:18] Yep.
[12:18] The inheritance was sitting there.
[12:20] It wasn't getting any dividends paid on that.
[12:23] So, I took that out and shared that and put that into… Get a return on it.
[12:27] Yeah.
[12:27] So, boys are looked after.
[12:29] Good.
[12:30] Very good.
[12:30] Future.
[12:31] Okay.
[12:32] And did you have property when you met Norm?
[12:34] No, mate.
[12:34] Okay.
[12:35] I thought you were the spender.
[12:36] I was a spender.
[12:37] Okay.
[12:37] Yeah.
[12:38] She had to really rail me in.
[12:40] Really?
[12:41] Like really rail?
[12:42] As soon as I rented, I spent it.
[12:44] And I was working, same job, similar sort of wage.
[12:47] Yeah.
[12:48] And yeah, don't know where it went.
[12:49] You could ask me now where it went.
[12:51] I wouldn't have a clue.
[12:52] It was just tap, tap.
[12:54] It's funny how, I love, like even on social, you see all the comments and there's hundreds of people like, yep, this makes sense, that's what I did or my parents did.
[13:02] And there's all these people, you can't fucking do that.
[13:04] Life's too expensive.
[13:05] It's just that some people are spenders and some people are savers.
[13:09] Some people are investors.
[13:10] We're different types of people.
[13:12] But that doesn't mean you can't change.
[13:14] No, I think the thing for me is we lost all our home and contents in a storm out at Kernel in 2015.
[13:24] So we literally went to work that day and come home to nothing.
[13:28] The house was deemed non-accessible.
[13:32] Having that, knowing that I need money.
[13:35] Money's the only source that's going to get me a washing machine, a refrigerator, a roof over our head.
[13:41] Insurance is going to come later, but we need something to execute now.
[13:45] We don't have anything.
[13:46] So when you've been put in that position as well, we've been lucky to have that bank.
[13:50] So because of the way I was brought up, I made sure I never went to the spend every dollar that I earn cycle.
[13:59] And that got us out of a lot of trouble.
[14:01] Okay.
[14:02] So when you found Infinity, when was that?
[14:06] I think we found it in August 2023.
[14:08] Yeah, 2023.
[14:10] So we didn't spend too long reviewing it.
[14:13] It was, like I said, Facebook, scary, true, don't know.
[14:17] Yeah.
[14:18] Signs were there, sat down.
[14:21] And I distinctly remember...
[14:24] doing the two-day masterclass and I said, we can't afford to buy this.
[14:28] Like, this is every dollar we've got left.
[14:31] Do we do this?
[14:31] And I was sitting in the corner of the lounge and I'm going, like, I'm making this decision.
[14:36] Like, I'm going to, I'm asking Norm, but I'm literally, he's going, do what you want to do.
[14:41] So it's like, thanks, buddy.
[14:42] You know, it's now my call.
[14:44] Minister for Finance.
[14:45] Yeah.
[14:45] Whatever, babe.
[14:47] It's like, well, you're the one who stops me from spending anyway, so it's your responsibility.
[14:51] So I'm sitting there saying, okay, this is a make or break for me.
[14:54] This is a decision I'm either going to live with for the rest of my life.
[14:58] Like walking into the club and buying a property elsewhere.
[15:01] So, you know, I've done some pretty radical, silly maybe, but profitable things.
[15:07] But I'm sitting in the corner, this is every dollar.
[15:11] Like this is every dollar to buy in.
[15:13] Fingers crossed, you know, should I do it?
[15:16] Yeah, it was tight.
[15:17] It was tight.
[15:18] And I'm going, it's not that it's money poor in the bank.
[15:23] It's the fact that, you know, I'd have to go sell something.
[15:26] And are we at that way to do that right there?
[15:31] Is this the right thing to do?
[15:32] There's so much going on.
[15:34] Now you know you're making an investment for a return, but at the time it's like this is a big punt.
[15:39] It is.
[15:39] It's scary.
[15:40] And it was on my shoulders to make the decision on are we doing this?
[15:45] And I remember sitting there and I'm freaking out.
[15:47] I looked over and I said, are we doing this?
[15:49] And he's like...
[15:51] do you want to do it like do you think we're going to benefit secretly he's going fuck no i'm not stopping spending don't you stop my my budget's like tap i'm getting coffees i'm going i'm living the tight life and this one over here is living the life so yeah and it was it was a hard decision but look at it now it's a no-brainer
[16:11] Well, let's go through that.
[16:12] So August-ish, September-ish, Facebook content, podcasts and stuff, or like Facebook, free webinar straight away.
[16:20] Just had a look at what was on the – yeah, just general, not too diving into it.
[16:27] I did Google you.
[16:29] Yeah.
[16:30] I did have a look and like I said, the signs were there originally where I first purchased.
[16:34] Yeah.
[16:35] following those signs, the signs were like screaming at me, do.
[16:39] And just the action.
[16:40] Some synergies there, yeah.
[16:41] Yeah, it was, and it was, you know...
[16:43] Some people watch like the podcast for like two years.
[16:46] Yeah.
[16:46] And then they creep that people are real and they, you know... Yeah.
[16:50] I think we came to a crunch, Graeme, when we like really needed to do something.
[16:55] Yeah.
[16:55] To change our finances.
[16:56] Yes, we moved up to a beautiful place.
[16:57] Yes, we were living on the water.
[16:59] Yes, you know, all these things were great, but...
[17:02] financially we were a mess right okay so that was august september 23. how much was the mortgage when we moved to queensland three three fifty three fifty yeah three fifty
[17:15] So, $350,000, moved up 2018, and then August, September 23.
[17:20] So, we've just gone past two years, right?
[17:23] Yeah.
[17:24] What's the mortgage today?
[17:26] Zero.
[17:27] Zero.
[17:28] Zero.
[17:28] I did the sums, and I said to Norm pre-joining,
[17:33] I said, if we stay on the same trajectory we are on right now, you're going to be 71 when we pay off the mortgage.
[17:40] 71.
[17:41] 71.
[17:41] I did the stats.
[17:42] I did it.
[17:42] You'd trade him in by then.
[17:43] I know.
[17:45] I need to, you know, fire myself in the night.
[17:48] So, and it was, it was, I said, wow, like that's not even enough time for us to retire and enjoy life.
[17:55] No, you're done by then.
[17:57] 71 was, and I said, look, these are the numbers.
[17:58] I've done the numbers.
[17:59] I did all the spread, I did the spreadsheets.
[18:02] I don't think people realise if you go and get a 30 year mortgage at 41,
[18:07] Yeah, 71.
[18:08] That's normal.
[18:09] People buying a new house at 40 or 50.
[18:12] And if they're doing the mins, the minimum, that's 71, 45, 75.
[18:15] That's right.
[18:16] People don't realise.
[18:18] 51 now and it's done.
[18:20] It's done.
[18:21] And I said to him, we're in trouble because we're not going to have a lifestyle of...
[18:25] You know, we work hard.
[18:27] I want to rest.
[18:28] I'm tired.
[18:29] I want some luxury time for me.
[18:32] So, for us.
[18:33] So, it was... Me.
[18:36] For us.
[18:37] So, yeah, it was one of those decisions where it's like, if we don't do anything, you're going to be 71.
[18:43] And then when we were having a look at actually putting together the process with Infinity, it was, we're going to pay off in 28.
[18:54] And we smashed that as well.
[18:55] They were supposed to pay it off on our original plan.
[18:58] Yeah, 2028.
[18:59] So five years was the goal.
[19:01] We said we'll do it in five.
[19:02] Yeah.
[19:02] And you've done it in two.
[19:04] Yeah.
[19:05] But we obviously sold some toys maybe as well as paid it down a lot.
[19:08] I didn't have enough money for toys, let's be honest.
[19:11] I sold property.
[19:12] Yeah.
[19:12] So you sold Brassel.
[19:13] Yeah, sold Kiriwe first.
[19:15] Kiriwe, okay.
[19:16] So, yeah, to be honest, I got given a map to understand.
[19:22] And that come from Infinity.
[19:23] Yeah, not everyone likes our map.
[19:25] I love it.
[19:26] I need to visually see it.
[19:28] I love to visually see it.
[19:29] It's still on my fridge.
[19:30] I have three copies.
[19:31] I have it.
[19:31] I have, I've actually sat there with friends of mine and showing them what I do.
[19:35] I was going to say, and not to segue for a second, but one of your neighbors,
[19:39] There's now a client.
[19:40] Yeah.
[19:41] Because then he's telling the story.
[19:42] He's like, yeah, I've seen this post.
[19:44] And here's Norm with the champagne on.
[19:46] So out the front of the house.
[19:47] And I'm like, what a crock of shit.
[19:50] Right?
[19:50] Did he come and knock on the door?
[19:52] Yeah.
[19:52] Well, I've seen him in the driveway.
[19:54] He's just down the road.
[19:54] And he's like, is it true, Norm?
[19:57] Is it real?
[19:58] It's just bullshit.
[19:59] Yeah.
[19:59] And he goes, I said, yeah, mate, it's real.
[20:02] And he goes, you're done?
[20:04] And I went, yep.
[20:06] Hey, G, Beck.
[20:08] Just want to say thank you for helping us pay off this view.
[20:13] Bloody legends.
[20:13] Couldn't have done it without your help.
[20:15] Guy and I will forever be in your debt.
[20:18] Thanks, guys.
[20:18] You guys are going to have to start thinking about this.
[20:21] So it took him a couple of weeks, I think.
[20:22] Yeah.
[20:23] But they sat the masterclass.
[20:24] Right.
[20:25] And really enjoyed it.
[20:26] Yeah.
[20:26] And then I'm getting text messages from Dean going, hey, you've just had a shout-out on the masterclass.
[20:31] Yeah.
[20:32] It's pretty powerful to, like,
[20:34] for your neighbor to then be able to go down that path or your family but but you can't you don't know what you don't know you can't force it down someone's throat lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink correct it's someone will only find us when they're actually ready for change like this fucking hurts or i know i can do better but i don't know how
[20:53] You've got to want the knowledge.
