The Numbers Game

Episodes

• The Most Expensive Day in Aussie Small Business History 05.07.2026 32m

  1 July might be the most expensive day in Australian small business history. Jase has done the maths on a 10-person business and the cost is around $50,000 extra a year on the basics alone. If you're employing people in Australia, this is hitting you now, and he's mapped out a game plan to tackle it.
• What Real Budget Reform for Young Australians Would Actually Look Like 28.06.2026 26m

  The 2026 Budget was pitched as a fix for intergenerational unfairness. Nick's fired up and reckons none of it adds up, especially if you're a young Australian trying to get ahead. But you can't just criticise without bringing a solution, and he's got a few of his own.
• The Business of Gift Cards | Why Most Get the Accounting Wrong 21.06.2026 23m

  Australians waste $1.9 billion a year on gift cards they never use, and there's a whole business model built around hoping you don't show up. If your business sells gift cards, there's a good chance the accounting is wrong. It's one of the most common mistakes Jase sees with his clients, and this episode gets into how the accounting should actually work so you're not paying tax before you need to.
• How to Know If Your Skills Transfer in an AI World 14.06.2026 28m

  Over 9,000 Australian jobs have gone to AI this year and we're now second in the world for tech displacement. Nick reckons you don't need to be a tech expert to stay relevant. Your existing skills transfer to roles AI can't replace, you just need to know which ones and where. He's put together a 6-step playbook that walks you through assessing your own exposure, identifying what transfers, and making a move before your employer makes one for you.
• Victoria Owes $199 Billion | What It Means for Your Business 07.06.2026 26m

  Victoria's $199 billion in debt, and if you're running a small business in this state, you're the one wearing it. Taxes keep climbing, businesses are going under at record rates, and the COVID levy that was sold as temporary isn't going anywhere. Jase has done the numbers on where the money went and what it means for Victorian business owners heading into end of financial year.
• The Bank of Mum and Dad: A Financial Disaster Waiting to Happen? 31.05.2026 29m

  The bank of mum and dad is now Australia's fifth largest lender, with $35 billion a year flowing from parents to kids trying to get into property. Most of it completely undocumented and with no plan for how it comes back. Nick's seen it go wrong firsthand, and this is what both sides need to hear before any money changes hands.
• The $1,000 ATO Tax Deduction Explained | Should You Tick the Box? 24.05.2026 22m

  The ATO is rolling out an automatic $1,000 tax deduction for millions of Australians, and it sounds like free money until you understand how deductions actually work. Jase has run the maths on what that $1,000 really puts back in your pocket at every tax bracket. Is this just another nice sell from the government, or is the box actually worth ticking?
• The 5-Day Week Is 100 Years Old | Will AI End It? 17.05.2026 26m

  The five-day work week hasn't changed since Henry Ford introduced it in 1926, and Nick reckons AI might be the thing that finally ends it. Thanks to AI productivity gains in service businesses are already real, and the question isn't whether people can get five days of work done in four, it's whether business owners will pass that time back or just pocket the margin. Do you think a four-day week could actually work in Australia?
• Petrol vs Electric Cars: How Much You Actually Save in 2026 10.05.2026 23m

  Fuel's up 70% and EV orders have tripled, so Jase did the numbers on what switching actually costs - from running savings to the FBT exemption handing some owners $15K a year. If you're considering an EV, start here.
• Six Years of Zero Growth, $786B Spent | Australia's Productivity Crisis 03.05.2026 26m

  Australia hasn't had productivity growth in six years, the government is spending $786 billion against $749 billion in revenue, and Nick wants to know why they keep taxing more instead of spending less.
• Are You on the ATO's Radar? | The Biggest Audit Triggers in 2026 26.04.2026 30m

