Canny Chattables

Employment Law can sometimes be seen as the 'not so exciting' side of the legal world. However, it is undeniably one of the most important!

There are so many "things" that fall under the employment law umbrella and it doesn't have to be a dreaded conversation. "Things" such as employment agreements, maintaining your obligations under the national employment standards, leave entitlements, redundancy and more (oh my!)

Touching on what it means when it comes to employing someone and your responsibilities as an employer and also on the flip side, what you're entitled to from your employer as an employee. Plus, we throw in our top five tips to know that you're on the right track!

Joti Financial's Kim Bradbury joins us to chat about all things mortgage broking. From the difference between being "loyal" to your bank and what they can actually offer you to why you should at the very least consider seeing a mortgage broker. A good mortgage broker is worth their weight in gold - which could eventually mean that you are in a position to buy gold!

We chat to Kim about the nitty gritty's of the mortgaging broking industry, what she does for her clients and why it sets her above the rest in the industry!

We're back for a fourth season and this time we're kicking things up a notch and getting our hands dirty with Commercial Law!  Gabrielle Andersen is our leading lawyer when it comes to Commercial Law and she has hit the ground running with our clients.  From understanding the breadth of Commercial Law to how it is vital for all business owners (big or small) to ensure they are maintaining their legal requirements, we're covering it all.

Right Mate was founded by a desire to change the narrative when it comes to men's Mental Health.

Driven by lived experience, founders Chris and Luke are passionate about not only encouraging the conversation but understanding the actual issue and offering avenues for solutions.  Their aim is to build a community of Men who not only look out for each other but are comfortable in their skin and ultimately have the skills to encourage others to do the same.

We sat down with Chris and Luke to have a chat about Right Mate, the community they're raising awareness in and how they are making an impact on the Geelong and surrounding men in our community.

Today we're talking about Aged Care... and specifically, if this is something that you need to get financial advice for!?  Aged care is a really complex area, it's something that everyone, unfortunately, will most likely have to face at some point.  Financial advice on Aged Care is a specialist area and not all Financial Advisers are able to give advice in this area - but we are.

One of the most common questions we are asked when it comes to aged care is, "what happens to the family home" so, in this episode, we're diving deep into this question.

With the end of the financial year just around the corner, we're not wasting any time helping you get on the front foot for tax time 2022.

Each year the ATO has specific items that they put under the microscope and watch closely in the way of tax deductions, and this year is no different.  

In this episode, we touch on bringing the same deductions across from the previous year's tax return, the shoebox full of receipts, working from home expenses, and how the ATO has the ability to cross-check your deductions, rental property income and deductions as well as the big area of capital gains from cryptocurrency, property and shares!

Who doesn't love a little tax planning in their lives if it's going to save them the stress and sometimes the shock down the track when it comes to lodging your tax returns?

Starting season three off with a bang, our Accounting superstars, Jamie Arrington and Adam Ramage go into why you need to plan for tax and that it isn't just something that is taken out of your wages every week as well as the relevance of tax planning and the state of the world over the last two years *cough cough global pandemic*.

We also cover what tax planning means for you - if you're a business owner, the trusty use of a logbook, purchasing of new equipment, rental properties as well as understanding what a bucket company is and how it can help you and your business in the long run.

Ever wanted to know if you have a leg to stand on when it comes to contesting an Estate?

Previously we've spoken a lot about how to protect your estate from being contested but in this episode, we're doing a 180 and getting into a different avenue when it comes to estates and whether or not you are entitled to make a claim.  It's not as simple as wanting a piece of the pie from your mate down the road who lent you a whipper snipper three years ago, there are specific requirements that you would have to meet to be entitled to make a claim towards contesting someone's estates.

We touch on the process from start to finish, including a basic roadmap of what it would look like to contest an estate, who is involved in the process when the court starts to be involved as well as the length of time that this can take from start to finish. 

There are lots of specialised areas when it comes to practising the Law; Wills and Estates, Litigation, Contracts and Employment - the list goes on!  Something that sets our legal team apart from the rest is the fact that our Senior Lawyer, Karlene Wightman specialises in Special Disability Trusts.  Organising a time to see a lawyer to get your life plan down on paper can be a little daunting, to say the least, but when there is someone with a disability involved, it is important to understand that that process changes and you need a specialist lawyer.

In this episode, we cover off in "layman's terms" what a Special Disability Trust (actually) is and how you start the process of finding out if you or your loved one would qualify and/or be eligible for a Special Disability Trust.  We touch on what can and can't go into this trust as well as the current restrictions, what the other options are if you don't qualify and what is the likelihood of a Special Disability Trust being contested.

Let's talk INVESTMENT PROPERTIES... the hot topic with even hotter (and lowest ever) interest rates!

