Hi Hashers - I thought this might be of interest to some of you.
An event on in Lismore this week.
Alternative Root 🐾👣👣🐾
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Scott Pape <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2022, 4:34 pm
Subject: Come have a beer with me
To: Mary-Anne <Mameginess@xxxxxxxxx>
[image: The Barefoot Investor]
Hi Mary-Anne,
I was standing in the middle of the main street, staring up at the tops of
the buildings.
Locals passed by, giving me strange looks.
What I was doing was trying to picture an ocean of water on the very spot
where I was standing … because that’s what happened in Lismore in February.
“We were expecting water to reach 1.3 metres”, said Sarah, the owner of the
40-year-old Lismore Book Warehouse, when I met her. “That was the highest
the floods had ever reached before.”
This time, the water reached a peak of … 14.3 metres in her store!
That day Sarah lost $215,000 worth of books, none of which were insured.
The next day she got in her boat and started searching for and rescuing
people in her community.
“We’re not a rich area, but we stick together”, she says.
Sarah used Google Maps to get around, yet the roads she normally drove on
were now as much as 5 metres below her, underwater. “Cows were coming past
us with their heads bobbing up and down as they were swept downstream to
their deaths.”
It was total, utter devastation.
“You know, at the time, I didn’t know whether Lismore would make it
through”, Sarah told me.
And when the water eventually subsided the true scale of the destruction –
and the rotting stench – became clear. The place looked and smelled like a
rubbish tip for months.
The Lismore library had lost 30,000 books, and has never reopened.
“I knew that Lismore needed a bookshop”, she said.
And so, with the determination of a small business owner with her back to
the wall, Sarah and her loyal team spent the next four-and-a-half months
slogging away putting the family-owned bookstore back together.
“I’m just really *proud* we’re here today”, says Sarah.
So when my publishers were drawing up plans for the official launch of my
new bestselling book, *Barefoot Kids*, they asked whether I wanted it to be
held in Sydney or Melbourne.
“Neither”, I said. “I want it in Lismore.”
Yes, I’m really proud to say that I will be hosting my official book launch
at the Lismore Book Warehouse this Thursday night (Sold out!).
*Tread Your Own Path!*
P.S. Straight after the book launch from 7pm, I’ll be heading over to a
local pub (Hotel Metropole) to host a *“**Beer With Barefoot*
<https://jppdvw2l.r.ap-southeast-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com.au%2Fe%2F460628360827/1/010801845095a79f-2f99d55e-cf4e-446e-bc96-fc02bc08e8a6-000000/64iV1tONWjUN1w-SwLyMf6gs_lo=75>
*”*, with a serious purpose. If you are a local and are struggling
financially, please come along and let me (and a few of my financial
counsellor mates) help you sort things out. It’s totally free. It’s totally
independent. It’s totally confidential. And I’ll totally shout you a beer.
*Your Questions & Answers*
- The $67,000 Insurance Policy?
- FOGO the Radio Waves
- Have a Beer With Me
*The $67,000 Insurance Policy?*
*Scott, My husband and I are in our early fifties and earn $100,000
combined a year. We paid $67,000 this year for life insurance, including
critical illness and income protection. And we have now been notified that
my husband’s super is all depleted as the payments were auto-deducted from
his super! We thought everything was okay, as we have been with our
financial advisor for 28 years. Now we don’t know where to go to get out of
this costly mess. Please help! Renae and Peter*
Hi guys,
You have every right to feel stressed, and as angry as an alpaca!
My advice?
You need to get a bit of alpaca attitude and stomp and hiss and spit until
you get this sorted.
On your income – and presumably your super fund balance – it is totally
unacceptable to be paying $67,000 for an insurance policy. It’s absolutely
ridiculous. It’s simply draining your super fund.
Now I understand I’m only getting your side of the story, but if your
financial advisor of 28 years has overseen this – and profited by pocketing
thousands of dollars in trailing commissions – they should be held
accountable.
Here’s what I’d do if I were in your shoes.
First, gather up all your supporting documents: insurance records, emails
from your advisor, statements of advice (SOAs) and payment records.
Second, write about the emotional toll this is having on your family. Be as
raw and emotional as you want. Bleed on the page. Get it all out.