  The ATO's audit hit list is out for 2026, and they've got more data on you than ever. Your bank, your crypto platform, your rental agent, your Instagram, they're matching it all against your return. This episode covers the real triggers that put you on their radar, and why using the ATO as a cheap line of credit just became one of the most expensive mistakes a business owner can make.
• $5.4 Trillion Is Changing Hands | Is Your Family Ready for the Tax Bill? 19.04.2026 25m

  $4 to $5.4 trillion is set to change hands in Australia's great wealth transfer, and most families have no idea how much tax is hiding in super, shares, and property along the way. Nick walks through a real client case where a 94-year-old with $5.3 million in assets was staring down a $300,000 tax bill for her kids, and the strategies that brought it right down. And with The Australia Institute now proposing to bring back an official inheritance tax, estimated to raise $10 billion a year, this is a conversation worth having sooner rather than later.
• Leaving Australia for Tax Purposes? The ATO Already Knows Your Plan 12.04.2026 23m

  Moving to Dubai to pay less tax is all over social media, but leaving the Australian tax system is a lot harder than packing your bags. If you've ever looked at your tax bill and thought about leaving, the ATO is already tracking more than you think: your travel, your bank accounts, even your family ties. Jase is working with a client who's actually making the move, and walks through what it takes to genuinely separate from the Australian tax system, and the two things that follow you no matter where you go.
• He Did Everything Right and Still Lost $70K | The First Home Buyer Trap 05.04.2026 24m

  A first-home buyer did everything by the book and still lost $70,000 in three and a half years. Nick walks through the real numbers on a $495,000 boutique apartment in Carnegie, from strata fees that more than doubled to the government grants you can only use once, and what it actually cost when it came time to sell.
• AI Agents Are Here and Your Business Needs a Plan 29.03.2026 25m

  AI agents are no longer just a buzzword. They're already automating real tasks in businesses and the speed of change is only accelerating. We share firsthand examples of how AI is boosting productivity, replacing manual processes, and why having a deliberate AI strategy is no longer optional for business owners.
• Why Income Alone Doesn't Build Wealth 22.03.2026 32m

  Do you actually need a high income to build wealth? We see the same problem at every income level. You earn more, spend more, and still feel stuck. In this episode, we walk through six common mistakes that hold people back, from lifestyle creep and no clear plan, to how you use debt and think about building assets. It’s a clearer look at why income alone doesn’t lead to wealth, and what actually does.
• Your Beer Is Taxed More Than Our Gas Exports | We Did the Numbers on What Could Have Been 15.03.2026 20m

  Australians pay more in beer tax than what the government collects from companies exporting our gas. Senator David Pocock has been calling it out in Parliament, it's doing the rounds, and it's got Jase fired up. He's done the numbers on the petroleum resources rent tax, looked at how Norway faced the same situation with their oil boom and took a very different approach, and what a 10% levy on Australia's resource exports over the last 20 years could have built.
• 10 Lessons from an F1 Boss. Do Any Actually Apply to Small Business? 08.03.2026 31m

  You see it all the time. Mega successful people sharing their business advice online. But does any of it actually stack up when you're running a small business day to day? Today we're taking 10 business lessons from the new Audi F1 team boss Jonathan Wheatley and pressure testing them against the reality of small business life to see what actually resonates and what's unrelatable.
• Are Family Trusts Still Worth It In 2026? 01.03.2026 25m

  Family Trusts can be a seriously powerful structure for income distribution and asset protection, but they only work well when you’re across the rules and the deadlines. We talk through how trust distributions actually work, what needs to be documented before 30 June, and what changes in ATO reporting mean now that trust distributions are showing on pre-fill reports. If you’ve got a family trust or you’re thinking about setting one up, this is the stuff you want to be across so it does what it’s meant to do.
• SMSF Property Strategy: Smart Move or Expensive Mistake? 22.02.2026 29m

  There’s a lot of talk about buying property through a Self-Managed Super Fund at the moment, but the difference between a smart strategy and an expensive mistake is knowing the rules and the real numbers. Today we cover what lending actually looks like, what it costs to set up and run, and the compliance traps that catch people out.