The Australian’s wealth of talent for new digital first vertical

The Australian’s wealth team will break down the jargon and deliver real insights that will help you make smarter money choices no matter what stage of the financial journey you are on.

The Australian’s wealth team: (Front L-R) Julie-anne Sprague, James Kirby. (Back L-R) Megan Neil, Anthony Keane and Cliona O'Dowd.

The Australian has assembled one of the most experienced wealth and finance reporting teams in the country to break down the jargon and deliver real insights that will help you make smarter money choices no matter what stage of the financial journey you are on.

Wealth editor Julie-anne Sprague is a finance journalist with more than 20 years’ experience. She joined The Australian following a career at The Australian Financial Review, where she most recently edited its Rich Lists and hosted its popular podcast How I Made It. An accomplished broadcaster, Sprague hosted a talkback program for Perth’s 6PR. She’s worked in newsrooms across Melbourne, Sydney and London, where she covered stockmarkets for The Independent.

James Kirby, associate editor – wealth, is one of Australia’s leading commentators on investment, having previously worked on The Australian Financial Review and The South China Morning Post. He was a co-founder and managing editor at Eureka Report, is an author of several business books and hosts The Australian’s The Money Puzzle podcast.

Wealth reporter Anthony Keane has more than 20 years’ experience and is a former national personal finance editor for News Corp Australia’s metropolitan mastheads. He has a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.

Reporter and producer Megan Neil also has more than two decades of experience, including with news service AAP, where she held various roles including finance editor and covered the financial services royal commission. She has also worked for digital real estate company REA Group (majority-owned by News Corp), covering residential and commercial property.

Cliona O’Dowd, who has worked at The Australian since 2016, is a former editor at Business Spectator and covers superannuation and investing.

Joining our experienced reporters is a team of leading professionals who will help readers understand financial markets and assist them to make smarter money moves.

A new column, Dollars & Sense, gives readers direct access to respected financial advisers

including Prosper Advisory’s Josh Pennell, the author of the finance book What Parents Want. Helen Baker is an experienced adviser and founder of On Your Own Two Feet, an Australia-wide service dedicated to empowering women to gain and retain their financial freedom. Joining them is Perth-based Jason Featherby, who has more than 25 years’ experience and is founder and executive director of Leeuwin Wealth, and James Gerrard, founder of financial advisory firm financialadviser.com.au.

Gerrard, a leading financial planner with more than two decades of experience, will also pen a weekly column, keeping readers up to date on trends in managing money and offering top tips and insights to help you structure your finances so that you can get ahead.

Roger Montgomery, a fund manager with more than three decades of experience in funds management and equity analysis, will provide key insights into markets and investing.

Adding to the depth of the team are global reporters based in the US and UK. The wealth section is backed by The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and The Times.