I watched the same father handle two near-identical conversations — one with his daughter, one with his son — completely differently. And I watched both of his kids walk out of the room taller than when they came in. That's the moment I understood why succession planning so often falls over inside otherwise brilliant farming families. It isn't the strategy. It isn't the tax structure. It's the communication style that built the place in the first place — still being used on the people you most want to keep.

She'll cringe when she reads this. She'll probably ring and tell me off. But some things need to be said out loud. Behind every strong farming family is a mum who sees what others miss — who champions quietly, holds the line through the hard seasons, and thinks decades ahead so the next generation has something worth inheriting. In this Mother's Day reflection, Ben Law honours his own mum and every mum on the land whose fingerprints are all over Australia's family farm legacies and the succession plans that protect them.

Eighteen months into the worst drought his district had ever seen, one farmer asked a question that changed everything — and it had nothing to do with the weather. With input costs biting and global pressure mounting, Ben Law shares why the greatest risk to your farm's future, and to succession planning under pressure, isn't sitting in your fuel tank or your fertiliser shed. It's the story you're telling yourself while it isn't raining.

The safest decade of your successor's life is also the one most farming families try to protect them through. But real farm succession planning for the next generation isn't about shielding them from mistakes — it's about giving them room to make the right ones early, while the cost is still low. Wrong calls. Bad ideas. Hard lessons. That's not falling behind. That's how the judgement to run a multi-generational operation gets built. Ben Law on why battle scars are the most underrated asset in any succession plan.

Most farms don't fail in the drought years. They fail when they're passed on. An old bloke once told Ben Law that surviving the tough seasons is just endurance — the real test comes when Mum and Dad step back. This is the conversation about farm succession planning that intergenerational farming families keep putting off… until the wheels fall off. Inside: why the families who get transition right look "boring on paper," and what preparation actually looks like before a crisis forces your hand.

Christmas on the farm taught Ben something money never could. As the cousins ride home in the back of the ute and the leftovers vanish, he runs a quiet exercise he calls The Rocking Chair Test — two simple questions every farming family should sit with before the next season runs away from them. It's not about slowing down. It's about making sure the life you're building is one worth remembering.

Remember when technology was meant to save us time? Instead, it shredded our days into confetti — and quietly stole something far more valuable: our presence. In this month's piece, Ben Law unpacks the spare time lie, why farming families feel it more than most, and how high-performing families reclaim focus, depth and real connection in a world that never switches off.

After decades working alongside Australia's leading farming families, Ben Law has seen the same quiet pattern play out again and again. The families who raise grounded, capable kids — and the ones who don't — aren't separated by stricter rules, better structures, or smarter governance. They're separated by one trait most people misunderstand entirely. Here's what it is, why it kills entitlement stone dead, and how to build it into the next generation before it's too late.

You've built something real. A profitable operation. A respected name. But if you're being honest, there's a hollowness to it — because success without the right people around you is a lonely game. Ben Law has seen it in the highest-performing farming families across Australia: the ones who've 'won' on paper but feel quietly stuck, uninspired, and out of step with the conversations around them. In this post, he unpacks why the room you're in matters more than most people admit — and what changes when you finally find your tribe.

Most farming families don't fail because they lack drive — they fail because they let "not right now" become their default strategy. Ben Law shares the story of two families who faced the exact same crossroads. Same season. Same pressure. Same next gen in their mid-20s. One prioritised. One didn't. The difference between them? Not luck. Not timing. Just attitude — and the choices that come with it.

If you're the one in your farming family who always initiates the hard conversations — who sees the bigger picture, who wants to move things forward — then you've probably hit this wall. You come in calm. Prepared. Open. And you walk away drained, second-guessing yourself, wondering what you did wrong. Here's what Ben Law wants you to know: you may not have done anything wrong. Some people simply aren't ready for the conversation you're trying to have. And knowing the difference between a tough conversation worth having — and a dead end dressed up as one — is one of the most powerful skills a family business leader can develop. This isn't about giving up. It's about leading smarter.