[20:55] We've got now one of the ladies I work with, one of the people I work with previously, his wife contacted me out of the blue and said, are you with this company?
[21:07] I'm like, yeah.
[21:08] And you know, I call your cult.
[21:10] Financial cult.
[21:11] I said, it's a cult.
[21:12] I want the benefit.
[21:13] I literally just turn around and I say, stay in the cult, do what you're told.
[21:18] Stay in the cult.
[21:18] Keep going.
[21:19] Keep consistent, follow the whiteboard, you'll be fine.
[21:23] It's actually quite simple, to be honest.
[21:25] It's broken down for you.
[21:27] Yeah, it's very simple.
[21:28] It's actually almost too simple that you want to give yourself an uppercut.
[21:31] But it's all of those moving pieces and bits.
[21:36] It's not simple, but it is simple.
[21:37] It's simple to understand the way we do it.
[21:39] Yeah, and it's understanding that...
[21:43] I remember when we were talking to Alex last time, he goes, just sign.
[21:47] Just sign.
[21:48] Alex and Mary.
[21:49] It's just like, it's fine.
[21:51] You're fine.
[21:51] And it is.
[21:52] I mean, the trust is there.
[21:54] It's 100% trust.
[21:55] And you need that because it's your money.
[21:58] You work hard for your money.
[21:59] You need to make sure that you're doing the right thing with it.
[22:03] Yep.
[22:03] And it's benefiting the family.
[22:05] It's benefiting our life goals.
[22:08] And that's the difference, I think, between just sitting back and saying,
[22:12] yeah i went to a bank they gave me a strategy strategy was by insurances and then it's like hey you hold my hand i have cat i have dean dean's messaging me you guys hold my hand and walk me through the process and you know i have those touch points we also have a friend that paid a lot of money to get a financial advisor and it's like there's your report see ya see ya
[22:36] you know doing what you're doing 10 grand later and i'm going so when you think about it you've got the opportunity to have someone that's going to take you on the journey and they hold your hand through the process not talk once a year it's talk each week exactly each month or when you want to or when you when you're struggling yeah and you know if i'm struggling i literally hey cat hey dean chad i need help like this this is i don't understand it or
[23:01] It's like, yeah, yeah, no worries.
[23:02] We'll put some time together and we'll go through it piece by piece.
[23:05] No drama, no struggle.
[23:07] So go back for a second.
[23:08] So home's gone.
[23:10] We sold Kiriwe first.
[23:12] That gave you some cash.
[23:14] Yeah.
[23:16] Success tax was great.
[23:19] But, yeah, I think we sold for three – oh, sorry, no –
[23:25] 597.
[23:25] 597.
[23:25] Okay.
[23:25] Yeah.
[23:26] 597.
[23:26] That's the unit in Kiriwe.
[23:27] That's the unit in Kiriwe.
[23:28] Yeah.
[23:29] We would have had a mortgage on it as well.
[23:31] Yeah, had to pay the mortgage out on that.
[23:34] Bit of cash come out.
[23:35] Yeah, a little bit of cash come through post-success tax.
[23:38] Yep.
[23:39] So that originally went straight into the bills account.
[23:45] Yep.
[23:45] Then not long after that, we were still doing some strategy thinking and it was like, yeah, Brussels got to go.
[23:53] Okay.
[23:54] It's a good time in Queensland market to sell as well.
[23:58] So, yeah, no brainer, get rid of that as well.
[24:01] Actually, we were on a Teams meeting with, was it Dean?
[24:04] And they said, sell.
[24:06] And Di is on the phone texting the age and going, get on the market.
[24:09] I get told what to do.
[24:10] I follow instructions well.
[24:12] Okay, so Kiriway went, Brassel went, home paid off in full.
[24:16] Yep.
[24:16] No credit card debts, none of that nonsense.
[24:19] No car loan.
[24:20] And then, so, okay, now your two investments are gone, but you own your home.
[24:24] Roof over your head, happy days.
[24:26] What about investments then?
[24:28] We currently have three investments now.
[24:30] Three?
[24:31] Three.
[24:31] New ones.
[24:32] New ones.
[24:33] So you sold two.
[24:35] This is the joy because people invest to make money, right?
[24:38] But you don't actually make the money until you liquidate.
[24:42] Correct.
[24:43] And you've got to think when you enter, when will I exit and what am I trying to make?
[24:47] Is it $1, $100, $1 million?
[24:50] So you exit Kiriwe, exit Brassel, pay out the home.
[24:56] Obviously, his spending is in check at this point in time.
[24:58] He gets an allowance.
[25:00] He gets an allowance.
[25:01] We'll talk about that.
[25:04] And then you've gone and acquired three fresh investment properties.
[25:08] Yep.
[25:08] Two in Queensland, one in Melbourne.
[25:11] So you didn't lose two properties.
[25:13] No.
[25:13] You sold two to completely clear your homeland.
[25:16] So you're in a much better financial position.
[25:19] And the two that were gone were replaced with three.
[25:21] Yeah.
[25:21] Correct.
[25:22] One in self-managed super fund.
[25:23] Okay.
[25:24] So two personal replaced with two personal, but you're home loan free.
[25:27] Correct.
[25:28] Yeah.
[25:28] So you're in the same position, but you've got no home.
[25:30] And that's what I don't think people understand.
[25:32] You don't sell and die.
[25:34] You don't sell and never.
[25:35] You make sure before you sell, we can re-enter.
[25:38] Yeah.
[25:38] And that's the strategy.
[25:39] And we bank money.
[25:40] Sorry?
[25:40] And we've still got banked money.
[25:42] and cash positive cash flow look out careful everyone will be asking for you alone now don't listen to this kids there's no money don't have any cards so yeah it's so there's money in the bank replacement of the two properties that went uh sold plenished and and we have our self-managed super fund under control so does it feel real
[26:04] No, of course not.
[26:05] I'm still pinching myself.
[26:06] It's literally a dream that you own your own home.
[26:10] And you've got money in the bank and you've got investments.
[26:13] All in two and a bit, two years?
[26:15] Two and a bit years.
[26:16] And it's the old set mentality of hold and keep.
[26:19] It's what my grandparents did.
[26:20] It's what my mum does.
[26:21] It's literally, you know, it doesn't work.
[26:24] The strategy isn't there.
[26:26] It's understanding what to do and when to do it.
[26:28] And obviously we've got a team that supports us to do that.
[26:32] Well done.
[26:33] Are you proud of yourselves?
[26:35] Tyron.
[26:36] You should be super bloody proud.
[26:38] It's good to know that we don't have to stress or worry.
[26:41] 71.
[26:42] We're not going to be 71 when we pay off.
[26:44] And it's also good for the kids too because they're watching us do this.
[26:47] Yeah.
[26:48] And I think they're at an age now where they've got their jobs and stuff and they're...
[26:51] They're earning their own money and they're maybe, you know, if we can inflict upon them what you've been teaching us to, you know, be good with your money, invest it wisely, don't spend.
[27:03] So, I mean, it's good.
[27:04] Actually, speaking of feeling, we'll get the team to put a picture in.
[27:07] There's a couple of pictures here.
[27:08] There's one of Norm doing the rounds of socials just with the –
[27:11] There's a champagne bottle at the front of the house.
[27:13] At the back of the house.
[27:14] That was the view at the back of the house.
[27:15] Okay, at the back of the house.
[27:16] And there's another one we'll put in here jointly together as well.
[27:18] But it is a bit surreal, right?
[27:21] Because you think, okay.
[27:23] But I always ask people, okay, pay the house off.
[27:27] Why keep budgeting?
[27:30] Why keep living a modest life day-to-day mostly, unless you want to go overseas on a holiday because you've got whatever financial means you want now, right?
[27:39] You've got cash flow.
[27:40] There's no home loan.
[27:41] And a lot of people think, and you guys know this, you've been around me for a while, people think that once you get the home loan paid off, oh, you just blow all your money and you do whatever the fuck you want.
[27:50] That's not the case, right?
[27:52] It's a mindset now.
[27:53] I was going to say, so talk to me about, okay, two years, we sold some assets, so it's a bit unique for you, but forget that.
[27:59] Sell the assets, pay the home off in full.
[28:02] You're continuing now to maintain a budget, to be pretty strict, but why would you keep doing that when you don't have to pay $800 a week or $1,000 a week?
[28:11] Well, to be honest, I don't have a choice.
[28:13] I don't know.
[28:14] Let's face it.
[28:15] So I'll answer that one.
[28:16] You know what?
[28:17] Yeah, you answer that one.
[28:19] So because it's okay to own your own property, but you need renovations, you need things.
[28:25] Life still costs money.
[28:27] So we also have four children.
[28:30] Do you think the property market's going to be reasonable for them when they start to look to purchase?
[28:34] So obviously ours is not only to support us, it's to support our children in their journey in life.
[28:41] and make sure that they can get their foot in the door.
[28:44] So yes, it's okay for us to have paid that off.
[28:48] And again, we're not running around saying, we've got this and we've got that.
[28:52] We don't do that.
[28:52] We're very humble in saying that.
[28:55] I'm probably more so the norm because of my background.
[28:58] So yeah.
[29:02] I'm proud of us, Bart.
[29:03] Like, I'm really proud.
[29:04] I want to sing it to the world what we've done.
[29:07] But, you know, by the same token, we are humble.
[29:11] We are, you know, we're living, we're just normal people.
[29:14] We just want to live our lives and be happy and be comfortable doing it.
[29:18] So what advice would you give people listening into this to be like, they're hearing this, they go, oh, we think we're similar ages to these people.
[29:27] We've got to blend it.
[29:28] Because people relate to different people, right?
[29:30] Oh, we've got a blended family too, and there's bills coming out the door, and there's this for the kids and that.
[29:35] What advice could you guys give to people from what you've learnt in the last couple of years?
