Ashok Business Consulting Group

11/11/2025

Public Accountants hear many client life stories, often the kind that even their own family members may not know of.

One such story that stayed with me is of a client who, just over a decade ago, did not have enough to buy McDonald’s for their children.

Today, they are one of the most successful clients I have had the privilege to work with. They have ticked almost every box of advice we have given (and some against recommendation too :P )

Very savvy with money. Never seen anyone like it!

They once took me to a business premise and said they had spent hours for many days at a cafe across the street, quietly monitoring foot traffic and other subtle cues before deciding whether to buy it. Now that’s due diligence! 😄

They are clear about when to hang up their boots.

Despite not needing to work anymore, they remain one of the hardest working people I know. This becomes easier when either you love your work or love to take on challenges.

A while back their health wasn’t in great shape either but they turned that around too.

Most inspiring of all, they’re now passing their skills (and life lessons) to their teenage child.

It is a privilege to work with clients like these. They push you to think outside the box as they come up with some of the most outrageous questions and unique problems.

Their drive is contagious.

A book could be written on this story. But let’s leave it at this for now.

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23/09/2025

Thank you The Institute of Financial Professionals Australia for the below recognition and nominations.

The accounting industry is thriving and it is a privilege to contribute to its growth alongside brilliant peers.

Our profession is evolving fast with tech, regulation and client expectations so thrilled to play a small part in lifting standards and outcomes for clients.

Congratulations to all Finalists. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the event next month!

15/08/2025

Performance reviews get clearer (and calmer) when we centre them on the purpose of the business - why it started, where it is now, and where it needs to go

If the business exists to fund a certain lifestyle for e.g and create meaningful work, then the question becomes: how do we maintain lifestyle while lifting salaries, profitability and cashflow?

Over time you grow key people. Give them real insight into how the business performs while anchoring every conversation back to purpose.

It’s interesting to watch expectations adjust. Ambitious team members begin to see possibilities they hadn’t considered.

Conversation focus shifts to how do we create more value from what we have now without giving up more time or energy?

That opens the door to profit sharing and targeted perks.

And that’s when the founder’s time starts to free up as well because the team is thinking like owners.

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09/08/2025

Met a successful GP this week - mid-40s, few investment properties, healthy cash flow.

Looking to keep building on.

He had the following right questions to start with:

>Are my structures appropriate?
>Are these helping me save on tax?

and it stops there. A common pattern.

It is always a delight to lead clients on to open up new perspectives and seeing their reaction as their minds explore.

What if saving tax is not the only priority?

What if I can do both - save tax and build wealth?

and finally - what am I actually trying to achieve?

First the why, then the how - aligned. Strategy and Tactics.

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21/07/2025

The kind of meeting you want first thing on a Monday morning.

Client turning 50 next year.

Bought his first home just two years ago.

That home has grown by nearly 20% each year since.

But what stood out most in today’s conversation wasn’t the numbers.

Two years ago, he wasn’t even sure if home ownership was possible.

Today, he’s talking about wealth building, wealth protection, and long-term legacy planning.

From:

"How do I save on tax?"

To:

"How do I build and protect wealth with the end goal in mind?"

what it’s all about - helping clients evolve from short-term decisions to long-term strategies.

Client came in today not to do his tax return but just to seek assurance and have a chat.

It’s a privilege to be part of that journey.

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15/05/2025

May 15th is done. Another year dusted.

Of all the years, this one stands out for the orchestration of it. Rallying clients, aligning the team, navigating the chaos and somehow, making it all land.

What happens in public practice between April and June is largely invisible to the outside world. Largely underappreciated :)

As the curtain closed last night, I received this message from a client:

"Also Unni, I never thanked you for throughout the last year or so, I would email you with questions and you’d respond with a great amount of detail. I never mentioned that I appreciated that, so thank you."

A poetic finish. Truly.

The jets are taking off again to scramble for the EOFY mission ;)

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11/04/2025

More net salary for individuals with a student loan from 1 July 2025, except for the top bracket.

