The Investor Lab

The Property Tax Pivot Nobody Saw Coming

Days before the Federal Budget, the property tax reform being discussed has shifted into something fundamentally different... and the structural mechanics of the new policy may do the exact opposite of what it claims to do. We unpack what's actually being proposed, why it's designed to fail at its own stated objective, and what it actually means for property investors right now. See you on the inside! Recorded 30 April 2026 -- IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. --- 0:00 - The 3am discovery 3:39 - From CGT discount to indexation 9:49 - What inflation indexation actually means 11:48 - The maths: indexation vs current discount 17:58 - Why this policy is structurally designed to fail 18:43 - Negative gearing: what's actually being proposed 21:57 - The tax incidence problem 26:11 - Why holding costs go up and entry gets harder 33:38 - The supply problem nobody is solving 37:40 - The dogmatic belief problem in policy design 46:32 - The doom loop: why we can't get out of it 50:58 - What property investors should actually do 53:57 - Goose's prediction -- Watch this episode on Youtube: The Property Tax Pivot Nobody Saw Coming [https://www.youtube.com/live/YisBpsC8AZI?si=tStkaszShRWULJzx] -- RESOURCES TO HELP: Mentioned Episode - 'Cashflow Jiujitsu' * https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=xSVbMGeN6lQlQc9g [https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=xSVbMGeN6lQlQc9g] Join The Investor Lab Free Community: The home for freedom-seeking investors ✨ https://bit.ly/jointheTILcommunity [https://bit.ly/jointheTILcommunity] Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio? Join Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa [https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa] Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall [http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall] Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears! https://bit.ly/tilqs [https://bit.ly/tilqs] -- Goose McGrath and Gabi Billing are the founders of Dashdot — portfolio growth partners who combine data science, strategy, and human insight to help Australians build property portfolios that create lasting freedom. As hosts of The Investor Lab, they explore the intersection of markets, money, and mindset, challenging conventional wisdom and empowering people to think differently about wealth, purpose, and the future. Connect: https://www.dashdot.com.au [https://www.dashdot.com.au] https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab [https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab] https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty [https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty] https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath [https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath] https://instagram.com/gabi.billing [https://instagram.com/gabi.billing]

Should I Be Investing in Times Like These?

Fuel prices have nearly doubled. Two back-to-back rate hikes. Consumer confidence at its lowest point in over 50 years. A war in the Middle East. Should you be investing right now? It's a fair question. This week, we sit down and work through it honestly. We unpack what's actually happening with fuel supply (it's not what the headlines suggest), what the 1970s oil crisis tells us about investing through periods like this, and what Australian property has done through every major crisis since 2001. We also run through a scenario analysis overlaying 1970s conditions onto today's market, and talk through how to think clearly about your own situation when everything around you feels chaotic. Not a pep talk. Just an honest conversation. If you're looking for signal in all this noise, this is it. Check out the oil scenario analysis: tools.dashdot.com.au/oilscenarios [tools.dashdot.com.au/oilscenarios] See you on the inside. -- IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube: Should I Be Investing in Times Like These? [https://www.youtube.com/live/DEuRq9gMuR0?si=3yPFQA7WydlYTYpH] --- RESOURCES TO HELP: 1. Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community [https://theinvestorlab.circle.so/join?invitation_token=223037761a53a5963252a2eae4268d6d62ef26a9-8b530745-2474-41bd-8b7c-e33dc5c0c811] 2. Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio? 3. Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa [https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa] 4. Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: 5. http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall [http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall] 6. Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears! 7. https://bit.ly/tilqs [https://bit.ly/tilqs] -- Connect: dashdot.com.au [https://www.dashdot.com.au] youtube.com/@theinvestorlab [https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab] instagram.com/dashdotproperty [https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty] instagram.com/goosemcgrath [https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath] instagram.com/gabi.billing [https://instagram.com/gabi.billing] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Australia Hasn't Been This Scared Since COVID. Here's What It's Costing You.