In this episode, we're joined by Director, Amanda Wilkens to deep dive into what all the fuss is about, with voluntarily putting up your hand to pay off a second mortgage.  We go in-depth around the tax incentives that come with investment properties as well as what this means for your tax return at the end of each financial year.  And we can't forget "those words" that are on everyone's lips after an investment property has come up in the conversation, good old capital gains tax!  

With an investment property comes extra risk, it's basic maths.  We also cover off what you need to have in place, in the bigger picture side of things, so that if things start to take a wrong turn, you have the right protection in place.

Blended Families being the outcasts in society are finally a thing of the past!  In another life you would have been frowned upon, given the side eye and in some cases even shunned from society... but not anymore!  It's more common in todays day and age to have a blended family or to be part of one.  And there are so many reasons that this should be celebrated, one in particular that our Marketing Manager, Edwina Wilkens decided it was time that she weighed in on the topic, having a blended family herself.  With a blended family can sometimes bring extra legal worries and concerns which is why we get into the nitty gritty legal elements of having a blended family.  We start from the start with what is actually considered by law a blended family, why when it comes to estate planning that we should take extra time to get the right advice and what happens when things go south!

As the saying goes... where there's a will, there's a way and there's also a reason why you don't just pop down to your local post office to grab a do-it-yourself will kit, trust us when we say that it is worth speaking to a solicitor and spending that little bit extra money to have it done properly from the start.  We cover assets, the family food chain of receiving these assets, what happens if you're marriage goes south - does that mean you still have a valid Will?  What does it mean if you have a blended family?  We are covering all of this AND more in this episode, and it's definitely not one to be missed.

The NDIS is often referred to as 'a beast' and when it comes to NDIS Plan Management there are all kinds of words that we have heard it being referred to as!  Canny Plan Management are closing in on their 1st birthday, celebrating some pretty amazing milestones that they have achieved for their clients, working alongside them as part of their support network.  

We get into, why Canny Plan Management, registered NDIS provider doesn't just 'pay invoices' as a lot of other Plan Managers do and also what the benefits are of taking into consideration moving your NDIS plan to be Plan Managed by Canny Plan Management.  Little secret... you're not going to regret it!

Donna Lindsay is a long time client of Canny Group and isn't shy about using all of our services we offer - starting with us with her business Bodhi & Co which is a health and rehabilitation clinic based in Belmont.  

Donna is passionate about pre and post-natal treatments - from giving mum's some much needed relaxation time, helping relieve sciatic and PGP pain to post-natal rehabilitation programs that she has built over time.  This is were New Mumma Boxes came to life!  

So many times leading up to and post giving birth, the spotlight is on the new bub, which it should be - but Donna found that there was something missing for the new mumma's and looking after them - so she did it herself!

This episode we bring in the big guns as we gear up for ensuring our clients don't find themselves as April Fool's!  We sit down with Director, Krystine Canny-Smith and Senior Business Adviser + Accountant, Adam Ramage to talk all things audits.  Discussing some big cases of clients and people we know that have fallen victim to being an April Fool, how to cover yourself with the correct insurance right through to who is most at risk when it comes to being audited by the ATO!

Celebrating April fool's day this year, and specifically how not to be one - we wanted to get down to the nitty gritty with one of our clients, Phoebe Wilkens of Born & Bred Historical Research!  We go through how she's a young woman thriving in what is generally seen as doing something that "old" people enjoy, what mysteries she has uncovered over her time as well as where to start when putting the puzzle pieces of family tree's together!  Overall we talk about how not to be an April fool when it comes to researching your own family and how Born & Bred Historical Research is standing out for all the rest!

International Women's Day is a day that we celebrate every day in our office, but this year we wanted to celebrate with two amazing women in their fields.  Natasha Williams, Executive General Manager of GenU and our very own Anthea Taylor, Head of Canny Plan Management.  When celebrating International Women's Day, it's important to make sure that everyone is included and in this episode - we do just that! 

CANNY CHATTABLES
Season Two l Episode One

It's no secret that "Canny loves its clients" and it goes with our founder, Stan Canny - OAM quote "clients don't come to us because they love us, they come to us because we love them"!  

To kick start Season 2 of Canny Chattables, we're diving in with all of our service arms to help the ones you love, be loved!

2020 - WOW!  Is there really any other way to describe it!?  We touch on some of the most memorable moments in a positive light as well as how our clients pushed through COVID-19.  We also have some exciting news to share with everyone heading into 2021 with a new service arm being added under our roof!  Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and we can't wait to spend 2021 with you.

From a long-time client, to a great friendship that has formed over the last 20 years between our Senior Business Adviser and Accountant, Adam Ramage and Considines Insurance Services Director, David Rice - there's doesn't seem to be much that these lads aren't happy to talk about.  International Men's Day is on November 19 2020, Adam and David chat about the personal touches that can make or break the relationships that you have formed on both personal and professional levels.  Taking into consideration the pandemic that has thrown 2020 into a spin this year, they touch on finding windows of opportunity to be able to check in on their clients and friends, in ways that they normally wouldn't have felt that they could do before.  Once you open the door - your people; clients and friends, will know that they're not alone and it's OK to not be OK!

