Lessons from buying shares inside my Super

Have you ever considered buying shares? Did you know that you (most likely) have plenty of money to do so? “Playing” the stock market with your Super funds is rad fun. It is simple to setup and it is a life experience completely riddled with lessons about money, risk, strategy, maths, business, psychology and recognising…

Lessons from parenting my son with Autism

It is the end of a decade. A period of time that saw me become a father. It has been a ten-year span that has taught me many lessons. I have learned many things about myself, my nutrition, my money, my family, my priorities and my body. But it all pales in comparison to the…

Lessons from five years of making chilli jam

You probably have a go-to recipe, something that you can create from scratch that blows peoples’ minds. Or at the very least something you have cooked up more than once and not completely stuffed and butchered. There’s a dish or specialty out there that you know others enjoy consuming. Well mine is (oddly enough) chilli jam.

Lessons from volunteering on McHappy Day

Have you ever bought yourself a Big Mac, you know… for the kids? It is a naughty sometimes-food indulgence that is easy to justify once a year during November on one particular date. McHappy Day is an important icon on the fundraising calendar of Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC), it drives a super-sized amount of…

Lessons from my 40th in Vegas

Chances are that you have been to Vegas or that you want to go. Or that you have been and you want to go again. I was lucky enough (get it, “lucky”?) to head across to the fabulous gambling capital of the world for my 40th birthday with my lovely and understanding wife. She even…

Lessons from building our forever home

You should build a house. I can personally recommend the experience. Wow, it is a journey. An unpredictable roller coaster full of lessons both positive and negative. It is an adventure, a stress, a passion, a test, an accomplishment and eventually your own customised and intimately designed part of Australia. Before we get into my…

Lessons from ‘Everything is F**ked: A Book About Hope’

I am now convinced that Mark Manson is a modern day genius. This is the best book I have ever read. I already want to read it all over again. Manson’s online blog http://www.markmanson.net attracts over two million readers per month, he boasts nearly half a million likes on his Facebook page and has sold…

Lessons from a Texas Mom

I connected with Texan author Ann Bell Worley via an online blogging community and I was flattered that she agreed to write a guest post for Downunder Dad. Turns out we have a lot in common and are both parenting a son with special needs. I promised I would write an article for her lovely…