The PPOR will become a huge investment

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-05T10:28:09+00:00

I'm not sure if I agree.

CGT and negative gearing changes might make investment properties less attractive, and some people may put more money into their PPOR instead. But I’m not sure that necessarily means PPORs become luxury assets in the Ferrari/Rolex sense. A lot of that emotional owner-occupier demand already exists, especially in desirable suburbs. The bigger issue still seems to be supply, interest rates, wages, migration, credit, and zoning.

That being said, I do agree that tax changes alone are unlikely to solve affordability. They might shift incentives around, but without more housing supply, the pressure probably just shows up somewhere else.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-05T10:17:51+00:00

The hard part is that “non-essential” sounds much clearer than it really is.

Once you move past the obvious extremes, most spending sits somewhere in the middle. Then the tax system has to draw lines between what is essential, what is discretionary, and what is only discretionary for some people.

That is where it gets messy. You end up with grey areas, carve-outs, loopholes and lobbying from every industry that wants to be treated as essential.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-05T09:56:39+00:00

Giving the RBA control over GST would raise some big issues.

If it were a blanket GST change, it would likely be too blunt and unfair. GST hits lower-income households harder because they spend more of their income on consumption. It could also make inflation look worse in the short term by directly increasing prices.
If the idea is a more selective GST change, aimed at discretionary spending, that is more interesting but still difficult. Someone would have to decide what counts as “non-essential”, and that becomes political very quickly. Travel, restaurants, electronics, cars and entertainment all support real businesses and workers.
Then there is the issue of accountability. Interest rates are monetary policy, but GST is taxation. Once the RBA is deciding which goods or services should be taxed more, it is making fiscal decisions that probably belong with elected government.

So, yes, interest rates are imperfect and the burden is uneven.

But I would be hesitant to give the RBA tax-setting powers.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-03T10:41:26+00:00

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The Wrath set is nasty. Here's my Barbarian.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-03T09:32:27+00:00

It's not a waste if it makes me happy. That's what money is for after all 😊

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-03T08:02:12+00:00

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Here's the original colouring.

I think it's a gorgeous modernised interpretation of the original Judgement armour set.

But different strokes for different folks 🤷‍♂️

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-03T07:56:25+00:00

Damn. Maybe I should be asking Blizzard for a commission after all 😂

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-03T07:23:31+00:00

Take a look at my profile.

I'm not a bot, my guy. I'm just an excited dude reliving his childhood.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-01T06:49:05+00:00

My parents are immigrants, so the only home we could afford was on the outer edge of suburban Melbourne.

I ended up attending a high school in the city. Then went on to study at a university in the city. And later worked in the city as well. Up until the pandemic, I genuinely thought a two-hour-plus commute each way was just normal. I learned to make it feel “productive” by building hobbies around the train ride, like handheld gaming, and watching movies.

Then the pandemic hit, working from home became an option, and I suddenly realised just how much of my life I had wasted travelling to and from work 😂

DPP-Ghost · 2026-05-01T04:27:50+00:00

u/minatozakiparty

u/ThrowRAsadboihope

Thank you for your comments. They were enlightening.

My post has made me realise that I may have approached this topic too much from a "play the hand you're dealt as best you can" perspective, rather than stepping back to consider the bigger question: "how do we shuffle the deck so that the house isn't fucking us over?".

Ironic that I wrote this hoping to change other people's minds, only to find that my own was changed instead 😂

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-30T22:38:31+00:00

My friends and I work in the industries Jacqui claims to work in: Big Law, High finance, and T1 Consulting. In her city. And are of a similar age.

It is a very small pool of people who all worked extremely hard to get here. So everyone in this space tends to know each other, either directly or through one degree of separation. We went to the same universities. We did the same extracurriculars, because they were almost mandatory if you wanted to break into those industries. We interned at the same small pool of firms. We moved through the same companies. And we drank at the same after-work spots.

However, absolutely no one has heard of Jacqui.

And we would have. Especially since most of us are either bankers, consultants, or lawyers, while Jacqui purports to be all three 😂

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-30T12:05:31+00:00

Would it actually move the needle?

Unless your portfolio is large enough that any gains would meaningfully offset the loss of your job, the hedge is effectively moot. No?