[29:39] I mean, life as a whole, but the last couple of years specifically.
[29:42] I think since joining Infinity, just follow the process.
[29:45] Believe in the process.
[29:49] listen to what you're being told, but not only listen, but take in and absorb the copious amounts of information that we're given.
[29:57] It's a learning process.
[29:58] It's a learning journey as well, I think.
[30:01] I think keep it simple.
[30:04] It's hard to get in when you're getting in and you're over your head if you're not someone who manages your budgets and you're used to just tapping and you're not understanding visually where your expenses are going.
[30:16] You need to stop.
[30:17] You need to actually stop and have a look.
[30:20] Pull that invoice or your bank statement.
[30:23] Have a look at it and literally challenge yourself to say, what is a good condition and what's bad?
[30:31] Deliveroo, please, come on.
[30:33] That's a luxury item.
[30:35] Be respectful to yourself and your own money.
[30:38] My other thing that I try and teach the kids is when you're buying something, have a look at how long it took to earn it.
[30:47] So if you're on $15 an hour and you want that $75 T-shirt,
[30:53] Three hours, buddy.
[30:54] Make sure you're well aware.
[30:55] Plus tax.
[30:56] Yeah.
[30:56] Make sure you're well aware how long it's going to take you to actually physically purchase that timeline for you.
[31:04] That's what the effort you need to put in.
[31:05] So I think that's something that they don't look at.
[31:08] And then, you know, have a look at your subscriptions.
[31:11] We're pretty crazy.
[31:12] I remember my mother saying to me, I know I'm not getting internet.
[31:16] That's just another bill.
[31:17] So from where we were in saying basic bills, water, electricity, you know, things that we need, phone bills then being added, internet's then being added, all your subscriptions, Netflix, et cetera.
[31:30] They're luxury items.
[31:31] There's something that's a standard item.
[31:34] You need to work through that process of what is a luxury and what is... You're pretty, you're still pretty strict on...
[31:40] I'm bad.
[31:41] Even though the home loan's gone and you've got investments, you're like, I'm not gonna be like, all right, cool, we can, let's make up a number.
[31:47] Your home loan's 800 bucks a week.
[31:49] Home loan's gone.
[31:50] We never go out, G. You're not blowing that 800 bucks a week.
[31:53] Oh, no, no, no.
[31:55] You're taking it to the extreme.
[31:56] I cut my dishwasher tablets in half.
[31:59] Still cuts the dishwasher.
[32:01] It cuts me four cents a wash. Four cents a wash. That's taking it to the extreme.
[32:07] I'm probably throwing two in the dishwasher to make sure it's sparkly clean.
[32:10] That'd be a handful.
[32:14] I know when to purchase products when I'm getting the best deal.
[32:19] I only buy when it's on sale.
[32:22] Suken products, $15, $7 half price sale every two weeks.
[32:26] It'll be on the second week.
[32:27] So you're treating this like a sport, like an Olympic sport.
[32:30] Oh, 100%.
[32:30] I love it.
[32:31] Bring it on.
[32:32] So what's the goal then?
[32:33] What's the big goal?
[32:36] I think to...
[32:38] There has to be an outcome from all of that.
[32:40] I think that I want our children to understand what a luxury item is and what is a fantasy for you.
[32:47] I feel like this day and age, it's just money, money, money.
[32:51] They don't cherish it.
[32:53] They don't care.
[32:55] It's just there.
[32:56] And mum and dad investment will come and help you after.
[33:00] That's not going to be the case.
[33:01] I'm strict.
[33:02] Because we're going to be overseas.
[33:03] Yeah, we're busy.
[33:05] We're out of the country.
[33:06] But, yeah, so I think it's just setting goals for ourselves.
[33:11] We don't need to – our people, our network, our social life, it doesn't change just because we paid off our mortgage.
[33:21] We're still nice people that do humble things that, you know.
[33:25] It's a bit like Alex and Mary back in there.
[33:27] They used to entertain the whole family.
[33:29] I spoke to Mary about this because that was us.
[33:32] Right.
[33:32] When we moved to the Gold Coast.
[33:34] You buy the meat.
[33:34] You buy the food.
[33:35] We hosted every event.
[33:37] A thousand, $2,000 at Christmas every year.
[33:39] Qualified chef by trade.
[33:40] Right.
[33:40] They come to our house.
[33:42] Yeah.
[33:42] So when we shut shop, you find out who your friends are.
[33:46] Well, no one invites you anywhere.
[33:47] No.
[33:48] No, because... All the freelancers, they can be friends, but the freelancers say, all of a sudden, you don't get invited to shit.
[33:53] Exactly.
[33:53] Even the relatives are like, why are they so mean?
[33:56] Like, sorry, we're mean because you didn't invite us to Easter, but you've been invited to ours the last 10 years.
[34:03] Yeah.
[34:03] And because we had the four children, it was easier for us to bring them into the house.
[34:08] Mm.
[34:08] But now it's like, do you want to meet out at a restaurant?
[34:11] Oh, no, we're busy that day.
[34:13] Okay, we invited you.
[34:14] We'll do our own thing.
[34:15] Yeah.
[34:16] and you you do lose they walk across the road to the bolo everyone buys their own meal and we spoke i spoke to mary about that and she goes yeah you do learn who your friends are yeah because you're the one who's used to supplying everything family's always your family yeah friends are always your friends just doesn't mean you have to pay their way exactly and it's respectful because you're not inviting me
[34:38] I have a very tight-knit circle of friends, and pretty much every single friend I have, we argue with each other over paying for everything.
[34:49] It can be 5 o'clock in the morning, I have to go for a walk on the beach, meet a friend, talk stuff, shop, business, life.
[34:55] We're fighting over a fucking $4 coffee each.
[34:58] You know, like, and that's, and it's a funny thing, but, and some of them now we're at their thing.
[35:03] It's like, all right, you've got it.
[35:05] I've got it.
[35:06] You've got it.
[35:06] I've got it.
[35:07] Cause it's just 10 minutes of bickering at the checkout.
[35:09] Right.
[35:09] We're both trying to get the thing.
[35:10] So there's like, we'll take turns a couple of really good friends now.
[35:14] It's like, and it's just unquestionable.
[35:16] It's like, I got this one.
[35:17] You got yesterday.
[35:18] Yeah.
[35:18] I got this one.
[35:19] You got last week.
[35:20] And it's just fair.
[35:21] Exactly.
[35:21] You know what I mean?
[35:22] It's even.
[35:22] It's a quality.
[35:23] It's a partnership.
[35:24] It's a friendship.
[35:25] We add value to each other's lives.
[35:27] But it's interesting when people are happy to receive all the time.
[35:30] And then as soon as it stops.
[35:32] But it's very different when they have to provide and you're the bad person.
[35:35] Yeah, and that's how we've sort of had a few relationship problems when we did move and, you know, when we weren't the providers anymore.
[35:44] It was, oh, they're not inviting us.
[35:47] And I said, okay, well, we'll invite them out.
[35:49] Yeah.
[35:49] So, and that's where we sort of made it easier to say, oh, no, we're not hosting, is to actually invite them out.
[35:56] So it's a key takeaway for me to say, oh, well, we'll just change the venue.
[36:01] and then that way you pay for yourself.
[36:02] Go to Tight-Ass Tuesday or something at the Bolo where it's snitty or palmy in a pint night or whatever.
[36:07] I literally was sitting with one of my friends, Michelle.
[36:09] She's in Infinity, and she's going, okay, it's Jace's birthday.
[36:13] Let's go through all the clubs and pubs, and she's there, and she's at the lunch table going because we work together.
[36:17] Yeah, you go find the palmy in the pot night or whatever, and it's $10, $15.
[36:20] Oh, look, we've got steak night.
[36:21] Yeah.
[36:22] Same as one of the really fancy restaurants here on the Gold Coast, the coast there.
[36:27] I think it might be Sunday night.
[36:29] They do an all-you-can-eat roast.
[36:31] Wow.
[36:32] And it's like whatever you pay for it, but it's like they do a roast, like the old tradition, but they just keep serving it up.
[36:37] And I'm like, what was that?
[36:39] Can I have a doggy bag?
[36:42] I'm not allowed to do that because I've been training and eating.
[36:46] So, what would you say are each of you, like, a biggest, the biggest or some of the biggest lessons you've taken on board over the last two years?
[36:58] Change mindset.
[36:59] I feel...
[37:00] Because you've gone from a mindset of, I mean, you've been quite frugal and very structured.
[37:04] You kept this one in line.
[37:06] But you've also changed your mindset to liquidate assets, to grow asset-based.
[37:12] Yes.
[37:12] Because that's a big one.
[37:13] That would have been a hard one too.
[37:15] I remember being on an accountability meeting with you and you were saying, okay, put your hand up if you paid your car outright in cash.
[37:27] And I'm like...
[37:27] yes look at me i'm great i'm awesome and then put you any of you still got a mortgage so long to get the concept of saying but why would you why would you have 10 grand sitting in your driveway and not on your mortgage then it started and then the 10 grand's worth eight and six but the house keeps going up correct and it was it was trying to understand i'm going no no no no mum told me dad
[37:52] My job is actually quite hard because I'm providing teaching and selling the least sexiest thing in my industry.
[37:58] It's not get rich quick.
[38:00] It's budget.
[38:02] It's do the opposite of everything you've ever been told.
[38:05] I have to teach you everything's wrong mostly.
[38:08] So I've got to teach you that it's not sexy.
[38:11] I'm telling you to maintain a budget and be realistic.
[38:14] I'm telling you to do the opposite of everything you've ever been told.
[38:16] And I'm telling you, it's going to take five years or four years or eight years of personal, and then you're set for the rest of your life.
[38:23] It's not a sexy pitch.
[38:24] No.
[38:25] But it is taking that old mindset into the new millennium, telling them, teaching them and advising how to do it.
[38:34] Because I have said that, grandparents doing it, mum's doing it, and they're not getting any better.
