The simple money advice I always give my closest friends

October 2, 2026 — 3:57pm

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There’s a certain tone, and maybe head tilt, friends give me when they want to talk about money. It’s usually accompanied by a: “Hey, Nicole”.

It often happens at trigger points in their lives – the points where most of us suddenly get serious, or at least curious, about savvy financial strategy. Graduating and starting work, getting married, definitely, having a baby, are some. Divorce, turning 50, the scary realisation you’re not far from drawing down your super and it’s looking sad, are others.

No matter what the trigger, there’s a simple piece of advice I give first, before going into detail. It’s this: You control your money, it doesn’t control you!

Here are my three oft-repeated, all-important follow-up points.

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