My guest today spent two decades inside the biggest names in finance — CBA, Macquarie, Zurich — then walked away from the advice firm she'd built, because the people who needed her most could no longer afford her. Today she's going to explain why almost no one ever feels 'ready' to invest — and the exact checklist that tells you when you actually are. Jessica Brady, welcome to Invest Smarter, Grow Faster. Key takeaways: - You're never fully ready... emotional readiness rarely arrives. Build guardrails, then jump. - The "hot iron" effect: childhood money moments drive adult money fear. Name yours. - Financial readiness checklist: consistent income → 3–6 months' emergency fund → a small cash buffer → clear bad (double-digit) debt. - Build a team (mortgage broker, buyer's agent, adviser). Money is emotional; you need sense-checkers, not just spreadsheets. - "Prepare for the bear": have a sleep-at-night plan, dollar-cost average on a fixed cadence, and get the investing app off your phone in a downturn. - The coming intergenerational wealth transfer is widening a "haves and have-nots" divide — clear, values-based goals are what keep you invested when it's noisy.
Julian is joined in the podcast studio by Jessica Brady, a money educator, author and former financial adviser with two decades inside some of the biggest names in global finance — CBA, Macquarie and Zurich among them. Originally from the corporate wealth-management world, Jessica Brady co-founded a financial advice firm for millennials in the thick of the Royal Commission, before walking away from her equity when she realised the people she most wanted to help could no longer afford the advice. She went on to build the Greenhouse Money Growing Program — an accessible, community-based way to learn about money without the financial-adviser price tag — and has just released her debut book, Get Growing: A No-Nonsense Guide to Cultivating Wealth and Financial Freedom. A passionate advocate for tearing down the barriers that have long surrounded financial literacy, Jessica's mission is to help everyday Australians understand the fears, beliefs and behaviours that quietly shape their relationship with money. In this episode, Jessica speaks to the emotional side of investing the property world too often ignores — why almost no one ever feels "ready", the childhood "hot iron" moments that drive money fear, how to build genuine financial readiness, and how to hold your nerve when the market turns — sparking a refreshingly honest conversation.
🏠 INVEST SMARTER, GROW FASTER — Australia's Property Investment Podcast Hosted by Julian Khursigara | CEO, Search Party Property | Award-Nominated Buyers Agent