[38:39] They're never going to be any better than me.
[38:41] And that's not saying something.
[38:42] It's the old school coaching.
[38:43] Yeah, you're not.
[38:44] We're lucky.
[38:44] People can change.
[38:46] But it's very hard when they're getting into their late 50s, early 60s, 70s.
[38:51] And it's like, what's the risk versus reward of helping them change?
[38:54] Because the amount of pressure and anxiety, I mean, like Maxi Bex pops my man, you know, we lost all of our grandparents except for Max.
[39:02] And he's nearly 80.
[39:03] And he's the one person, I don't really drink much these days.
[39:06] But if I do, it'll be down in port, glass of wine with Maxi or a beer at the footy.
[39:09] And I don't even like beer, but I'll have a beer with him, right?
[39:11] Loves his footy and beer.
[39:13] But he hates to travel.
[39:16] So we're like, Max, we bought a new house.
[39:18] Can't get him out of Port Macquarie.
[39:20] Max, I want to show you this car.
[39:22] Can't get him out of it.
[39:23] And we've sort of come to the realisation that for him to be out of his home, he knows where everything is with the light off and the frit.
[39:33] And he's fit as a fiddle.
[39:35] Touch wood, he's fit as a fiddle.
[39:36] But just to take him out of his environment creates so much anxiety and stress.
[39:43] You know what I mean?
[39:44] Like they're in their, they wake up, they go to bed.
[39:47] There's such a routine for them, it's just critical.
[39:50] And it's all the time like, hey, come and look at the new office we built.
[39:53] You know, we're so proud.
[39:54] Just can't get him out.
[39:56] And so we've sort of come to that conclusion now.
[39:59] Maybe once every couple of years we can get him in the car or playing.
[40:02] But it's actually more harm than good to be in a spin.
[40:07] You know like oh hang on if I turn the light off did I lock the door and it's so hard as they get older To try to implement any change, you know, they really are creatures of habit.
[40:17] They need that routine.
[40:18] They don't need any new risk either And it isn't from from like if I was talking about mum she's done her hard yards work six days a week Yeah, really really hard work out
[40:32] trying to struggle to do the telling, you know, this is how you do it, make sure.
[40:35] So the background comes from her.
[40:38] And moving forward, she's like, I've got an investment property.
[40:41] I'm okay to retire.
[40:43] That's not the case anymore.
[40:45] She's literally struggling.
[40:46] She doesn't, because she's self-funded, she's not entitled to any of the breaks from the government.
[40:51] She's got to sell that property or live off its rent or sell it, get all the cash and invest the cash because you've still got debt on it.
[40:59] Investing...
[41:00] only works properly if you maximize it.
[41:04] And holding is just a part of a strategy.
[41:09] Because when you buy for five and it doubles and it's worth a mil and the rent was 500 when you bought it and it's now a thousand, that's awesome.
[41:15] You've got a thousand bucks a week, but you've still got four, 500 debt.
[41:18] You've got a few hundred dollars a week.
[41:20] But if you sell, you've got 500.
[41:22] And that's one of many steps that people are missing because you've got to liquidate to make it real.
[41:30] no gfc you know covert no water something like hey it's real take it what can you do with that 500 yeah well i mean that's 50 grand a year for the next 10 years for her she can earn interest on it she could invest it better than the pension she's self-funded okay you want to just take a pension 25 26 grand a year there's 20 years of pension for her yeah but and she can invest it yeah but
[41:53] Holding it, yes, the property will keep going up.
[41:55] But it's also that question, does she need to make more money at that age?
[41:59] She's retired.
[42:00] She doesn't really need to make a lot more money.
[42:03] She'll have a really comfortable life if she liquidates the investment.
[42:06] But that's very hard for that generation that works so bloody hard to get it.
[42:12] But the next generation are the ones that benefit.
[42:14] And I always say, I know for me as I get older, I mean, our kids will work bloody hard.
[42:19] But I want to see children, I want to see them benefit from what I have blood, sweat and tears for while I'm here.
[42:27] I want to be able to help guide and watch them enjoy, you know.
[42:30] I don't want to take it.
[42:31] There's no coffins with pockets.
[42:32] I don't want to take it with me.
[42:34] I want to retire and look after the grandkids.
[42:36] I want to redo where I wasn't there for all those events.
[42:40] Yeah.
[42:41] That's what I've missed and that's why we don't have kids.
[42:43] I've missed birthdays, Christmases, weddings.
[42:47] Every weekend pretty much I work, right?
[42:49] Yeah.
[42:49] I've missed so much.
[42:51] But those sacrifices over sort of 12 or 13 years to me will make much more sense.
[42:56] Now I have capacity to enjoy and do whatever I want, whenever I want.
[43:00] Now we've got complete time and scale to raise a family, to do family events, to not have to worry about, shit, I've got to be at work today.
[43:08] Yeah.
[43:10] Okay.
[43:10] What other learnings have you taken?
[43:12] How are you going on a structure and a budget?
[43:15] How different is it for someone who is a spender?
[43:18] It's different, but it's more rewarding.
[43:21] I now use the sachet coffees as opposed to a $6 coffee, and it tastes just as good to me.
[43:30] It's one of those things where, yes, it takes a bit of getting used to.
[43:34] Yes, I didn't like to do it.
[43:36] But once you do it and once you see the benefits of doing that,
[43:41] There's no going back.
[43:43] What about holidays?
[43:48] We went on a holiday earlier this year.
[43:51] We went to Vietnam.
[43:53] Okay.
[43:54] But we did it on a budget.
[43:55] I was going into Flight Centre and it was gonna cost us like 15 grand.
[44:01] And Diana pulled him out of Flight Centre and walked away and got a trip a deal for five grand for the two of us.
[44:07] So you're still doing overseas holidays?
[44:08] Still on overseas.
[44:09] Okay.
[44:09] You're just being savvy with it?
[44:11] Yeah.
[44:12] 100%.
[44:12] I mean, at the end of the day, are you going on holidays?
[44:15] Yes.
[44:16] I enjoy the time.
[44:18] I don't care where I go.
[44:20] I literally... Yeah, I have bucket lists, but...
[44:24] Did I get out of the country?
[44:25] Yes.
[44:25] Is my passport stamped?
[44:26] Yes.
[44:28] Did I get to see the village life on the other side of Vietnam?
[44:33] Yes.
[44:34] We're not working seven days a week now, Gee.
[44:36] We used to work seven days a week, every week, for years.
[44:41] Now we work Monday to Friday and we have time to spend together.
[44:44] Okay, so this is really important then.
[44:48] You were working your guts out full-time, extra hour or multiple jobs even.
[44:53] I was driving an Uber.
[44:54] I was making shelves at Coles.
[44:55] So now you're cruising.
[44:57] Yeah.
[44:57] Working hard.
[44:58] We still, yeah.
[45:00] Regular hours.
[45:01] Monday to Friday.
[45:02] I said to Norm the other day, we were in the kitchen and I'd turn around and say, remember when we used to work weekends?
[45:08] Hey, hey, hey.
[45:08] I feel personally attacked.
[45:10] Just throwing it out there.
[45:11] Yeah.
[45:11] Yeah.
[45:12] It's a different lifestyle when you can actually say I'm working Monday to Friday only.
[45:17] When you're in it, it's like you don't know what day it is.
[45:20] I've done hospitality where, you know, your life's gone.
[45:23] Yeah.
[45:25] It's one of those things that it's a choice because you do lose all the birthdays, Christmases.
[45:30] You're working.
[45:31] They're your times that you need to be on the job.
[45:34] So when we were in the kitchen the other day and I turned around and said, you know, we only went Monday to Friday.
[45:40] We're not on call.
[45:41] We don't have to do anything Saturday.
[45:43] We've got two days.
[45:44] You're not knocking off one job, showering and getting to the next.
[45:47] We're actually seeing if we can be together for our retirement.
[45:53] So see what that looks like actually in each other's faces.
[45:56] You survived that.
[45:57] I actually like this.
[45:58] Yeah, exactly.
[45:59] Can I do this?
[46:00] We're doing it two days a week.
[46:02] Can we do this full time in the future?
[46:04] So yeah.
[46:04] How's that going?
[46:05] And it's reconnecting as well.
[46:06] I think you're running around in... All the children need something so you're running...
[46:13] And how easy is it to go, we don't struggle with money.
[46:17] We only work Monday to Friday.
[46:18] We have a social life.
[46:20] We can go out Saturday, Sunday.
[46:22] We're living the dream right there.
[46:23] So you're enjoying it?
[46:24] Oh, yeah.
[46:25] Is it fun getting to spend time?
[46:27] You haven't wanted to hurt each other?
[46:29] Send him to the other end of the house.
[46:30] We're building IKEA this weekend, G. Oh, shit.
[46:33] Can I send someone to build it for you?
[46:35] So it was $780 quote to build it, and I'm like, no, we can do it.
[46:40] $780 to build it.
[46:41] It was $180 per piece to build if we got someone else to come in.
[46:45] You're like the flat pack person.
[46:46] Yeah, yeah.
[46:47] I can only go build flat packs.
[46:48] I reckon.
[46:50] I wouldn't be able to build them.
[46:51] I call them destructions, not instructions.
[46:53] I'm fucked.
[46:54] Hopeless.
[46:55] So there are a couple of things.
[46:57] Like I do girl math as well.
[46:59] So if I'm looking at my eyelashes, yeah, it's an expenditure that I do.
[47:04] It's for me.
[47:05] I don't wear makeup.
[47:06] So if I'm looking at that, she's also my counsellor.
[47:09] So I make sure I find someone that has dual purpose.
[47:12] You invent her.
[47:12] Yeah.
[47:14] So we decompress in that hour that I'm getting my lashes done and,
[47:18] Then, so we don't divorce.
[47:20] We have a cleaner.
[47:21] Yep.
[47:22] But she's also our counsellor.
[47:23] I clean, do you?
[47:24] I can clean.
[47:25] I clean.