There's a conversation happening on farms across Australia right now — or more accurately, not happening. The next generation isn't sure if they're wanted back. The parents aren't sure how to ask. And everyone keeps being nice to avoid the tension. But in high-performing farming families, the ones who build real legacies don't avoid the hard conversations — they learn how to hold them. In this blog, Ben Law breaks down why being agreeable is quietly stalling your succession, and what it actually sounds like when farming families get this right.

There's a version of kindness that protects the peace. And there's another version that slowly costs your family everything. Most farming families have experienced both — and know, deep down, which one they've been choosing. In this month's post, Ben Law gets honest about why always being nice isn't the same as being good — and what real care actually looks like in a family business.

Everyone on the farm thinks you're a good bloke. Easy to talk to. Easy to get along with. But if the big decisions keep stalling, the hard conversations keep getting avoided, and your family is busy — but not really moving — being liked might actually be the problem. Ben Law spent years as a trusted adviser before he realised: rapport without influence is just noise. Here's what changed everything.

You're running a complex business, managing people, navigating family dynamics, and making every major decision solo. Sound familiar? The badge of independence that built your farm might quietly be the thing slowing it down. Ben Law unpacks the hidden cost of isolation — and what high-performing farming families do differently.

Your family isn't drifting because something went wrong. It's drifting because the right conversations never happened. Ben Law shares the questions that high-performing farming families ask — and why most families never get around to asking them.

You've done the hard yards. Built the asset base, raised strong kids, and started thinking seriously about succession. But there's one factor most farming families never plan for — and it has nothing to do with tax structures, interest rates, or commodity prices. It's who your children marry. Ben Law has seen it unfold in high-performing farming families across Australia: the slow erosion of unity, the quiet friction that builds at the edges, and the moment when everything that was carefully built starts coming apart at the seams. The good news? Families who do the work early don't leave this to chance. This blog is for those families.

When you think of a successful investor, you might picture wealthy individuals born into a world of shares and bonds, with a natural born knack for predicting market trends. However, the skills required to be a cracking investor aren't handed down like family heirlooms, they’re actually learned & earned, more often than not at the ‘school of hard knocks’.

Hard work, a never say die attitude, thinking big and sometimes just good old fashioned luck does play in multigenerational success, however it is abundantly clear to me that a key success factor is surprisingly far from glamorous—it lies in something as seemingly mundane as regular family meetings.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform your agribusiness into a financially prosperous powerhouse? I have studied this question for decades. It's natural to assume that being a ‘bloody good operator’ producer would inevitably lead to financial success. However, the reality is often quite the opposite.

People often ask me which books have had a profound impact on my life, and without a doubt, one of my top recommendations is Napoleon Hill's timeless masterpiece - "Think and Grow Rich." Don't let the fact that it was first published in 1937 fool you, this book is a classic gem that has stood the test of time.

It's natural for us to think that success & happiness are a result of external factors such as wealth, success, and material possessions. However, the fact is that our brain's perception of the world plays a much more significant role than any external factor.

Warren Buffet, one of the greatest investors of all time, famously said "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful." This timeless wisdom reminds us that allowing fear to dominate our investment decisions is a sure-fire path to failure.

Discover the Million Dollar Strategy that even Warren Buffet would approve of for sustainable investing success. It's simple, effective, and can work with any budget. Find out how this strategy could be your key to long-term wealth growth.

The first New Year’s resolutions are thought to date back over 4,000 years ago to ancient Babylon. During the Akitu festival, the ancient Babylonians would plant crops, pledge their loyalty to the reigning king, and make promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any borrowed items.

Bank fraud is on the rise...so be alert but not alarmed and remember to apply a hefty dose of good old-fashioned vigilance.

Many years ago, someone asked me, “Why do your clients seem to trust you so much, Ben?”

Strangely enough I’d never really thought about it, so my first response was that I reckon it was because my parents had taught me to be honest and always do the right thing.

Throughout history, parents placed great importance on who their children married. They sensed that choosing the right partner in life was a key ingredient to financial security and a strong and prosperous family.