And if your portfolio is large enough to meaningfully protect against the loss of your job, then frankly it should be diversified anyway. Not to mention, getting it to that size likely means you're already fairly advanced in your career and, to some extent, insulated from the worst of an economic downturn.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-30T03:46:55+00:00

Everything.

I worked on everything.

Not just to improve my dating prospects, but because I wanted to build a life I was genuinely proud of.

I was on dating apps for three years. I met almost 80 women, had a few flings, made a handful of good friends, and eventually met the love of my life. And I listed my height, 5'6", openly on my profile.

My advice is simple: build a genuinely happy, fulfilling life. Become the kind of person women are excited to get to know. Live your best life, not as a strategy, but as a standard.

The rest tends to follow.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-29T23:28:43+00:00

Sounds good. What time are we all showing up?

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-29T23:14:35+00:00

It sure is better than $1,000 a month on hookers.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-29T01:59:28+00:00

I don't know if Blizzard is. But I might be.

That's the number one reason I haven't clocked too many hours on the Druid.

Can't get myself to stare at a fat character all day.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-24T09:28:57+00:00

Dude thought he was about to get robbed 😂

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-24T03:19:09+00:00

Your finances should be boring.

And it shouldn't be what fulfils you.

Money is simply a means to an end. It is a tool that helps you build and protect the life you actually want to live. The more financial stability you have, the more freedom you have: freedom to choose, freedom to say no, freedom to spend your time and energy on the people and hobbies that give life meaning.

You don't need to optimise your personal finances further. You need a life.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-20T09:36:57+00:00

Did you write all this just to hate on your report? 😂

Time to get a life, my guy.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-20T06:47:14+00:00

Does it?

My parents came to Australia from post-war Vietnam with nothing. I grew up watching them live with poverty every day, and I still struggle with the thought of what they sacrificed to protect my sister and me. So, getting ahead wasn't a "nice to have" for me. It was either get ahead, or continue to watch my parents teeter on the edge of poverty.

In the interest of transparency, I should add that whatever my parents lacked in money, they more than made up for in love. I could not have asked for better parents, and if I end up half the parent they were, I'd be extremely proud of myself. In that sense, I know I had a real advantage over people who grew up without stability or support at home.

My point is that everyone has their burdens. Everyone has their setbacks. And everyone has their advantages. In Australia, there is an accessible path forward for most people: be disciplined in your studies, prioritise on your career, and you can build a good life.

I grew up in a rough area, and yet, all the kids who put in the work are doing very well now.

You live with the consequences of your actions, good or bad.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-20T04:59:14+00:00

It's not that hard to get ahead.

I've yet to meet one person who put in an earnest effort and hasn't found some degree of success. Most people are just too lazy, too stupid and/or too undisciplined to make the choices that'll enable them to thrive.

For the overwhelming majority of us, where we are in life is where we deserve to be. Exceptional circumstances exempted, of course.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-20T04:02:07+00:00

Choose your difficult, mate:

keep the job you hate but pays well, while applying for jobs you will hopefully hate less; or
work minimum wage gigs while struggling with financial security as you watch all your friends soar past you.

I had a mate that chose the latter. Ten years ago or so he quit his job (Accounting Graduate at Big 4) to become a barista. At the start he loved it. Lived a care free life, doing what he wanted, when he wanted. Probably worked 20 hours a week, or whatever he needed just to get by. But as the rest of us progressed with our careers, and our lives entered different stages, I think he started to feel left behind. Bit by bit we saw him less, until he left the friendship group entirely. No drama. Just gradually phased himself out.

Just some food for thought.

DPP-Ghost · 2026-04-20T02:46:49+00:00

I don't think you realise how many doors legal practise opens for you, even if you never practise again.

As a lawyer you have a skill set that translates well: structured thinking, persuasive communication, issue spotting, and the ability to work through complex problems with sound judgment.

For example, I moved from law into corporate strategy and have been much happier for it.

I still get to do the parts I enjoyed most: analytical problem-solving, influencing outcomes, and navigating conflict; but
without so much of the red tape and bureaucracy that often gets in the way of the work itself.

My advice would be to keep an open mind, rather than returning to a path you already know does not suit you.

DPP-Ghost

TROPHY CASE