[47:25] No.
[47:26] I just don't clean to her standard.
[47:27] No, no.
[47:29] He was brought up with an Italian mother that mollycoddled him.
[47:33] So he doesn't clean.
[47:34] So those are things that I see as luxury items.
[47:37] I clean, G. No, no, no, no, no.
[47:39] I clean.
[47:40] No, no, no, no, no.
[47:42] I will debate that.
[47:44] We'll take that offline.
[47:45] Oh, shit.
[47:47] I love it.
[47:48] So there's things that I wouldn't have done before.
[47:51] So the cleaner of the house, there's kids coming in and out.
[47:54] They don't care.
[47:55] So let's be really honest because if we go back...
[47:59] 20, 30 minutes ago in this chat, people are like, ah, cutting dishwasher tablets, doing this.
[48:04] There's some frugality.
[48:05] A lot of things you've been very frugal about.
[48:07] Yes.
[48:08] There's also things, but you're not.
[48:10] Yes.
[48:10] So, yes, you went on an overseas holiday.
[48:12] You didn't go in and pay retail to a travel agent.
[48:15] You got some information.
[48:16] You then went and did it yourself and saved 10 grand, right?
[48:19] So you're being smart, frugal in some areas, smart in other, but then you're saying, well, we've got the luxury of a cleaner.
[48:26] Correct.
[48:26] Because it's good for our mental health.
[48:28] Yes.
[48:29] It's good for the family household and dynamic.
[48:31] It's good for him not to pretend he knows how to clean.
[48:33] That's right.
[48:35] And I don't kill him.
[48:36] And I don't kill him.
[48:37] So whilst you are being frugal, you're also not being frugal in some other areas.
[48:41] You're being quite smart.
[48:42] And I have that philosophy.
[48:44] I mean, I'm as handy as an ashtray on a motorbike.
[48:46] So they're like, done, right?
[48:48] But what I'm good at?
[48:50] I'm great at.
[48:51] I'm fully immersed in.
[48:53] I know that.
[48:53] Everyone knows that.
[48:54] But all the other stuff in life, well, that's not my best use of time or my hourly rate.
[48:59] I will work the extra hours or effort to earn it and I will pay someone.
[49:03] And that's an economy.
[49:04] That's fine.
[49:05] And it's something where that's why you are frugal in some places is so you can do the expenditure, which is a benefit for me.
[49:13] It's benefiting our lifestyle.
[49:15] I love it.
[49:15] I go to work.
[49:16] She cleans.
[49:17] I come home.
[49:17] I'm loving it.
[49:19] Loving life.
[49:19] I've got a cleaner.
[49:20] Yeah.
[49:20] I mean, I don't even, I literally just, my clothes go in the bar.
[49:24] I don't do the, we don't do the washing or the cooking.
[49:26] We have a chef, all that sort of stuff.
[49:28] We don't do any of that because we're so busy.
[49:30] Yeah.
[49:31] So you've got to be smart about it.
[49:32] So you're being smart about the important thing.
[49:34] Outsourcing.
[49:35] Outsourcing, yeah.
[49:36] I outsource the things that are a challenge.
[49:38] It's like a business owner doing their own books.
[49:40] Yeah.
[49:40] If you're not a bookkeeper or have an accounting background, you're going to fuck it up.
[49:44] Yeah.
[49:45] Pay someone to do it.
[49:46] Whether it's onshore or offshore, whatever you're going to want.
[49:48] Pay someone that's suitably qualified to do it.
[49:50] Exactly.
[49:51] And I think that's why it's like a luxury.
[49:54] I'm a bit concerned about the flat pack, but... Oh, no, no, no, don't worry.
[49:59] I'm... Oh, no.
[49:59] Lady tradie or...
[50:00] I am, yeah.
[50:01] She reads the instructions on the brawn.
[50:03] So she's the brains on the brawn.
[50:04] I'm pretty good with flat packs, but...
[50:07] I want to see photos or videos of this event in the Facebook group in school, please.
[50:15] Good battery difference.
[50:16] Police called to address that.
[50:22] okay what's been um what's been someone says oh okay this makes sense i'm prepared to i'm already you know they might say the wife goes yeah i'm already pretty frugal like i own her in a few areas here but i do want to clean her and i do want to go overseas and that we're similar to these people what's been some of the hardest things in this process because you've got had a couple of learnings obviously what are some of the hardest things you've had to like was it hard to create a new budget and stick to it was it hard to go right
[50:49] This is my play money each week.
[50:51] I don't know.
[50:52] What have been some of the harder things?
[50:54] It's obviously always hard to trust somebody.
[50:55] Yeah.
[50:56] That takes time to build trust with an advisory team.
[51:00] It's hard to actually say to your husband, I'm taking your money and you're getting a wage.
[51:06] I'm going to literally on Tuesdays, like, can you please send me some money?
[51:09] And I feel guilty.
[51:10] I do feel guilty about it, but it's getting us to where we need to be.
[51:14] And I know he sees the bigger picture, but it is hard when, you know, I didn't have, we had separate bank accounts.
[51:21] I was always, you know, saying, oh, I need, I need, we need to pay this.
[51:25] I don't have it.
[51:27] So it's frustrating.
[51:28] Do you guys date separately forever?
[51:30] No, we did.
[51:31] We did.
[51:31] And now it's all pulled.
[51:33] That was a big change.
[51:35] I don't even know when I get paid anymore.
[51:36] I was going to say, you share a bed.
[51:37] You can probably share a bed.
[51:39] I couldn't before due to the fact that I didn't, I couldn't trust in the fact that I'd be able to pay the Strada.
[51:45] So you got, because you were just spending before.
[51:47] Yeah.
[51:47] Okay.
[51:48] I was like, hey, you owe me money.
[51:50] Like it's like we're going 50-50 on things and now we don't.
[51:54] It's just all money goes in.
[51:56] Yep.
[51:56] So, yeah.
[51:57] And there's a buffer there?
[52:00] Norm gets a weekly wage.
[52:02] Yeah.
[52:03] I don't even know when I get paid, to be honest.
[52:04] I really don't.
[52:05] And so Norm doesn't know our bank accounts.
[52:07] Norm has Diana Lester's card.
[52:10] He doesn't have anything.
[52:11] Cut, cut.
[52:11] So you can't hurt if it's cut.
[52:13] Okay.
[52:13] But it's just...
[52:14] But you function on that and you go do what you want to do and get about sound.
[52:17] I wish I'd done this 10 years ago.
[52:19] Right.
[52:19] I think if we would have done this earlier... And obviously it was the... We wouldn't have done it without Infinity because it was a touchy subject.
[52:26] It was...
[52:27] So we're kind of the mediator, right, where you both get called.
[52:31] You're the marriage counsellor.
[52:32] You are.
[52:32] A money marriage mentor.
[52:35] You are the money marriage counsellor.
[52:38] I should start charging extra for that shit.
[52:40] I told you about my girl math.
[52:42] And this is where it come down to because it's a hard question.
[52:45] It's hard to actually turn around and say, you make money, I don't see it.
[52:52] And it's hard and it's embarrassing to hold the conversation.
[52:57] It's difficult to navigate that I need help and I'm struggling.
[53:02] And it's hard to say, what the hell do you do with it?
[53:06] I don't understand it.
[53:07] It's easier to have that middle party to bring you guys to.
[53:11] Because it sounds like previously in the boat, one's rowing this way, one's spinning around inside.
[53:15] 100%.
[53:16] And then they are difficult conversations, which I assume you're trying to have when the kid's around.
[53:21] You're trying to have here.
[53:23] That gets really out.
[53:24] Like really no couple, no household, family dynamic should be into each other about finances.
[53:29] Because that's one of the biggest stress and pressures.
[53:31] And we did.
[53:32] It was.
[53:32] But it's just because our money wasn't used effectively.
[53:34] You're not earning more money.
[53:36] No.
[53:36] You're just more efficient with what you have.
[53:38] Actually having a look at what we were doing with it and why you were doing it, you were doing it.
[53:45] And just understanding that, yes, if we did structure it differently, and it's only structure, nothing's changed, no dollar value's changed, nothing else has changed, just the structure of how we're working the money for ourselves.
[53:59] So how proud are you then of this man now?
[54:02] Oh, 100%.
[54:03] I hope he doesn't hate me for it because it's literally, he goes, on Tuesday, can I have some money?
[54:08] I'm like, oh, damn, yeah, I should give you some money this week.
[54:11] Do you know what I mean?
[54:12] And I don't want to take that masculinity away from him in that budget sense.
[54:17] You've got a common purpose you're going to.
[54:20] He sees the goal.
[54:21] Tell me this then.
[54:22] Let's say, and I'm just throwing it out there, chipping away and once or twice a year, he's like, hey, babe, I need X dollars I want to buy Y.
[54:32] No.
[54:33] Oh, shit.
[54:34] He actually said that to me.
[54:35] He goes, your birthday's coming up.
[54:36] And I went, you get $120 a week.
[54:38] I don't care.
[54:39] You should have budgeted that, bro.
[54:41] That is not my problem.
[54:42] And it is.
[54:44] I am like that because I'm the same.
[54:47] I don't need petrol money, so I don't use any of the money in FFFs.
[54:53] except for groceries, but I pre-prep all our food.
[54:57] Okay.
[54:58] So I'm a prepper.
[55:01] We don't eat poorly.
[55:03] We are big carnivore.
[55:05] We're carnivores.
[55:06] So we eat T-bone.
[55:08] We eat.
[55:09] But in saying that, it's in the budget.
[55:11] We make sure that it is.
[55:12] So we live a good, healthy food life.
[55:16] Did you guys do 75 hard as well?
[55:17] I did, yeah.
[55:18] I've done it a couple of times.
[55:19] How'd that go?
[55:20] It was good.
[55:21] And that's the other thing with Infinity.
[55:23] It's not only finance that you're helping me with, it's my health.
[55:26] Yeah.
[55:26] I like to drop 10, 15 kilos.
