From $100k to 10M: Your windfall game plan!

In this week's Friends With Money episode, host Ryan Johnson speaks with financial adviser David Sharpe, chair of the Financial Advice Association Australia FAAA) about how to react to a sudden windfall—from $100,000 to $1 million, $10 million and even $1 billion. Sharpe advises first confirming the money is real, then slowing down to avoid emotional decisions, and keeping the news private (limited to a spouse and trusted professionals). They discuss balancing lifestyle spending with long-term goals, and how priorities shift by amount and life stage: using $100,000 for a home deposit or improving retirement cashflow, weighing debt repayment by interest cost (credit cards first; student debt is typically lower-cost), and the tax advantages versus access restrictions of superannuation. 00:38 First steps after a windfall: Verify, pause, and avoid emotional moves 01:53 Who to tell (and who not to): Keeping your windfall private 02:33 Spend vs save: Building a plan that matches what you value 04:00 Windfall playbook: What to do with $100,000 05:05 Debt, HECS and priorities: Paying down the right loans first 06:13 Superannuation trade-offs: Tax benefits vs access to your money 07:30 If the $100k came from selling an investment: Reinvesting and tax 08:05 Scenario two: How $1 million changes the plan 09:43 Mortgage vs shares: Tax smarts, borrowing back and debt recycling 11:43 Inheritance checks: Asset types, CGT and what you actually keep 12:21 Scenario three: $10 million—Financial freedom, purpose and relationships 14:26 Trusts and SMSFs explained: When structures help (and when they don’t) 16:06 Intergenerational wealth transfer: Common estate and entity mistakes 18:00 Just for fun: What to do with $1 billion (and the responsibility) Podcast Links: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Money Website YouTube Podcast Playlist Email Us: podcast@moneymag.com.au Get stories like this in our newsletter: bit.ly/3GDirbR

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From $100k to 10M: Your windfall game plan! is an episode from Friends With Money by Money Magazine.

This episode is 20:07 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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