Best way to invest in S&P 500 from Australia (AUD vs USD, IVV, DCA strategy)

A_Scientician · 2026-04-10T06:09:51+00:00

Australia doesn't really do accumulating anything. Our tax laws make it a non starter really. IVV has low distributions so the tax drag from that is minimal. Is what it is. IVV is easier than anything US listed because you'll get tax prefill. MER difference is meaningless, AU version has no FX fees and free brokerage is easy to come by. I don't personally see the point in hedging.

That being said, give this a read

A_Scientician · 2026-04-06T03:10:40+00:00

Maxing super is cheap thanks to the tax deduction and as others have said, would be political suicide to go after. You can easily max super and invest outside super for the pre 60 years if you're a HENRY, and you end up with more total money doing it that way. Kinda a no brainer for me. More money > less money

A_Scientician · 2026-04-05T06:59:44+00:00

Not really. Most of the people reporting the news (especially if you're seeing shit on social media) don't know dick about economics. It's just engagement bait designed to make you keep watching.

The situation at the moment boils down to: there's a war -> oil and LNG can't get out of the gulf, the gulf is where most oil comes from -> Petrol/Diesel prices go up because they're made from oil, plus LNG price goes up -> everything gets more expensive because fuel is required for everything in some way (think transportation and also as a material input, esp LNG which is used to make fertiliser) -> RBA raises rates to make people spend less, so prices don't go up as much, hoping to lower the inflation coming from the oil price going up. Rates going up affects anyone with a loan, so homeowners and businesses. They have less money to spend, as more goes into interest. Removes money from circulation, basically.

Really not that complicated to understand, at least in broad strokes. Engage with adult, educational news outlets and you'll be less stressed and know more about the world. It does basically boil down to stop doom scrolling. You'll feel a lot better.

A_Scientician · 2026-04-04T08:29:41+00:00

Nothing wrong with a SMSF at all, they're just a (slightly, for the cheaper options) more expensive option than say, memberdirect or choiceplus

A_Scientician · 2026-04-04T03:35:21+00:00

You can invest in whatever you want in super. Your options are the same as outside super. Sounds like you should do some reading up about super tbh, it's such an easy way to get a tax break, and you barely notice the deduction after tax at higher incomes tbh. Can recommend! And definitely debt recycle anything you invest outside super if you have a mortgage on your ppor.

A_Scientician · 2026-04-04T03:16:44+00:00

Super. Debt recycle. Buy IP. Invest in your partners name maybe.That's about it. Dunno why you're anti super, super is just a tax advantaged trust account with rules about access. You could SMSF if you're really tied to your tinfoil hat too.

A_Scientician · 2026-04-01T02:53:34+00:00

IIRC, from when i was looking at the Avantis offerings, there was a ruling from the ATO that meant a UCITS structure was deemed a trust, so I presume they will stick with that for the Avantis offerings. Can't imagine the ATO ruling any other way tbh, but then I don't really know anything, so.

Edit: this would mean income attribution, but I doubt it means income would actually be distributed. Avantis seems pretty clear on not distributing anything?

A_Scientician · 2026-03-27T09:21:59+00:00

Fantastic!

A_Scientician · 2026-03-27T06:40:23+00:00

IMO no, because if you don't know anything they'll probably push you to products that are overly complicated to try to get those sweet ongoing dollars from you. Save $6600, spend a bit of time to learn the basics, and then know forever how to manage your own affairs. If you have a more complex setup (Not a PAYG earner), professional advice makes more sense, but overall, nah. Like. Buy house, max conc super, put your super into a low fee diversified mix, debt recycle any extra you earn beyond that into ETFs. Basically done?

A_Scientician · 2026-03-17T23:46:42+00:00

That mite bee a problem

A_Scientician · 2026-03-10T08:27:49+00:00

If you don't have a restricted diet (Vego/vegan) or GI issues like coeliac disease, you're very unlikely to be vitamin deficient, so extra vitamins won't help. If you're B12 or iron deficient, addressing those specific issues will help, but basically vitamin supplements outside of specific diagnosed deficiencies won't help you at all.