[55:29] It's incredible.
[55:31] That would help with the budget too, right?
[55:33] Because you're eating clean, you're off the piss.
[55:35] Yeah.
[55:36] I wasn't out.
[55:36] I was out walking and getting my 10,000 steps.
[55:39] Yeah.
[55:39] So that was good.
[55:40] Okay.
[55:41] You should be bloody proud of yourself.
[55:43] We're proud.
[55:44] Yeah.
[55:44] We're proud.
[55:45] We're proud that...
[55:45] I still want you to live a little.
[55:47] Oh, we do.
[55:48] Still want that family holiday or the overseas trip for you too or weekends away.
[55:52] Make sure you still put fun in there.
[55:55] That's really important.
[55:56] We do.
[55:57] It's instead of – so it's just – I'd say it's like the knockoff because I'd say, oh, what do you feel like for dinner?
[56:05] And he'll go, do you want to go out?
[56:06] And I'll go, do you want to get a kilo of prawns and sit on the back deck?
[56:10] So it's not, we're still getting a kilo of prawns.
[56:12] Right.
[56:13] But we're not, I can't say that restaurants can cook as good as what we can.
[56:20] So you're not like, oh, we'll go to the pub, get a can of meal, put 50 bucks in the pokies, have a couple of vinos and beers.
[56:26] It's like, we'll go get a kilo of fresh prawns off the trawler and we'll sit out the back and enjoy it.
[56:30] That's luxury.
[56:30] Yeah.
[56:31] That is luxury.
[56:32] It's not like you're like, you're not fucking cutting the dishwasher in half and going to Aldi and getting the,
[56:37] meat that's going off tomorrow.
[56:39] You're being structured.
[56:40] Oh, yeah, definitely structured.
[56:42] But we do have our perks.
[56:44] So, I mean, like I say, I've got my lashes and my hair.
[56:47] So, those things, and they come out of FFF.
[56:50] There's no extra for that.
[56:52] It has to be budgeted in.
[56:54] So, yeah, the only thing that we take out of bills is chemist.
[56:57] So, everything else is just bills.
[56:59] So, what's the big picture goal?
[57:01] Is it help the kids?
[57:02] Is it have a certain amount of properties?
[57:05] Is it have a certain income?
[57:07] What's the big picture goal for Norm and Diana?
[57:10] I don't know, I just want to be comfortable.
[57:12] I just don't want to, I want to retire when I'm 60.
[57:15] I'm 51 now, another nine years.
[57:16] You reckon she'll up the budget for you then when you retire?
[57:18] No.
[57:20] Cut that one out.
[57:22] Oh, shit.
[57:23] No, I think we just need to be comfortable, be happy, be healthy.
[57:28] I want to travel.
[57:29] I think we've, it's been hard, hard years.
[57:34] Time to travel.
[57:35] Yeah.
[57:36] When's the next holiday?
[57:38] Haven't got one plan yet.
[57:39] No.
[57:40] So, it's trying to... My company closes for Christmas, so anything that I take off is basically... You get forced leave at Christmas.
[57:49] Yeah.
[57:50] Yeah, and that's all unpaid now, so... Because I've used all my holiday pay.
[57:55] I went to New Zealand at the beginning of the year with my mother, my grandmother passed, so... Yeah.
[58:00] So, holidays.
[58:01] I've stayed at home and cleaned.
[58:03] I think we need to book another holiday.
[58:05] Yeah.
[58:06] It's definitely on the cards.
[58:07] You know what?
[58:08] You have to book another holiday or you're fired.
[58:12] I'm 100% already there.
[58:13] Okay, good.
[58:14] I've already bucket listed a few.
[58:16] By when?
[58:17] When's the holiday going to happen?
[58:18] It's going to be by July next year.
[58:21] And it's going to be probably European holiday.
[58:25] Deal.
[58:25] Oh, European summer, expensive.
[58:27] Doesn't matter because if I budget well and cut my dishwasher tablets in half, we will be fine to be able to do this.
[58:36] Well, I'll see you there because I'll be in Europe next year as well.
[58:39] We always give back before kids.
[58:41] I kept saying, you get your hot girl summer or your white Christmas or whatever it may be.
[58:46] So we did that last year and loved it, but there's whole other aspects of Europe I think we want to see again.
[58:51] So we'll be back this year, I think.
[58:53] That'll be my...
[58:54] my break in the middle of the year and then rip in.
[58:57] So let's make sure we plan that.
[58:59] I've got rellos in England, so I'm originally from England.
[59:02] These are accommodations too.
[59:03] Accommodations, we know how to do this.
[59:06] Okay.
[59:07] Well, let's book that.
[59:08] I want to lock that in.
[59:09] I want to know that's done so that the team sent it through.
[59:11] We go, yep, cool, we're going to Europe.
[59:13] Plus, the earlier you book it, fuck, it's heaps cheaper.
[59:17] It is like flights, you know, because they've got to start filling those planes.
[59:19] So it's actually much, much cheaper to book it.
[59:22] And inflation and hotels and events, it's much cheaper to start booking it all now.
[59:27] So, okay, so European holiday.
[59:29] Will that be the whole family or just the two of you?
[59:32] Just the two of us.
[59:32] Yeah, okay.
[59:33] We don't holiday with the kids anymore, the two old kids.
[59:35] It's not much of a holiday, right?
[59:37] No.
[59:38] So, yeah, they're navigating their own lives now, which is good because we've been able to support in that and get them to where they need to be.
[59:46] Yeah.
[59:47] So, yeah.
[59:48] Very good.
[59:49] How does it feel when you've now got friends, you know, so you might see a post on social media or something, you can...
[59:56] or your neighbor sees you.
[59:57] How does it feel to know that what you've learned, you can actually, you can't fully teach, but you can share with somebody else so that they can actually be in such a good position as well.
[1:00:08] How does that feel?
[1:00:09] It feels great, doesn't it?
[1:00:10] And it feels great to give back too.
[1:00:11] Yeah.
[1:00:12] I mean, we've donated to the Kmart wishing tree and we love being able to do that now, whereas before we couldn't.
[1:00:20] I believe in karma.
[1:00:21] So what you put out, you get back.
[1:00:23] So you be a good person, you'll get that back.
[1:00:26] If you're naughty, watch the space.
[1:00:28] Honestly, Kmart this year is the fucking biggest example of that because people are messaging me, even just in the industry, like, man, I don't know what you do for your clients and your business, but to raise that much money, you're obviously doing right by people because you can't get people to dig that deep into their pockets if you're not helping them.
[1:00:47] And that's that karma piece is...
[1:00:49] the more you can help someone, the more they're prepared.
[1:00:52] That's something I care about.
[1:00:54] Like, Bette cares too, but Bette cares because I care, because it was my childhood.
[1:00:58] It's a G thing.
[1:00:59] And I care deeply about it.
[1:01:01] It's hard to talk about sometimes.
[1:01:02] But the community know that.
[1:01:04] I don't – there's 50,000 things I'm trying to – there's a couple of things I really, really care deeply about.
[1:01:10] And to see our community embrace that so deeply, people even that are doing better but not phenomenal, they even put their hand in their pocket like, well, hey, gee, you helped me make $100 or save $100.
[1:01:21] Here's $50.
[1:01:22] And it's like –
[1:01:24] Wow, like that's cool.
[1:01:26] That's that karma.
[1:01:27] It's passion.
[1:01:28] It is.
[1:01:29] It's karma, but you're right.
[1:01:31] But it is, I love it.
[1:01:32] It's so nice to watch it rub off onto the parents and then in a message here it rubs off onto the kids and the kids' partner and it becomes generational.
[1:01:42] Such a cool karma piece.
[1:01:44] We're all so lucky for events as well.
[1:01:47] You know, like we learn networking through that.
[1:01:50] So when we're going to REM and when we go to the Christmas party and then we find other people that we've met previously.
[1:01:58] So, you know, one of the people... Who's coming to the Christmas party?
[1:02:00] Yes, 100%.
[1:02:02] This is our third.
[1:02:04] We did the suits in Sydney.
[1:02:06] We flew for that.
[1:02:08] We did that.
[1:02:09] At Branson the next day?
[1:02:11] Fuck, that was funny.
[1:02:12] When I walked out, I didn't expect that.
[1:02:14] And everyone's like, who the fuck is it?
[1:02:16] I was like, thanks, Mum, for bringing your bingo.
[1:02:18] I didn't know what to say.
[1:02:18] I was like, thanks for bringing the bingo club, Mum.
[1:02:20] It was wild.
[1:02:22] And then it was funny because then when I finished the talk, people coming up and they're like,
[1:02:27] Man, you've got some followers.
[1:02:28] And I'm like, well, if you do right by people, you do.
[1:02:31] We flew.
[1:02:31] Actually, we fill that room now.
[1:02:34] Wow.
[1:02:34] More than.
[1:02:35] Really?
[1:02:35] Because back then that was way more than.
[1:02:37] That was about 4,000 people.
[1:02:39] And I think we had 800, I think.
[1:02:41] 600.
[1:02:41] Yeah, yeah.
[1:02:43] And so back then in a room of 3,500, 4,000, we were about 20% of the room when you all stood up.
[1:02:49] So that's, but yeah, we'd be way bigger than that room now.
[1:02:53] We've got the community event too next week.
[1:02:55] Yeah, it's my son's... Graduation.
[1:02:58] He's formal.
[1:02:59] All right.
[1:03:00] So I did book it because I don't check dates and shit.
[1:03:02] Yeah.
[1:03:02] But I had to rescind it and I've spoken to Megan.
[1:03:05] Sorry, Megan.
[1:03:05] Yeah, 20th of November.
[1:03:06] Yeah, the community events, the Christmas party, all that.
[1:03:09] So it's cool, you know.
[1:03:10] You meet some cool people and it's...
[1:03:11] It's not taboo to talk about money and pick each other's brains.
[1:03:14] We do a little group that we have with Wendy, Woody, Michelle and Jace and us.