Minimum income threshold for compulsory repayments of HELP-HECS debt is proposed to increase from $54,435 to $67,000 from 1 July 2025.

Also, as per the Budget, A 20% reduction in all Australian’s student debt (regardless of income) is also proposed to take effect before indexation is applied on 1 June 2025.

The annual compulsory repayments are calculated upon lodgement of the individual’s tax return.

11/04/2025

Culmination of ‘Surgical Tax Planning’

It started with a client concerned about the dividends flowing through multiple entities.

Was the structure right to:
--> Utilise franking credits?
--> Push income to the lowest tax rate individual?
--> Maximise after-tax cash as a family group?

Got my staff involved from the start.

And that made all the difference - to the final output and team development.

We quickly realised how differently we each viewed the same situation. Not because anyone was wrong - but because of factors like:

--> Our individual knowledge exposure
--> Ability (or inability) to see the bigger picture
--> How we each decipher issues
--> Willingness to step into the client’s shoes
--> And whether we could shift our perspective

When Amber said, “This solution is not incorrect… but it’s incomplete,” - I knew we were onto something.

That right there was gold.

So the next step was to look at what is being measured. What are we trying to achieve here?

--> tax efficiency?
--> cash retained?
--> immediate benefits?
--> long term benefits?
--> asset protection?

Back to the drawing boards to reframe the strategy.

From which angle was the client looking at it, what were the missing pieces and why did they matter?

In the end, after a week, during a 1:1 client session and after many "lets take a step back" moments, it finally clicked to the client.

Moral of the story?

As advisers, the real skill is in keeping ourselves open.
-->Open to new perspectives.
-->Open to better questions.
-->Open to seeing the same situation differently.

This one wasn’t just tax planning. It was perspective, narration and logical planning.

And what a brain workout it was!

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26/03/2025

Budget 2025-26: Show Me The Money

1) Individuals & families:

Modest two stage personal income tax cut from 1 July 2026.

The saving from the tax cut represents a maximum of $268 in the 2026-27 year and $536 from the 2027-28 year.

2) Energy Bills:

Households and small business will receive an additional automatic credit of $150 on their energy bills in quarterly instalments between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2025.

3) The Medicare levy low-income threshold exempts low-income earners from having to pay the levy. From 1 July 2024, the threshold for the exemption will increase.

4) ‘Help to buy’ program extended

Housing Australia provides eligible participants with a Commonwealth equity contribution of up to 30% of the purchase price of an existing home and up to

40% of the purchase price of a new home. That is, they will give you the money and take a stake in your home.

Originally, to be eligible for the program, the income threshold for a single was $90,000 and, for joint participants, $120,000. The Budget increases this threshold to $100,000 and $160,000 respectively. Additional conditions apply.

5) Business & employers

Ban non-compete clauses for low and middle-income employees (under the Fair Work Act high income threshold is currently $175,000). Non‑compete clauses are conditions in employment contracts that prevent or restrict an employee from moving to a competitor.

Two previously announced measures of note that have not passed Parliament but remain in the Budget are:

· Tax on super accounts above $3m (a 30% tax on future earnings for superannuation balances above $3 million); and

· The $20,000 instant asset write-off for small business for 2024-25.

13/03/2025

Living/lifestyle expenses

You need disposable cash to be able to implement strategies to optimise your tax affairs, setup appropriate protection structures and pay for expert advice.

Why?

For e.g. to save tax let's say, you will often need to spend or invest in the right areas to be able to claim it as a tax deduction.

I have seen many wealthy and high-income earners not able to dig deep into their pockets due to cash flow issues.

Hence, they lose out on having the desired strategies implemented, take shortcuts and remain exposed - risking all their wealth accumulated and depleting it for their future generations.

So the primary task is a review of living/lifestyle expenses. Most people have thousands of $$$ that are leaking annually.

Has to be one of the most overlooked areas.

This is money that should be working for you, instead of vanishing unnoticed.

With live cashflow monitoring systems (not spreadsheets!), clients are seeing exactly how and where their money is flowing to.

And better still, they are able to monitor and budget expenses.

Financial transparency creates control and control fosters accountability

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