If you’re in your 40s or 50s, a good retirement plan needs more than a target age and a bigger bank balance. It needs room for the unexpected, a clear idea of what enough looks like, and attention to the health and relationships that make financial freedom worth having.In this video, Niro Thambipillay shares five lessons drawn from conversations with people in their 60s and 70s. From retiring earlier than planned to buying things for the wrong reasons, the message is simple: don’t postpone every important decision until later. TL;DRBuild flexibility into your retirement plan rather than ...

Australia’s housing pipeline is falling short of the government’s 1.2 million-home target, and the forecasts discussed in Niro’s October 2026 analysis point to fewer homes being built next year. That supply squeeze could make finding a home harder even while property prices are correcting.Niro Thambipillay examines the latest approvals figures, the differences between states and the warning signs in new-home sales. His central argument is that today’s softer prices do not solve tomorrow’s housing shortage. Buyers, owners and renters need to understand where demand is growing faster than the number of homes available. TL;DRAustralia needs about 240,000 ...

The RBA’s fourth interest-rate rise of 2026 could reduce a typical buyer’s borrowing capacity by roughly 10% from the start of the year, potentially pushing tens of thousands of households out of home ownership even where property prices soften.Niro Thambipillay explains why higher rates are not affecting every property market equally. Premium homes and upper-quartile markets can fall sharply, while demand shifts toward more affordable properties where limited new supply keeps prices supported. For buyers with adequate borrowing capacity and surplus cash flow, the period before a possible 2027 recovery may present an opportunity, but only in carefully selected markets. ...

The five worst areas to buy an investment property in 2026 are not necessarily bad places. They are markets where today’s price, buyer affordability, rental return, supply pipeline or economic concentration may leave less room for future capital growth.Niro Thambipillay explains why an area that performed brilliantly three years ago can be a poor buy today. His core rule is simple: when you buy should influence where you buy. Based on current conditions, he would avoid Tamworth, Armadale, Darwin, Townsville and Gawler, while recognising that several previously produced strong results for Investment Rise clients. TL;DRPast growth is ...

All four major Australian banks now expect the RBA to raise interest rates, while markets have priced the chance of an increase at close to 90%. Another rise would intensify mortgage pressure and reduce borrowing capacity, but the more important property-market effect may be fewer homes being built.In this article, Niro Thambipillay examines the global tightening cycle, the repayment impact on a $600,000 mortgage, the collapse in forward-looking new-home sales, and the three indicators that would need to change before Australia faces a genuine prolonged property downturn. TL;DRAustralia appears to be joining a global interest-rate tightening cycle. ...

Australian new-home sales fell almost 20% in the three months to August after four consecutive monthly declines, including a 10% fall in August alone. The immediate danger is not simply weaker prices. It is a deeper housing shortage as construction retreats while Australia’s population keeps growing.In this article, Niro Thambipillay examines the state-by-state collapse in new-home demand, the widening shortfall against the government’s housing target, the pressure on rents, and what these forces could mean for property owners and buyers in 2027. TL;DRAustralia’s new-home pipeline is contracting just as the country remains short of housing. Sales fell ...

Westpac expects Australia’s property downturn to bottom at about 7% before prices begin rising again, with forecasts of 3% growth in 2027 and 8% in 2028. The bank says the reason is not renewed confidence alone. It is the widening gap between housing demand and the number of homes Australia can actually deliver.In this article, Niro Thambipillay examines Westpac CEO Anthony Miller’s warning, the National Housing Accord shortfall, construction-industry pressure, migration-driven demand and the early signs that the market could turn sooner than many buyers expect. TL;DRWestpac expects the current property downturn to bottom at roughly 7%, ...

Melbourne has been one of Australia’s weakest major property markets in recent years, and the latest figures still look confronting. Dwelling values fell 1.1% in August and were down 4.7% across the previous 12 months, while major-bank forecasts point to further weakness. Yet rising rents, renewed interstate migration and Melbourne’s widening affordability advantage are beginning to change the outlook. In this article, I break down the five forces shaping the market and the question every owner or buyer needs to answer before acting. TL;DR Melbourne’s downturn is real, but the market is no longer a simple ...

Australian property prices have fallen for five consecutive months, buyers are holding back and the country has more unsold listings than usual. Yet two respected analysts can look at the same market and reach opposite conclusions. One expects the spring selling season to add further downward pressure, while the other argues that weak new listings show owners are choosing not to sell.In this analysis, Niro Thambipillay examines both sides, the city-by-city numbers and the factor that matters most: whether enough owners are being forced to accept lower prices. TL;DRNational property values are about 3.5% below their earlier ...

Commonwealth Bank has sharply downgraded its Australian property outlook after the market weakened faster than it expected. CBA now forecasts a national peak-to-trough fall of about 9%, with Sydney and Melbourne expected to record the largest declines. The headline sounds severe, but the bank’s own charts contain an important detail: much of the decline has already occurred, and every capital-city market is forecast to stabilise and begin recovering during 2027.In this analysis, Niro Thambipillay separates the headline from the timing, explains what CBA expects city by city, and shows why current buyer activity may appear in official price data only ...