[1:03:21] So the six of us get together.
[1:03:22] We're all in the local area.
[1:03:23] So we get together and then, you know, you go, hey, Dean, what are you doing?
[1:03:27] Hey, Kat, what are you doing?
[1:03:28] So, you know, come down and have a quick barbecue, bring your own food.
[1:03:31] Yeah.
[1:03:32] Tell Gina to buy the food.
[1:03:35] So yeah, we do that just because it's good to touch base.
[1:03:38] Like everyone's running in a million miles, especially this time of year.
[1:03:42] But it's like sitting down and saying, so how are you going?
[1:03:45] What are your struggles?
[1:03:46] How do you navigate through that?
[1:03:48] You know, what's your thought process?
[1:03:50] Is there anything we can do better?
[1:03:51] You really made some lifelong friends.
[1:03:53] Oh yeah.
[1:03:53] Yeah.
[1:03:54] So, and we're like, we're looking at it, we're going, okay, marketing side, what can they do?
[1:03:58] Yeah.
[1:03:58] We're actually having a look at what we can do to support.
[1:04:01] So we're looking at it and saying, okay, so should they do a newsletter?
[1:04:05] Should they do this newsletter with, you know, how to do a sweep?
[1:04:08] What's a sweep?
[1:04:09] Like step-by-step guides.
[1:04:10] So, yeah, we've been having chats in the background going, oh, you know, we should put some of this together.
[1:04:14] So we're there.
[1:04:15] We're 100%.
[1:04:16] Just do it and put it in the group.
[1:04:18] Anything that helps.
[1:04:18] I've done it with the budgeting food-wise just to show what dates the half-price sales go on.
[1:04:26] For families, you need it.
[1:04:30] Why pay full price, same product, same item, same shopping centre?
[1:04:34] It's a no-brainer for me.
[1:04:36] So, yeah, and it's about understanding what happens, how it happens, and to, you know, you work hard for your money.
[1:04:43] Spend it wisely.
[1:04:44] So go for that holiday.
[1:04:45] Have that experience with your family and, yeah, and that's all part of this.
[1:04:50] I love it.
[1:04:51] It's getting the best out of what you're putting into it.
[1:04:53] love it we're gonna do a part two to this maybe just before the european holiday or maybe just after we'll figure it out we'll talk about maybe when we booked it or and maybe you can give some tips we might do it before you can give some tips on hey yeah we went and got the quote and it was 30 grand but we then jumped on the line ourselves and we did it for 15 grand like yeah cool maybe we'll dig into that in may or june or somewhere sort of mid through the year next year if you're free if i loves nothing
[1:05:21] I have to get a better price.
[1:05:22] That's my job in life.
[1:05:24] No, I reckon it'd be a cool exercise to get the formal quote.
[1:05:27] If it's cheap, you do it, but it's probably not.
[1:05:29] And then go and do the – that would be a cool thing for the whole community.
[1:05:32] Yeah.
[1:05:33] Actually go, hey, this is what we were quoted and this is what we're able to achieve.
[1:05:36] Same trip.
[1:05:37] Yeah.
[1:05:37] Right?
[1:05:38] Or so to speak.
[1:05:38] So that would be cool.
[1:05:39] So let's do that for a part two.
[1:05:41] Also, it'd be cool to see –
[1:05:43] um where we involve you know home loans gone couple of investments you know where are we sitting financially have we continued to build have we paused for a while that would be a cool review um you should be bloody proud of what you've done as well by the way bloody proud also but have you got any questions for me today over to norm i don't think i've got anything to ask you gee i mean
[1:06:09] excuse me I follow you constantly on socials I know your background I know where you're from and I know where you want everyone to be so now I don't have anything to ask you as such but I do want to thank you thanks man I mean to be honest we definitely wouldn't probably be together if it wasn't for infinity and we wouldn't be in the financial position where we are send you a bill later than no
[1:06:33] No, thank you.
[1:06:35] You give me, what was the word you used?
[1:06:37] Financial hard-ons?
[1:06:39] Financial woody, yeah.
[1:06:40] That's the one.
[1:06:42] Yeah, so I mean I love that sort of stuff now.
[1:06:44] I never used to.
[1:06:44] I used to avoid finances totally, but you made me want to love...
[1:06:49] I appreciate that.
[1:06:51] Finances are the catalyst that can make or break people.
[1:06:55] And unless you've just got money coming in the door, it's hard for everyone.
[1:06:58] And I identify that from how I grew up and being told about it and being picked on.
[1:07:05] And like you said, my genuine thing is, and it's in mine and Beck's business plan, it's to take what we call the middle class, and we've got high class, local, whatever you want.
[1:07:15] No one's got a class.
[1:07:16] We're all the same, right?
[1:07:17] But it's to take what you call the everyday Aussie battle of the middle class.
[1:07:21] We want to take all of that and bring that up so they're considered.
[1:07:26] Because middle class in Australia, now they're calling it working class poor.
[1:07:30] yeah that scares the shit out of me to be labeled working class poor paying the big chunk attack struggling to be just existing so that's our core like our core purpose is that and it's a we could have sold this business 10 times over like for gazillions of dollars it will change it will be run by bean counters
[1:07:53] won't have the coming what we give back and spending i just looked the other day i didn't realize i didn't think of this exercise beck's like we're going to send everyone in australia a 12 pack of the energy drink love them by the way yeah i'm hooked and then i'm like i didn't think of it it was hundreds of thousands of dollars like just as a gesture of clientele now
[1:08:16] Thousands, right?
[1:08:16] Or weird places some of them were shipped to.
[1:08:18] Like some people got it weeks later, not days.
[1:08:21] But then like the team don't have a budget for kindness and genuine care.
[1:08:27] Yeah.
[1:08:27] And I know their go-to seems to be hampers, flowers, and sometimes meals.
[1:08:33] Some people get sick or hurt and they're like, hey, here's some Papa Macros for a week or two.
[1:08:38] Or, you know, when people have been had issues.
[1:08:42] but even just those gestures it shows they give a shit because they're not they're not measured or KPI or metric on it they're just allowed to do it some of them probably should run it in but I don't know I'm only joking like like stuff like that it's just that point of difference that we actually give a shit and if we lose a dollar out of a client here at the end of the year but we make a dollar here well that's net net it's gonna you know it's good it's karma it's gonna come in somewhere else
[1:09:07] And I love, like I have my own little metric.
[1:09:09] I like to pop up and see in the private group everywhere.
[1:09:12] I want to see that fucking 50, 100 people a day have got some flowers if they're doing it tough.
[1:09:17] Or they've had a little gift or a little, you know, it's not like, hey, thanks for your loan.
[1:09:22] Here's a scratchy.
[1:09:23] You know what I mean?
[1:09:24] Or, oh shit, I can rewrite your loan.
[1:09:27] It's been two years and I can get a new commission.
[1:09:28] Hey guys, ta-da.
[1:09:30] You know, it has to be deeper than that.
[1:09:32] And it is, it's a journey.
[1:09:34] Like I was saying, we've got friends that paid 10K to get a report.
[1:09:38] The report was issued, they got the report.
[1:09:40] Where's the progress?
[1:09:42] Where's the journey?
[1:09:43] We go on the journey with you.
[1:09:45] We've provided information, detail.
[1:09:47] And it's not, you know, you know what's going on.
[1:09:49] My father passed away, flowers come to my house.
[1:09:51] It's a relationship building, we're networking, we're together and you feel that sense of, we're not a business arrangement, we're literally navigating our way through our lives, but you're coming with us and we're going with you.
[1:10:03] So yeah, Mike, I've got a question.
[1:10:06] So what's it looking like for you guys for the future?
[1:10:09] Are you looking at sort of branching out with merch or having a look at doing co-branding or anything for Infinity for the future?
[1:10:20] We get asked and offered for a lot of collabs all the time.
[1:10:24] Because, you know, say for example, you're a – I mean the Nexus boys are different.
[1:10:28] They're in Costco.
[1:10:29] They've done Cobra Kai.
[1:10:31] They're wild.
[1:10:31] They're huge.
[1:10:32] You know, Costco, Woolies, you name it.
[1:10:34] They don't need anyone, right?
[1:10:35] They're killing it.
[1:10:36] They're two amazing young guys.
[1:10:38] Um, but they were just in discussions with us because we're doing so much and they seen that all the 75 hards and 60 strongs and we're like, Hey, well Papa Macro's offered a discount for our clients.
[1:10:49] So we're like, Oh, okay.
[1:10:50] And just sort of evolved.
[1:10:51] And I'm, everyone knows I'm a fiend for the energy, like caffeine.
[1:10:54] And I try not to drink the red bulls and the V, you know, I've got enough weight issues and health.
[1:10:58] I'm trying to work on.
[1:11:00] So it was just, it just sort of was a natural evolution.
[1:11:02] And then we're like, oh, maybe we could do a bit of a cute sort of collab.
[1:11:05] And I'm like, oh no, we've done that before with Cobra Kai.
[1:11:08] And like, it's gotta be worth it for any business.
[1:11:10] They can't just stop and print a hundred cans.
[1:11:12] You know what I mean?
[1:11:14] But when you can actually, like we were able to pick a flavor, we got to test it.
[1:11:18] And these guys are the best.
[1:11:19] They're like the Willy Wonka's of flavors.
[1:11:21] Their flavors are good, right?
[1:11:22] So we were able to go through that process of like testing like 10, 15 new flavors with them and picking a flavor.
[1:11:29] And there was two flavors we wanted.
[1:11:30] The other one, I think Woolies or somebody picked or Costco's like, fuck.
[1:11:33] Um, but this was, this was number two.
[1:11:35] So, and it's great.
[1:11:37] But so stuff like that pops up quite a bit.
