Our Team

James KirbyAssociate Editor – Wealth

James Kirby, Associate Editor-Wealth, is one of Australia’s most experienced financial journalists. James hosts The Australian’s twice-weekly Money Puzzle podcast.He is a regular commentator on radio and television, the author of several business biographies and has served on the Walkley Awards Advisory BoardHe was a co-founder and managing editor at Business Spectator and Eureka Report and has previously worked at the Australian Financial Review and the South China Morning Post. Since January 2025 James is a director of Ecstra, the financial literacy foundation.

@kirby_journo

Latest

iPhone WillsBusiness

FILE - A child holds an iPhone at an Apple store on Sept. 25, 2015 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

The $10m will left on an iPhone

A remarkable NSW court case to determine the validity of a $10m will drafted on an iPhone, shows how technology is upending the staid world of estate planning.

James Kirby

Super TaxWealth

Mature woman helping elderly mother with paperwork

Retired public servants to go after Chalmers’ new super tax

The representative body for 700,000 retired public servants is preparing its case to overturn the plan to apply the new super tax on defined benefit pensions.

James Kirby

Super TaxWealth

Aerial view of Melbourne city CBD high-rise towers from Port Melbourne and Southbank above residential suburb house roofs and local streets, roads, cars and parks.

The looming tax squeeze for property investors

Property investors are facing an unprecedented double taxation on imaginary profits thanks to the combination of the new super tax and state-based schemes.

James Kirby

WealthWealth

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 28, 2025: Finance Minister Jim Chalmers during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard

How Chalmers’ super tax has franked dividends in its sights

It’s been labelled ‘economic vandalism’ and now a superannuation specialist has exposed how Labor’s extra hit on super funds will tax franking credit refunds.

James Kirby

wealthWealth

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - May 20, 2025: Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Treasurer’s new super tax will hit more than forecast

ATO data proves beyond doubt how the proposed new super tax will quickly capture hundreds of thousands of extra investors.

James Kirby

MortgagesWealth

Mackay aerial, generic, housing, real estate, property. Picture: Rae Wilson.

Why homeowners are rushing to refinance their mortgages

Cash-strapped Australians are rushing to free up money by refinancing their home loans at lower interest rates.

James Kirby

WealthWealth

Business graph digital concept, rising debt investment generic

Super tax ‘escape hatch’ not for everyone

Investment bonds are red hot as an alternative to superannuation, but top advisers often don’t like them. Here’s why.

James Kirby

AnalysisBusiness

Mobile phone service concept - Woman texting with question marks on a blackboard. confused investor generic.

New super tax will hit younger workers with modest balances

Millions of younger workers with lower super balances will get caught up in a tax plan supposedly meant to target the wealthy. It’s another example of its poor design.

James Kirby

WealthWealth

A worker lays out one kilogram gold cast bars with 99.99% purity ready for sale at the ABC Refinery in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Do gold investors face a reversal of fortune?

Investors rushed into gold this year as a safe haven from the tanking sharemarket but now a turnaround threatens to flatten the demand for the precious metal.

James Kirby

WealthWealth

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 26: A general view of a construction site in the Melbourne CBD with a large apartment complex in the background on March 26, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. The budget is expected to return to deficit after two years of surplus, focusing on cost-of-living relief measures, including extended electricity rebates and increased healthcare spending, while also addressing economic challenges and potential voter concerns ahead of the upcoming federal election. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

SMSF borrowing under increased threat from new super tax

As the government seeks to get its controversial super tax over the line, the Self Managed Super Fund borrowing sector will be under fresh pressure.

James Kirby

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/james-kirby