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

Guest User 10/14/19 Guest User 10/14/19

Student Digs

Hi Scott, You generally advise your readers to buy a house first and invest later, but I am wondering if this is always the best approach. I am currently trying to decide whether to invest in a student accommodation apartment.

Guest User 10/14/19 Guest User 10/14/19

Big Brother Banking

Scott, I recently read an article about what CommBank can do with people’s personal data, and I am deeply disturbed. I would be willing to pay a bank to manage my money and do absolutely nothing with my data just for the right to privacy, but that isn’t how the world rolls these days.

Guest User 10/14/19 Guest User 10/14/19

Pass Me a Bucket

I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw that my six-year-old had crossed arms and a cross face. “What’s wrong, cobber?

Guest User 9/23/19 Guest User 9/23/19

Barefoot Goes to Brazil

She leaned in and whispered, “If you want the good stuff … you really need to go to … Brazil.” I was speaking to the ‘Queen’ of global financial education: Elaine Kempson, from Bristol University.

Guest User 9/23/19 Guest User 9/23/19

The Generous Generation

Hi Scott I just wanted to share with you a lovely story. I run a charity called Mums Supporting Families in Need.

Guest User 9/22/19 Guest User 9/22/19

Don’t Go Changing

Hi Scott, In last Sunday’s column there was a paragraph that read “Scarface Claw is in this instance OnePath/ANZ ... who have some of the worst performing Super Funds”.

Guest User 9/22/19 Guest User 9/22/19

A Hairy Problem

Hi Scott, Your latest column about Hairy Maclary and expensive super funds really put the cat among the pigeons in our house. Our financial adviser (who we like) has us with AMP (among a slew of other retirement-related accounts), and we are finding it hard to see through all the smoke and mirrors to get to the fees so we can feel secure.

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

Are Index Funds in a Bubble?

Hi Scott, The financial guru from the movie The Big Short, Michael Burry, who made a fortune betting against the US housing collapse, is saying that the next big bubble is index funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs), and that things will get really ugly should the share market crash. Aren’t index funds what Barefoot recommends?

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

The Best Present

Hi Scott, Many years ago, when I was five, we lost my father to an accident, and my siblings and I always wish we had more memories of him. Just this year we lost our mother to cancer.

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

Is This a Scam?

Dear Scott, Your Bitcoin scam article prevented me from losing $5,000. Thank you!

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

Tuck Shop Attack

Hi Scott, You have talked about in-school marketing programs (like ‘Dollarmites’) and how they hook kids into using the big banks. Well, I have a concern that we are doing the same now with the ‘Qkr!

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

My Girlfriend Was Hiding a Secret from Me

Hello Mr Barefoot, Just finished your book and it has completely changed my perspective on money — I finally believe I will be able to buy my future home in Sydney. That was until my girlfriend of one year surprised me with her $30,000 debt (credit cards, personal loan and education fees).

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

I Vowed to Write to You Once We Were Debt Free

Dear Scott, Ten years ago, my wife and I were drowning in debt, with a big mortgage and maxed-out credit cards. I came across a copy of your (first) Barefoot Investor book and vowed to change our circumstances and write to you once we were debt free.

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Hi Scott, I am just about to finish my uni degree and have landed myself a full-time job at a small accounting firm. Before I plough into the life of debits and credits, I want to make sure I join the best super fund in the market.

Guest User 9/15/19 Guest User 9/15/19

Hairy Maclary and the Fat Cat Funds

I copped an elbow to the head. “Your turn”, grumbled my sleep-deprived wife.

Guest User 9/8/19 Guest User 9/8/19

The next big thing

I like to think of myself as a ‘young mover and shaker’. Truthfully, though, the only thing about me that still moves and shakes these days is my belly (damn you ‘dad bod’!

Guest User 9/2/19 Guest User 9/2/19

The Ultimate Father’s Day Present

Every Mother’s Day, my wife and her girlfriends have a tradition: They book a fancy restaurant and get all dressed up, looking a million bucks … And then? They offload the kids onto their husbands and spend the rest of the day drinking champers together!

Guest User 9/1/19 Guest User 9/1/19

RIP Tim Fischer

Hi Scott, Thank you for sharing your memories last week about Tim Fischer. That can’t have been an easy thing for you to do.

Guest User 9/1/19 Guest User 9/1/19

My Baby Sent Me Broke

Hi Scott, Over the last two-and-a-half years we have had two babies and a wedding. Our first baby came earlier than planned so it wasn’t covered by private health, and we made the silly choice to pay for it out of pocket.

Guest User 9/1/19 Guest User 9/1/19

I Owe MyBudget $1,250

Hey Barefoot, I signed up with a money managing agency MyBudget because I felt that some financial structure and discipline would be good, and also to make my parents happy. Unfortunately, the model did not work for me.