It seems to me like the narrative has shifted and Agriculture is increasingly being portrayed not as the hero, but as the villain.

Most parents I speak to want their kids to learn about money and investing. The sad fact is that no one teaches them and if they do, it’s often complicated and full of technical jargon they don’t understand and can’t relate to.

Elon Musk’s controversial Tweet caught my attention last week, “It has been raining money on fools for too long,” and “There’s a rude awakening inbound!” and it got me thinking about interest rates.

In the 1980’s, interest rates skyrocket to around 18-20%. There were both winners and losers. Those with debt struggled and those with savings flourished. It was the ‘normal’ of that time and any suggestion of rates getting below 10% was met with, “You’ve got to be dreaming, mate.”

Kids are growing up in an increasingly abundant world packed with more opportunity than any previous generation has seen before. Arguably this has contributed to a growing sentiment that kids today are spoiled, entitled and don’t appreciate hard work or the value of a dollar.

If you’re serious about growing your family’s wealth, you need think & act like someone who is serious about growing their wealth.

David and Lucy were 66 and nearing retirement. They were frugal by nature and had busted their guts their whole working life squirreling away as much money as possible.

We completed retirement projections and to their delight if they invested soundly, they could retire comfortably. This included $100,000 for a few projects around the home they had been putting off for years.

The value of your farm has skyrocketed meaning your equity position is looking much stronger and because interest rates are[...]

For almost 15 years, a group of my mates have gotten together for what we affectionately call the “annual boys’[...]

Inflation. The Silent Assassin Of A Secure RetirementIf you want a financially secure retirement, never underestimate the risk posed by[...]

This month I thought I would share a difficult story with you. Some time ago I received a call from[...]

Looking at it practically, it is easy to construct a solid argument that the Aged Pension safety net will not[...]

Sir Richard Branson once famously said, "Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make it complicated..."I believe this is especially[...]

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but[...]

The doctor can prescribe the medication but if you want to see results,  you have to actually decide to take[...]

As a parent, one of the greatest priorities in our life is ensuring our children and grandchildren are happy and[...]

At some point, many of us will need to get involved with moving a loved one into Aged Care -[...]

It’s that time of year again, the festive season is over and we’re back to reality. In fact, many of[...]

Buying a new farm is one of life’s most exciting milestones - falling in love with your ideal place, visiting[...]

Congratulations. You are in the process of selling, or have recently sold the farm. My experience suggests that, whilst emotions[...]

I love Christmas and I have ever since I was a kid growing up. It was that one time of the[...]

Investing in your children, or grandchildren’s, future. With the arrival of our daughter Sophie in June 2016, like all new dads,[...]

I totally understand that when you are in the midst of a full-blown drought, just focusing on surviving day to[...]

I was watching cartoons on the weekend with my little girl Sophie and I was thinking about all my favourite[...]

It was the late 1990’s, I was 22 and fresh out of university and I got caught up in the[...]

Huh? How the hell is a bank like a chainsaw you might well ask? Well check out why in my[...]

Most farmers have either never heard of Financial Freedom, or think that it just doesn’t relate to them. If I[...]

I know it is a slight exaggeration but I have heard almost a million times in some form or another,“Ben,[...]

While I was at the Ekka this week helping my Dad out with his cattle, it got me thinking about[...]

Over the almost 20 years I have been a Financial Planner, I have heard the following 8 comments (in varying[...]

I expect that the unexpected is not so really unexpected after all…Now I know that is a bit of a[...]

​2016 Value of Advice Awards​Here’s a story for you. It is a little long but bear with me if you[...]

I read recently that Paul Shervish of Boston College estimated between 1998 & 2052, $28-$118 trillion in wealth will be[...]

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim RohnThis is one of[...]

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it….He who doesn’t… pays it” –[...]

“Investing is simple, it just isn’t easy.” – Warren Buffett I’d like to tell you a quick story.  Back in[...]

I regularly meet people that clearly know there are key areas in their financial situation that desperately need attention.  They[...]