The Investor Lab

Days before the Federal Budget, the property tax reform being discussed has shifted into something fundamentally different... and the structural mechanics of the new policy may do the exact opposite of what it claims to do. We unpack what's actually being proposed, why it's designed to fail at its own stated objective, and what it actually means for property investors right now.See you on the inside!Recorded 30 April 2026--IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions.---0:00 - The 3am discovery3:39 - From CGT discount to indexation9:49 - What inflation indexation actually means11:48 - The maths: indexation vs current discount17:58 - Why this policy is structurally designed to fail18:43 - Negative gearing: what's actually being proposed21:57 - The tax incidence problem26:11 - Why holding costs go up and entry gets harder33:38 - The supply problem nobody is solving37:40 - The dogmatic belief problem in policy design46:32 - The doom loop: why we can't get out of it50:58 - What property investors should actually do53:57 - Goose's prediction--Watch this episode on Youtube:The Property Tax Pivot Nobody Saw Coming--RESOURCES TO HELP:Mentioned Episode - 'Cashflow Jiujitsu'* https://youtu.be/1zfo9QejloE?si=xSVbMGeN6lQlQc9gJoin The Investor Lab Free Community:The home for freedom-seeking investors ✨https://bit.ly/jointheTILcommunityWant a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio?Join Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGaNeed finance guidance?Chat with the Dashdot Finance team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycallGot a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs--Goose McGrath and Gabi Billing are the founders of Dashdot — portfolio growth partners who combine data science, strategy, and human insight to help Australians build property portfolios that create lasting freedom. As hosts of The Investor Lab, they explore the intersection of markets, money, and mindset, challenging conventional wisdom and empowering people to think differently about wealth, purpose, and the future.Connect:https://www.dashdot.com.auhttps://youtube.com/@theinvestorlabhttps://instagram.com/dashdotpropertyhttps://instagram.com/goosemcgrathhttps://instagram.com/gabi.billing

The CGT discount conversation is back in the headlines. Investors are starting to ask whether the whole thesis still holds. Some are even getting cold feet. This week, we're sitting down to work through it honestly. We walk through the history of how CGT got to where it is, what's actually being proposed for the May budget, and what the numbers really show when you run them across every scenario.  We get into why the leverage available to a property investor changes the maths in ways most of the commentary completely misses, why the reform might actually push rents and prices up rather than down, and whether any of it even solves the affordability problem the government says it's trying to fix. Not a hot take. Just an honest look at what the maths says. If you're trying to think clearly about the CGT debate before the May budget, this is the conversation. * Read Goose's full report: tools.dashdot.com.au/cgtanalysis* Get The Signal (weekly macro intelligence for property investors): dashdot.com.au/thesignal See you on the inside. --IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube: We Ran the Maths on CGT Changes... Here's What We Found --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community  Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio? Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team:http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs --  Connect:dashdot.com.au youtube.com/@theinvestorlab instagram.com/dashdotpropertyinstagram.com/goosemcgrathinstagram.com/gabi.billingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fuel prices have nearly doubled. Two back-to-back rate hikes. Consumer confidence at its lowest point in over 50 years. A war in the Middle East.Should you be investing right now? It's a fair question.This week, we sit down and work through it honestly. We unpack what's actually happening with fuel supply (it's not what the headlines suggest), what the 1970s oil crisis tells us about investing through periods like this, and what Australian property has done through every major crisis since 2001.We also run through a scenario analysis overlaying 1970s conditions onto today's market, and talk through how to think clearly about your own situation when everything around you feels chaotic.Not a pep talk. Just an honest conversation.If you're looking for signal in all this noise, this is it.Check out the oil scenario analysis: tools.dashdot.com.au/oilscenariosSee you on the inside.--IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions.--To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube: Should I Be Investing in Times Like These?---RESOURCES TO HELP:Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio?Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGaNeed finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team:http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycallGot a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs--Connect:dashdot.com.auyoutube.com/@theinvestorlabinstagram.com/dashdotpropertyinstagram.com/goosemcgrathinstagram.com/gabi.billingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know that satisfying feeling of cancelling a subscription you forgot you were paying for? What if we told you there's one running right now... and it's costing you $275 a day.  With back-to-back rate hikes, a war in the Middle East, and consumer confidence at its lowest since COVID lockdowns, a lot of people have quietly hit pause on their financial future.  We call that the Fear Tax: the invisible, compounding cost of letting uncertainty keep you on the sidelines. We walk through every major crisis since 2001, what happened to property through each one, and why the most expensive thing you can do right now is nothing. See you on the inside.  --IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- To check out the research and charts, watch this episode on Youtube: Australia Hasn't Been This Scared Since COVID. Here's What It's Costing You. --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community  Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio? Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team:http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs --  Connect:dashdot.com.au youtube.com/@theinvestorlab instagram.com/dashdotpropertyinstagram.com/goosemcgrathinstagram.com/gabi.billingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CGT discount might be changing. The property market is in a frenzy. There's a war in the Middle East. And everyone's frozen. This week we pull apart the three topics every Australian property investor is thinking about right now — and why most people are reacting to them wrong. These are the conversations we're having at the dinner table. Now they're on camera. See you on the inside, -- In this episode we cover:0:00  Why people freeze when there's noise in the market7:53  CGT discount changes: what's actually being proposed14:45 Running the numbers: 50% vs 25% discount24:49  The contrarian take: why CGT changes are actually bullish for property32:10  How affordability is changing where and what to invest in46:00  Houses vs units56:30  Land size doesn't drive growth the way people think1:01:30  New builds and house & land packages: when do they make sense?1:25:00  Geopolitical tension and the impact on Australia --IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. -- Watch on Youtube: CGT, Affordability & War: The Topics Every Property Investor Is Thinking About Right Now --- RESOURCES TO HELP:  Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community  Want a team in your corner as you build your property portfolio? Book a no-obligation discovery call with Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa Need finance guidance? Chat with the Dashdot Finance team:http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs --  Connect:dashdot.com.au youtube.com/@theinvestorlab instagram.com/dashdotpropertyinstagram.com/goosemcgrathinstagram.com/gabi.billingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.