Third, bundle it all up via email and take the following four steps: 1)
Email it to your financial advisor’s compliance department ‒ you’ll get the
contact details in their Financial Services Guide (FSG); 2) Lodge a
complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) at
afca.org.au; 3) Send it to a good lawyer; 4) Finally, send it to the
compliance department of the insurer you paid $67,000 to.
Remember: be an alpaca. Hiss, spit and bite if you have to. Don’t take a
backward step.
*FOGO the Radio Waves*
*Hey Scott, So they’re building a nice 40-foot NBN tower in our street. I’m
not happy. The health risks and environmental risks are huge, plus property
prices are also negatively affected as who wants to live near that? If we
were in the suburbs I might expect this, yet we’re not. We bought 10 acres
in the Gold Coast hinterland for the healthy lifestyle, and our street is
full of families and kids. Never did I expect an NBN tower to pop up. The
guy who’s allowing it on his property will be getting paid a pretty penny
for it I’m sure. So what can we do? My initial thought is to sell and get
away as quickly as possible. Or do we rent it out to someone who’s brave
enough to live near this tower? Sarah*
Hi Sarah,
Seriously?
Look, I’m not going to weigh in on the health risks argument (however, next
week I know I’ll get at least 150 emails from people who will).
Yet what I am picking up are your personal radio waves, and it’s clear
you’re stressed to the max.
It’s kind of like having Clive Palmer move in next door. He’s probably not
going to hurt you, yet watching him drag his overstuffed FOGO bin to the
curb each Wednesday night isn’t exactly a selling point for your street.
You’ve said that your initial thought is to “sell and get away as quickly
as possible”. That’s your gut talking, and here’s a tip from Clive – you
should listen to it.
Look, life is too short to live in a place that brings you constant
anxiety.
After all, what’s going to kill you is the stress … *not* the radio waves.
*Have a Beer With Me*
*Hi Scott, Thank you so much for last week’s column about helping the
pensioner with the insurance claim. I live in South Lismore and I’m still
waiting for my insurance payout, and it is increasingly difficult to get
any information from the insurance company. Your column has given me the
much-needed incentive to keep fighting for what I am entitled to, not what
they think I should settle for!Elise*
Hi Elise,
You are exactly the type of Lismore local I want to meet this Thursday
night!
If you can, please come to my book launch, or my community event at the
Hotel Metropole at 7.00pm (RSVP required, see below). Please spread the
word with your friends. As someone who’s lived through a natural disaster
myself, I know I can help.
And bring along your book and I'll sign it on the night.
Thanks for reading,
[image: Scott]
*Barefoot Kids Book Launch*
Where: The Book Warehouse Lismore,
109 Keen Street Lismore, NSW 2480
Date: Thu, 10 November
Time: 5.00pm to 7.00pm
*SOLD OUT! *
*A Beer with Barefoot *
Where: Hotel Metropole Lismore,
98 Keen St, Lismore NSW 2480
Date: Thu, 10 November
Time: 7.00pm to 8.30pm
RSVP required
Book your spot here
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*Today is LAUNCH DAY! *Pick up a copy of my brand new bestseller here
<https://jppdvw2l.r.ap-southeast-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.barefootinvestor.com%2Fbooks/1/010801845095a79f-2f99d55e-cf4e-446e-bc96-fc02bc08e8a6-000000/mhHPfIn0NevqLCWIlozpmOMHXfs=75>
...
<https://jppdvw2l.r.ap-southeast-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.bigw.com.au%2Fproduct%2Fbarefoot-kids-your-epic-money-adventure-by-scott-pape%2Fp%2F251588/1/010801845095a79f-2f99d55e-cf4e-446e-bc96-fc02bc08e8a6-000000/V8xBQPWgocp9zVM-cPYidln4jmw=75>
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*Please Read This, It’s Important.*
* *
This information is general in nature and does not take into account your
personal financial situation. It is for educational purposes only, and does
not constitute formal financial advice. You should always seek personal
financial advice that is tailored to your specific needs. Scott Pape is an
independent, community-based, financial counsellor.
Facing financial hardship? Call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007
[image: The Barefoot Investor]
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