Inheritance is kind of like anything to do with money, religion, or politics for many people. It is almost taboo when it comes to dinner party conversations or even banter among those who know and love us. It seems rather old-fashioned to me!

To tackle this topic, I am lucky to have here today Vanessa Stoykov is a financial educator and best-selling author. From her 22-year history of owning a ?nancial services education-focused media business, Evolution Media Group, Vanessa has a deep understanding of the ?nance world and has the unique ability to communicate this in a way that everyday people can understand. She is also the Founder of NMP Education, an award-winning television producer, and an author.

Recent research commissioned by Vanessa reveals that 74% of Australians believe you should be having conversations with family members about inheritance before the person passes away, but only half actually have. The main reason behind why people haven't, even though they want to, is because they aren't sure about how to approach the "touchy subject". They keep putting it off because they aren't sure about the response they will receive.

In the next 15 years, it's estimated that the average Australian could receive $320,000 in inheritance[1]. This $3.5 trillion wealth transfer between one generation to the next is being dubbed 'the economic tsunami', and it highlights the enormous impact inheritance will have both to the country's economy as well as people's day-to-day lives.  Interestingly, the data also highlighted that almost half of respondents (48%) believed having these conversations before it's too late will lead to less conflict amongst beneficiaries after their loved one's passing, which is a key driver behind why so many people think it's important. An overwhelming majority (74%) believe it's up to the person leaving the inheritance to instigate the conversation when and if they choose to do it.

In this episode, Vanessa and I discuss:

1. Why do you think people expect an inheritance to be theirs because of bloodlines or marriage? Does this a historical reference?
2. What is your take on the idea that inheritance can be planned differently - such as giving it all away for a philanthropic legacy or giving it well before you pass away?
3. What mistakes do many people make when it comes to receiving an inheritance no matter their age or financial status? E.g., https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/newsletters/2017/apr/avoid-inheritance-mistakes.html
4. Do will disputes often cost more than their worth in legal fees etc? How can that be avoided?
5. Take away: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Inheritance?

Contact details:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-stoykov/

W: https://vanessastoykov.com.au/

Terminology always has a season and moment in the sun. If I had to put money on it, I would bet for 2022 it would be this term - The Great Resignation.

The "Great Resignation" was coined and predicted by psychologist Anthony Klotz-and is the tipping point of a nearly decade-long trend of employment dissatisfaction. Also known as the Big Quit and the Great Reshuffle this is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021, primarily in the United States. Possible causes include wage stagnation amid rising cost of living, long-lasting job dissatisfaction, and safety concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some economists have described the Great Resignation as akin to a general strike.

To get deeper into what this means, I am chatting to Aliza Knox. She is the author of Don't Quit Your Day Job, outlining six mind shifts you need to rise and thrive at work. Aliza built and led APAC businesses for three of the world's top technology firms-Google, Twitter, and Cloudflare. Named 2020 APAC IT Woman of The Year, she spent decades as a global finance and consulting executive and is now a non-executive board director, a senior advisor for BCG, and a regular columnist for Forbes, where she shares her wisdom (and humour) to help professionals who dream of "doing it all."

Aliza now shares her passion and lessons learned with the next generation of business leaders guiding companies across new frontiers while building and maintaining strong connections between teams around the world.

Hear from Aliza on:

1. What is The Great Resignation about and what does it mean for employers and then employees alike in a post-pandemic working environment?
2. There has since been a huge amount of research trying to work out why this has happened. Are workers quitting work entirely, as the pandemic makes us reevaluate our priorities? Or are they quitting to pursue their dreams in a different career?
3. How can one build a culture in a company or entity that attracts and retains the best and brightest talent and stems from The Great Resignation?
4. Some recent data worth noting is that the rates of vacancies, resignations and wage growth all slowed in the fourth quarter of 2021, which is a signal that the rebound in labour demand has faded. So, if you weren't part of the great resignation, you may already be too late. What comes next for business leaders wanting to be flexible but not desperate in their war for taken?
5. Take away: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of The Great Resignation?

Contact details:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alizaknox/?originalSubdomain=sg

Cities are amazing - built environments full of diversity, energy, culture, and pace. What makes a city more liveable though as cities get more crowded, traffic intensifies, and people struggle to find affordable housing close to their schools, workplaces, and communities they know and love? Does a city need our refining to truly sing in 2022?

I am speaking today to Dr. Tammy Wong Hulbert - who I met almost 20 years ago when we worked together at Customs House on Sydney's iconic harbourside foreshore. Now based in Victoria, an hour's flight from Sydney Australia, Tammy has a real sense of what makes cities liveable.

Tammy is an artist, curator, and Senior Lecturer at RMIT University, School of Art, Master of Arts (Arts Management) specializing in curating. In 2021 she was the recipient of an Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) Research Innovation Award.

Her research focuses on 'curating inclusive cities' enacted through collaborations with marginalized urban communities, to unearth and care for their perspectives and build citizen participation through exhibitions and public art projects. These methodologies stem from Tammy's art practice which focuses on expressing the multi-layered and fragmented spaces between cultures, a result of her position as a fourth-generation Australian of Chinese descent and living in a super-diverse and postcolonial society.

She has remained dedicated to increasing the dialogue around Australia's relationship with Asian and Chinese communities through arts activity and has worked with a wide range of contemporary artists and communities in Australia and Asia in galleries, museums, and public spaces during her career.

Her most recent curatorial project was Becoming Home: Stories of Chinese Australians at ArtSpace Realm in Melbourne, Victoria (2022). She is currently working on an ARC Linkage project Vital Arts: Skilling young people for their futures awarded in 2021.

Hear Tammy discuss:

1. What makes a city liveable and how do we know we are in one?
2. Why is inclusiveness such a big part of a liveable city dynamic - any examples of good and bad models you can share?
3. As a child of an immigrant family, what do you make of how transferable are "city living experiences" from one big city to another?
4. Cities have become in some ways less vital during the Covid-19 pandemic where many people had to be in lockdown ad there was some movement globally away from traditional centres to more space, more affordable housing, and lifestyle changes - tree or sea change for example. How does that affect the viability of cities long term?
5. Take away: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Liveable Cities?

To connect with Tammy:

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/tammy-wong-hulbert-107130b4

W: www.tammywonghulbert.com