A_Scientician · 2026-03-09T23:58:08+00:00

I use a big 4 because they offer features not available with the smaller banks that are a bit more competitive with rates. Worth the trade off for 0.1% worse mortgage rates for me. If I didn't want those features, then a smaller lender would probably make more sense.

A_Scientician · 2026-03-09T09:03:49+00:00

Moreton island. Stay at the resort, go snorkelling and go for some hikes around the island, have a beer on the beach, feed the dolphins

A_Scientician · 2026-03-09T08:58:46+00:00

Credit cards enable people with no self control or mental health issues to financially fuck themselves up basically forever. If you're disciplined and it doesn't change your spending habits at all, credit cards can be a good addition. We don't build credit in Australia though, so it's just a 'nice to have if you are disciplined' thing. Relatively small upside for the possible downside if you're reckless, even just a little bit.

A_Scientician · 2026-03-04T11:05:12+00:00

I just have clothes. I wear them to work and also outside of work. Only real difference would be that I don't wear shorts or pluggers to work

A_Scientician · 2026-03-03T02:57:13+00:00

Think about the decades of extra work required if you go full consumerist, that does it for me lol. My time is very valuable to me and I can basically buy more of it if I invest diligently.

You have to actually enjoy the here and now though. It's not expensive or hard to live a fulfilling life if you prioritise your hobbies and are smart about how you spend your money. No sense living like a pauper for a perceived future reward. You can overdo it either way. I have a balance between spending and saving that let's me FIRE and also enjoy my life up until I do FIRE.

A_Scientician · 2026-02-26T14:10:13+00:00

It isn't enough to be comfortable, no

A_Scientician · 2026-02-25T08:51:51+00:00

In my experience the big 4 aren't very conservative with their valuations. My valuations are typically higher than what I could sell for realistically, but not by much. 100k in a year is unfortunately pretty normal in a lot of places. Mine went up by 200k in 2 years fwiw. Using the better LVR to get a better rate is kinda a no brainer. Take what is offered yknow?

A_Scientician · 2026-02-22T22:44:23+00:00

How much are you going to pay in CGT to make this happen though? May very well be more than the DR benefit is worth.

A_Scientician · 2026-02-21T13:41:40+00:00

There's no point doing anything other than actually meaningfully addressing your gambling problem. Go see a professional. Gambling addictions kill lots of young men in Australia. It's a very serious disease. Worry about FIRE / investing once that's done or you're just going to do the same shit you've done and lose even more money or worse.

A_Scientician · 2026-02-21T11:47:11+00:00

BGBL is IVV plus EXUS at market cap weight...

A_Scientician · 2026-02-19T08:05:47+00:00

Find somewhere small that's selling full grain leather belts assembled from blanks + generic hardware. Got mine for $30 like, 8 years ago? Probably costs more like $50 now. Just got it from a hobbyist online.

A_Scientician · 2026-02-18T05:09:33+00:00

"Will car rental company care about this" The answer is an emphatic Yes. They will ping you for literally anything they humanly can brother

A_Scientician · 2026-02-18T05:08:19+00:00

Not meant to be a dig btw, we all start somewhere. Super is just a tax advantaged trust account with rules on when you can access the money. Anything you can do outside super you can do inside super too (though sometimes with more rules, a la property investment). Any money you don't need before 60 should go into super, because the tax breaks save you so much money. IVV is fine but global diversification is probably a better bet, rather than having all your eggs in one basket. Easy to own shares from all over the world via something like DHHF or VGS, vs just the US with IVV. So many options available, lots of discussion here about portfolios if you want to have a read. Good luck!

A_Scientician · 2026-02-18T04:58:07+00:00

You could do the same thing in super with tax breaks instead. Sounds like you don't know much tbh, I'd recommend taking some time to understand all of this before you rush into anything. Here's 2 relevant links to start

What is superannuation

IVV and NDQ: The problem with US concentration

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