Nick Bruining
Nick Bruining explains the rules that govern household money and retirement, turning complex entitlements and investment structures into straightforward guidance for everyday readers. He is an independent financial adviser and long-running personal finance columnist at The West Australian, with more than three decades of experience in the financial advice industry. Trained as an economist, he focuses on simplifying complex finance topics, stripping away jargon and marketing language so people can see the real implications for their savings and income. His work centres on retirement income, age pension rules, superannuation and the practical decisions people face as they move towards and through retirement.
Personal finance rules and entitlements
Bruining repeatedly takes government and institutional rules that determine people’s income and pulls them apart in plain language. Recent work includes step-by-step explainers on Centrelink’s pension tests and how different assets and income streams interact with eligibility, written for readers who need a clear path through complex means-testing. He writes Q&A style pieces on topics such as banking an inheritance, boosting superannuation balances and keeping access to the age pension, framing answers around the specific rules and thresholds that apply. His tone is direct and instructional, focused on spelling out what matters and removing “spin” so readers understand the trade-offs behind each choice.
Retirement income, superannuation and pensions
Retirement planning is at the core of Bruining’s coverage.
He writes dedicated series and columns on maximising income in retirement, combining superannuation balances, pension entitlements and other assets into sustainable spending plans. His coverage of early retirement options looks at questions such as delaying access to super while building other savings, and how those decisions interact with long-term income needs.
Age pension design is a recurring theme, with columns explaining how tests work, what changes mean for different household types, and how readers can avoid common traps when structuring their affairs.
Investment choices and risk management
Bruining’s investment coverage focuses on everyday investors rather than market movements. He writes about century-old savings instruments that help high-income earners reduce capital gains tax, explaining why they suit certain profiles and how they fit alongside superannuation and other holdings. In coverage of private credit, he highlights advisers’ concerns about risk and encourages readers to reconsider concentrated positions in these newer products.
Occasional pieces on topics such as bitcoin place speculative assets within the broader context of personal risk tolerance and regulatory settings, giving non-specialist investors a simple framework for decision-making.
Consumer-focused advice and advocacy
Many of Bruining’s columns take a consumer advocacy angle, using specific experiences to expose systemic issues in services that matter for older and retired people.
In writing about the home care system, he combines first-hand experience with detailed explanation of funding and service rules, highlighting where administration and communication fall short for clients who rely on these programs. Columns on taxis and ride-share services turn a simple incident into a discussion of pricing, service standards and accountability, reflecting his broader interest in how markets treat everyday customers.
Pieces on the cost of financial advice argue for structural changes that would lower barriers to quality guidance, linking industry regulation directly to what households pay and the help they receive.
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Aaron Bell
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Adam McCleery
Adam McCleery tracks the money and deals shaping advertising and media agencies. He is a journalist at AdNews, covering agency pitches, account moves, media buying decisions, budgets, contracts and settlements. His beat sits between finance, media and marketing, with a focus on advertiser confidence, commercial outcomes and the pressures facing agencies, brands and media owners. He reports on television, streaming, subscription models and platform strategies, as well as artificial intelligence, data, privacy and ad technology. His past work spans print, digital and business-to-business titles. He writes in a straightforward, deal-driven style. He follows how brands review, consolidate or shift agency relationships, and how pricing, measurement, fragmentation, policy and economic conditions affect spending, investment, risk and the value of agency services.
Adelaide Miller
Adelaide Miller is an award-winning national business reporter at the ABC who stands out for linking markets coverage with accountability reporting on how finance, regulation and corporate decisions affect workers, consumers and small businesses. She covers superannuation, small business obligations, the ASX, global indices, inflation, government debt, investor sentiment, cryptocurrency, corporate conduct, mortgage stress, and consumer impact. She reports on the gap between legislative intent and on-the-ground practice, and she often uses data, live markets context, and direct reporting from affected people. Her background includes ABC Investigations, Background Briefing, and Four Corners. She also has reported on AI-driven political campaigning, Telstra’s Senate inquiry scrutiny, family law, and a personal essay on her grandmother’s dementia. She works across TV, radio, online, and podcast formats.
Adeshola Ore
Adeshola Ore reports on finance and public policy through their effects on everyday life. They are a reporter at the Guardian, covering tax debates, public spending, institutional policy and the communities shaped by them. Their beat also includes politics, rights, social equity, climate, migration, Indigenous policy, agriculture, food safety and public health. Notable reporting has covered bird flu and egg supplies, catastrophic floods, death cap mushroom poisonings, refugee communities, university misconduct and place-naming rules in Tasmania. Earlier work included global climate conferences, international affairs and social policy. Ore reports through live political coverage, ground-level interviews, documents and hearings. They write news features and explainers that clarify complex rules, risks and rights. They also contribute to the Guardian’s daily news podcast, bringing field reporting and interviews with affected communities into wider discussions of politics and policy.