So we're in Spring (yay), everybody knows about Spring Cleaning your house - but why do we need to spring clean more than that?  So often personal and business affairs are only "spring cleaned" if you need something.  However, now is the perfect opportunity to take the time to speak to your accountant, a financial adviser and also to review your legal documents that are very happily gathering dust.  We pulled together our top advisers from all of our service arms to share with you their tips for both personal and business spring cleaning to help you.

Deśa Retreat is a unique offering of boutique accommodation in Jan Juc, on the beautiful Surf Coast of Victoria.  It is a place to unwind and connect with yourself, your loved ones and nature.  Emma Flick shares with us how she is managing through Covid-19 and shares some of her toolkit of new and different resources which are life changing.

As we head into "lockdown 2.0" we are also seeing the Government introducing round two of the JobKeeper Payments as well as some other Business Grants that are welcomed with open arms.  We go into depth on the eligibility of receiving these cash bonuses for your businesses as well as your employees.  As well, explaining how to take into consideration pivoting when it comes to your small business and some tips and tricks on working ON your business -VS- working in your business during this uncertain time.

When a lot of us think about retirement, we think; retirement villages, a seniors discount card and the free courtesy buses into town - do we really need to plan for that ?  The short answer is YES!  There are a lot of people out there that were planning on retiring in the next year and are now doubting their ability to (and whether it's the right decision for them at all) because of the year 2020 has been so far.  We touch on the some of the most common questions that are asked every day.

As we're creeping closer towards the end of another financial year, it can leave you with mixed emotions - especially considering everything that has already happened in 2020.  Everyone, including ourselves, had such high hopes and set some really kick-ass new year resolutions but there's still time to make a difference.  We're all guilty of getting to the end of the financial year and realising we're going to have to pay tax but we have the answers for you.  From helping you reduce your tax bill as well as ways to help you get rid of old debt as well as what to do if you're lucky enough to have money in the bank and the best things to do with it to help you in the long run.  We're covering a lot of ground to help make tax planning for small businesses a breeze this episode!

When it comes to cultivating resilience and adapting to change through this pandemic; COVID-19 the first person that came to mind was our beautiful client Jo Surkitt.  As business owners ourselves, this episode is jam packed full of helpful tips on guiding your own business through the pandemic, but equally helpful for any individuals in their personal lives.  Looking at mindset, excellent sleep practices, creating optimal health and why mindful movement is so important are just a few of the things we get to discuss in this episode.

What an incredible few weeks in the world, for individuals and businesses alike.  The sole purpose of this Chattable's poscast episode is to try and make some sense of the government support packages released in the last week.  As well as who they apply to, and how much they may operate to deliver support in practice.  Canny Group Director, Amanda Wilkens is all over the stimulus packages and what they mean for everyone!

We sit down to have a chat with one of the most fitting women who came to mind to shine the light on this International Women's Day - Fiona McPherson!  Chatting all things OKKI - which is a refined progression of her first band, Oishi-M!

This episode we drill into the in's and outs of retirement living and aged care.  Touching on different options, the key differences between retirement villages and aged care facilities, different levels of ownership and how you can be prepared.  As well as who you need to be involved and who can be involved in the process are just a few things we're touching on!

This episode is all about awesome people who are doing awesome things in Geelong.. and instantly, our client Chris Balazs the man behind Provenir came to mind.  We discuss with Chris the background of Provenir and how it started as well as Chris' professional background to the history of Geelong and what it is that keeps him here. Not to mention what is next for Provenir and the amazing, thoughtful meaning behind the QR code.

What you need to know about us.. Canny Group!

Our history and celebrating turning 60 years old later next year, as well as our founder Stanley John Canny OAM servicing the Geelong region and reputation of strong and long-lasting client relationships and going above and beyond for clients.  Our second generation of Directors, our new visionary approach to professional services, being different and how and why we are uniquely placed to provide advice and solutions that are integrated, comprehensive, complementary and connected.   As well as a special insight into our new online legal services that has just launched!

Featuring our very friendly, chatty and long standing [second generation] client, Andrew Draper who just returned from a long outback motorbike trip with mates, he is more than happy to share a few great stories of his travels.  As well as his outback adventures, Andrew discusses his business, some of the biggest challenges he has faced and what he loves about running his business.  Not to mention how long he has been with us and why he keeps coming back to us!

On our first podcast to grace the airways, Roxie Bennett chats to Stefan Manche about Estate Planning or as Stef prefers to call it, 'Life Planning'.

Settle in and join us for this warm and enlightening  discussion which covers the basics of estate planning, from wills and powers of attorney, to asset planning, superannuation, family agreements and business succession, and discover why estate planning is for everyone, all the time.