[1:11:39] Um, um,
[1:11:41] we don't really try to collab on anything because you're aligning your brand exactly with another so even for example over the years i do some health and fitness stuff because i've always been up and down like a yay on the journey this is probably the most consistent i've been for a while i did my scan yesterday i was nine kilos down i'm like all right this is working and that's with a trip to europe divide to buy both what like
[1:12:05] To actually be nine kilos down and have two and a bit weeks away was good because it's not normal in my lifestyle, right?
[1:12:12] I've got to fit it in.
[1:12:13] It's got to be priority.
[1:12:15] So there's a few things we're sort of more helping will come through in the health and fitness space.
[1:12:20] You see Nick and Casey at the moment.
[1:12:23] And that's just I've got two avatars.
[1:12:25] I've got male and female if somebody feels more comfortable with either.
[1:12:29] I had Steve-O over the years gone by who I trained with, Bec's friend's dad.
[1:12:33] He's like the fittest man on earth.
[1:12:34] He's like the CrossFit masters globally.
[1:12:36] Doesn't tell anyone, but amazing.
[1:12:38] So if we find that anything we're doing works in life, we just share it.
[1:12:44] Yeah.
[1:12:44] um most of them cost us money so if you look at like a 60 strong if we're giving away five grand yeah but then nick or casey getting paid to do the work we're out of pocket for it but our community's better off and they're what i call loss leaders
[1:13:00] They're not even marketing because you don't gain any new clients from it.
[1:13:04] It's only allowed for our private client community.
[1:13:07] So we're really focused on, we said the Christmas pajamas.
[1:13:11] Like we're really focused on just sort of keeping in the community.
[1:13:14] Yeah.
[1:13:15] We're not worried about any extracurricular non-client.
[1:13:19] It's really hard to become a client.
[1:13:20] You've got to go through the process.
[1:13:21] Then you've got to apply.
[1:13:22] Then I've got to feel like we can work together.
[1:13:24] Yeah.
[1:13:25] um we will do a lot in the health and fitness space soon um so that will be probably the next evolution of anything else we offer i'm sure i'm sure eventually in the near future there will be an array of things you know we've got the whole car concierge buy trade sell deliver all that sort of stuff fund
[1:13:45] health and fitness will become sort of an avenue as well.
[1:13:48] And I'm sure there will be a whole bucket load of other avenues that will add on.
[1:13:54] We just got to be conscious that I know I can put anything out there tomorrow and everyone will grab it with open arms if I know that it's good and I can attest to it.
[1:14:04] But it's the same reason I don't have a sponsor of the podcast because we've been asked by banks and lenders and different brands and all that sort of stuff
[1:14:12] No one really wants to hear the ads and all the bullshit, unless it's something I believe in.
[1:14:17] So we try to steer clear of that.
[1:14:20] It's usually we're doing something like I'm drinking so many energy drinks and buying them.
[1:14:24] And they're like, oh, hey, and we have a chat and then they're open to it.
[1:14:27] The food, like Marco's offered, Papa Mac, we could do some specific meals with those guys and go, hey, but I'm not a health and fitness guy.
[1:14:36] So, you know, it's like the energy drink, I'm pumping them every day.
[1:14:39] The food, I eat it.
[1:14:40] But yeah, so I think there will be some things come out in due course, but all of those things take time and resource and money.
[1:14:49] So one of the big things we're working on in the background is fractional property ownership.
[1:14:55] Okay.
[1:14:56] Yeah.
[1:14:56] So there's a lot of licensing and dollars and frameworks.
[1:15:01] So like tokenization or fractional ownership.
[1:15:03] So there's one now and I have nothing to do with it.
[1:15:05] It's just an example.
[1:15:06] There's one called BrickX.
[1:15:07] There's one called DomaCom.
[1:15:09] Nothing to do with them.
[1:15:10] You've got to do your own DD licensing, et cetera.
[1:15:13] But like that BrickX platform is where you can buy ownership in a property like shares, like brick by brick.
[1:15:20] So for like children or someone starting out or like instead of a bank account, you can buy a brick of a unit in Bondi.
[1:15:27] And DomaCom's a bigger one.
[1:15:28] They were actually tendering for Kidman Station.
[1:15:31] to keep it in Australian hands when it was going to be sold offshore.
[1:15:35] So they do like KFCs and Woolies, big shopping centers and farms and stuff.
[1:15:41] And it's just fractional ownership.
[1:15:42] Everyone owns a share of the asset and its income, but the asset goes up in value.
[1:15:47] Hopefully you then sell your brick.
[1:15:50] So for kids and stuff.
[1:15:52] So that's something we're working on pretty hard in the background to start coming out and going, okay,
[1:15:58] Like Beck and I typically buy the penthouse in a lot of the buildings we do, or we build a big duplex there.
[1:16:04] So we're looking at that now and spending quite a lot of energy and research and DD and lawyers and accountants and financial licenses around, how can we bring that to market for people to go, right, I can't afford any property borrowing capacity wise,
[1:16:17] but I can get 100 grand out of my redraw.
[1:16:20] Well, that 100 grand could be 20% of a property.
[1:16:24] Could be 10% of two different properties.
[1:16:27] So you still get the benefit of the growth rate of the property, but you don't have to borrow or have debt, et cetera.
[1:16:34] and i know that all of our clients that are doing so well all have financial capacity then without having to borrow more money when the bank says no at probably four or ten or whatever i know you've all got 40 or 100 and we could put that to work better so that's one of my next big things i want to put to our community and again just to our community not mass market because
[1:16:55] our community is big enough as i said to launch anything yeah like you know when you've got thousands of families plus partners and kids and we put something out there it feels like you open the mortgage fund and it's it's full yeah so yeah so um we will collab on some different stuff but the big one will be probably um health and fitness uh will come some stage next year for people at a
[1:17:18] higher level um health and fitness wellness and biohacking stuff we're working on for people um and i'm about to go through that process and test it now love that so then i can literally go bare bones warts and all hey this is where it was figure it out this is where it is this is exactly what we did it does or doesn't work if it works we'll put it out to our community yeah and i think that's probably really key you don't want to
[1:17:41] prostitute yourself to be like, hey, do this, do that.
[1:17:44] Most of the things we do are money-losing exercise, but they're a value add to the community.
[1:17:50] Love that.
[1:17:51] You know, the FTB bus, Megan and Jeremy, get off the forklifts, get your ass in here.
[1:17:56] Now we've got Nat as well.
[1:17:57] You know, we've got the team there.
[1:17:59] Like, that's a fair whack of cost every year, running around booking out bowlings and time zones and pubs and you name it, right?
[1:18:07] But it's a value add for the community.
[1:18:10] 100%.
[1:18:11] And I think it's something that we're talking business-wise, we've worked really hard on building a community because I believe everyone wants to feel part of something bigger.
[1:18:22] And whether that's your local sporting group or your family household or your neighbourhood, everybody wants to feel part of something.
[1:18:28] And I think as we become adults, we lose that.
[1:18:30] You lose the footy or soccer down on the Tuesday night or with the friends or the ballot, whatever it is.
[1:18:36] So we've worked really hard at helping build that sense of community so people can belong.
[1:18:41] And I think it's working.
[1:18:43] Yeah, 100%.
[1:18:43] Definitely feel it.
[1:18:45] And merch and stuff, it's a bit hard.
[1:18:46] It's a bit hitting me.
[1:18:47] Like if we release like hats, hats go like a fucking bat out of hell.
[1:18:52] You know, if I finish the rewrite of the book like 10 times, like I know that would go like a bat out of hell.
[1:18:58] I just need more time.
[1:19:00] It's hit and miss shirts, like normal shirts, yep, out the door.
[1:19:03] As soon as we do an order, they're gone.
[1:19:06] But then someone's like, oh, can you do a special shirt?
[1:19:08] And we do like the you do you boot.
[1:19:10] And then half of them go and then half of them just sit here forever.
[1:19:13] It's real hit and miss.
[1:19:15] It's real hit and miss.
[1:19:16] So we sort of just we try to make sure we just keep focusing on what we're really good at.
[1:19:21] But there will be some cool stuff come.
[1:19:23] The fractional ownership thing, you can get the licensing right and all of that.
[1:19:27] I think that'll be a game changer to help people build wealth that don't have big borrowing capacities.
[1:19:33] And yeah, and then the biohacking health and wellness stuff.
[1:19:37] I think that's, there's a likelihood we could be the generation almost that kind of live forever or much longer with advancements in science and medical and that.
[1:19:47] And I think now even the kids, one of the days it was like just go to the pub and get on it every weekend.
[1:19:52] that's sort of changing now.
[1:19:54] People are more worried about their health and their vitality and stuff.
[1:19:58] So they're probably the next two big things.
[1:20:00] Awesome.
[1:20:01] Awesome.
[1:20:02] Yeah.
[1:20:02] Yeah.
[1:20:03] Well, thank you for being so honest and raw and well done for keeping this beautiful man in check.
[1:20:10] But, hey, well done for going, you know, I want to change and I want to get this shit under control and look where you are now.
[1:20:16] Yeah.
[1:20:16] Proud as.
[1:20:17] Should be bloody proud.
[1:20:18] And we're going to do round two.
[1:20:19] Yep.
[1:20:20] 100%.
[1:20:20] We'll talk about the European holiday.
[1:20:21] Yep.
[1:20:22] And we're going to share, if we can, happy to.
[1:20:25] We'll share that and go, hey, this is what it was.
[1:20:27] This is what it is.
[1:20:28] This is how you can save 20, I mean, 20 grand is 400 bucks a week.
[1:20:32] Yep.
[1:20:32] So that's a big say.
[1:20:34] And then when you're on the holiday, you can do some cool shit because you actually got that money to do it.
[1:20:38] Exactly.
[1:20:40] That's the way I've always lived my life.
[1:20:42] I love it.
[1:20:43] Well done, guys.
[1:20:43] Should be proud.
[1:20:44] Thank you.
[1:20:44] Thanks for coming in.
[1:20:45] Cheers.
[1:20:46] Cheers.
[1:20:46] Thanks.
[1:20:47] You're fucking gone.
[1:20:48] See ya.

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