Articles & Questions

Every week I publish a fun new article on a money topic I think you’ll find interesting. I also answer a handful of reader questions. Subscribers to my newsletter get to see everything first — but you can browse some of my past articles & questions on this page.

My Best Articles

Not sure where to start? Below I’ve handpicked a few of my favourites. And if you like what you see, don’t forget to subscribe to my free newsletter to get new issues before anyone else!

What I Really Think of Hostplus’s Index Balanced Fund

About the Barefoot Blueprint

How to Sort Your Insurance

Do I still use the ING Orange Everyday account?

What I Think of AFIC

Search Articles

Scott Pape 10/20/25 Scott Pape 10/20/25

Convince me not to take out a 30k car loan

G'day Scott,

Convince me not to take out a 30k car loan.

Scott Pape 7/7/25 Scott Pape 7/7/25

The problem with renting

My old man is buying a new car.

“This’ll be my last one … it’ll see me out”, he said.

Scott Pape 3/3/25 Scott Pape 3/3/25

My Boyfriend’s Addiction Has Cost Us $30,000

I’m 25, and I’m really worried about how much my partner has lost on cars. He loves them, and I used to love that too – until his latest purchase, a $30,000 sporty luxury car (bought with a personal loan), turned into a financial nightmare.

Barefoot Admin 2/22/21 Barefoot Admin 2/22/21

Dirty Rats

“Tick-tick-tick-tick.” Our family wagon was having a moment. The indicator seemed to be hyperventilating, ticking madly at triple speed.

Guest User 6/10/19 Guest User 6/10/19

Netflix For Cars?

Hi Scott, I homeschool my 11- and 13-year-old girls. This week, after reading your letter to Sally (the teacher with car loan issues), I decided to ditch my maths lesson for the day and teach your ‘car finance’ lesson.

Guest User 6/10/19 Guest User 6/10/19

Should We Make the Sacrifice?

Hi Scott, My husband and I are two months away from finally clearing nearly $100,000 of card debt we racked up some years ago. Now we are about to start a family and want to buy a new Mazda CX-5.

Guest User 5/27/19 Guest User 5/27/19

Car Crash Classroom

Hi Scott, I am a 25-year-old teacher and I got a car loan in my second year of uni. I had no idea what interest rates were, or how getting a loan worked, and just signed away on the first deal I got accepted for (which ended up being a fixed rate loan with a 17% interest rate).

Guest User 9/12/17 Guest User 9/12/17

Can I Buy a Corvette?

Hi Scott, I am 31 and earn $120,000; my wife earns $90,000. We have a $750,000 mortgage on a house worth $1 million, $10,000 in index shares, and $20,000 in Mojo.

Guest User 8/15/17 Guest User 8/15/17

How to Save 98% of Your Income

Hi Scott, My mum and I always read your column, and it is one of few times we stop arguing and have great discussions. I am in Year 11 and interested in sports journalism and management.