You know that satisfying feeling of cancelling a subscription you forgot you were paying for? What if we told you there's one running right now... and it's costing you $275 a day.  With back-to-back rate hikes, a war in the Middle East, and consumer confidence at its lowest since COVID lockdowns, a lot of people have quietly hit pause on their financial future.  We call that the Fear Tax: the invisible, compounding cost of letting uncertainty keep you on the sidelines. We walk through every major crisis since 2001, what happened to property through each one, and why the most expensive thing you can do right now is nothing. See you on the inside.  -- IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube:  Australia Hasn't Been This Scared Since COVID. Here's What It's Costing You. [https://www.youtube.com/live/E1M8CcqXmiQ?si=tnGwl2AczbTGVIXx] https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=lmfFV23ZswooQ3Ve --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  1. Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community [https://theinvestorlab.circle.so/join?invitation_token=223037761a53a5963252a2eae4268d6d62ef26a9-8b530745-2474-41bd-8b7c-e33dc5c0c811]  2. Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio?  Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa [https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa] 3. Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall [http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall] 4. Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears! https://bit.ly/tilqs [https://bit.ly/tilqs] --  Connect: dashdot.com.au [https://www.dashdot.com.au]  youtube.com/@theinvestorlab [https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab]  instagram.com/dashdotproperty [https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty] instagram.com/goosemcgrath [https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath] instagram.com/gabi.billing [https://instagram.com/gabi.billing] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CGT, Affordability & War: The Topics Every Property Investor Is Thinking About Right Now

The CGT discount might be changing. The property market is in a frenzy. There's a war in the Middle East. And everyone's frozen. This week we pull apart the three topics every Australian property investor is thinking about right now — and why most people are reacting to them wrong. These are the conversations we're having at the dinner table. Now they're on camera. See you on the inside, -- In this episode we cover: 0:00  Why people freeze when there's noise in the market 7:53  CGT discount changes: what's actually being proposed 14:45 Running the numbers: 50% vs 25% discount 24:49  The contrarian take: why CGT changes are actually bullish for property 32:10  How affordability is changing where and what to invest in 46:00  Houses vs units 56:30  Land size doesn't drive growth the way people think 1:01:30  New builds and house & land packages: when do they make sense? 1:25:00  Geopolitical tension and the impact on Australia -- IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- Watch on Youtube:  CGT, Affordability & War: The Topics Every Property Investor Is Thinking About Right Now [https://www.youtube.com/live/2Nx278P0bpU?si=zFD-q9Akev4zA_-z] https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=lmfFV23ZswooQ3Ve --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  1. Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community [https://theinvestorlab.circle.so/join?invitation_token=223037761a53a5963252a2eae4268d6d62ef26a9-8b530745-2474-41bd-8b7c-e33dc5c0c811]  2. Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio?  Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa [https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa] 3. Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall [http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall] 4. Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears! https://bit.ly/tilqs [https://bit.ly/tilqs] --  Connect: dashdot.com.au [https://www.dashdot.com.au]  youtube.com/@theinvestorlab [https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab]  instagram.com/dashdotproperty [https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty] instagram.com/goosemcgrath [https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath] instagram.com/gabi.billing [https://instagram.com/gabi.billing] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Wealth Window Is Closing (Why You Need To Act Now)

The economy isn't just broken. It's splitting — and most people have no idea what's going on. This week, Goose and Gabi break down a concept everyone needs to understand right now: the K-Shaped Economy. Two trajectories. Two very different futures. And what you can actually do about it. Here's the uncomfortable truth: working hard isn't enough anymore. The rules have changed, the gap is widening — and the window to get on the right side of it won't be open forever. See you on the inside.  -- IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube:  The Wealth Window Is Closing (Why You Need To Act Now) [https://www.youtube.com/live/KokKExCPPQA?si=YzH0iqKQDgLrr7NL] https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=lmfFV23ZswooQ3Ve --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  1. Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community [https://theinvestorlab.circle.so/join?invitation_token=223037761a53a5963252a2eae4268d6d62ef26a9-8b530745-2474-41bd-8b7c-e33dc5c0c811]  2. Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio?  Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa [https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa] 3. Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall [http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall] 4. Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears! https://bit.ly/tilqs [https://bit.ly/tilqs] --  Connect: dashdot.com.au [https://www.dashdot.com.au]  youtube.com/@theinvestorlab [https://youtube.com/@theinvestorlab]  instagram.com/dashdotproperty [https://instagram.com/dashdotproperty] instagram.com/goosemcgrath [https://instagram.com/goosemcgrath] instagram.com/gabi.billing [https://instagram.com/gabi.billing] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.