About this episode

Tom Hawley joins James Smith to discuss the hidden mechanisms behind Australia's cost-of-living crisis and the implications of inflation as a policy choice.

Tom Hawley joins James Smith to expose the deliberate machinery behind a cost-of-living crisis most people don't even know is happening to them. The co-founder of Azura Financial, one of Australia's top 10 brokerages and a three-time Residential Broker of the Year, Hawley argues that inflation isn't a natural force but a policy choice, a quiet tax on your purchasing power that hits lower and middle-income earners hardest precisely because they can't see it. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Tom Hawley on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tom_hawley_/ Azura Financial – https://www.azurafinancial.com.au Chapters: 00:00 The Hidden Tax Nobody Voted For 01:13 What Is Inflation Really? 04:11 Why Governments Want Your Money to Lose Value 06:44 Capital Gains: How the Goalposts Just Moved 08:01 Why High-Growth Investment Gets Punished Most 09:08 James's Plan to Dodge the Tax Man 10:30 Is the Stock Market Even Worth the Risk Now? 13:35 Are Australia's Politicians Thick or Deceptive? 15:35 Did Labor…

Sponsors

Neutonic, Manual, James Smith Business, James Smith Academy

More episodes of The Problem With...

• The Problem With Running A Small Business: Diren Kartal · June 23, 2026 · 1h 16m
• The Problem With Splitting The Difference: Chris Voss · June 16, 2026 · 58 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Problem With... podcast page.