Graeme Holm, founder of Infinity Group and widely known as Australia’s original Money Mentor, has spent nearly two decades in financial services helping Australians break free from debt. His tough-love, client-driven approach has earned him recognition as Finance Broker of the Year 2019 and a place in the MBA Top 100 Brokers list in both 2017 and 2018. He is also the author of The Money Mentor, an international bestseller that shows homeowners how to pay off a mortgage in as little as seven years.
Graeme’s message is direct: financial freedom doesn’t come from shortcuts or early retirement. It comes from discipline, accountability, and purpose. As he puts it, “Everyone thinks, I’ll invest, I’ll quit, and I’ll do nothing. That’s broke people thinking. People who love what they do, who are genuinely driven to create impact, don’t want to retire. They don’t want to stop — they want to keep building.”
This philosophy is shaped by Graeme’s own journey. Raised in Housing Commission by a single mother, he grew up with very little but learned resilience from hardship. Even as a child, he showed entrepreneurial grit — once cutting roses from a neighbour’s garden, wrapping them in foil from another, and selling them back so he could buy his mum a Mother’s Day gift. It’s this resourcefulness, combined with discipline, that later defined his career.
Holm also argues that Australia’s financial system is stacked against everyday families. “Paying the minimum repayment is guaranteeing the bank their profit. Australians are stuck in the wrong psychology — chasing cheap interest rates but stretching them over 30 years. That’s not cheaper, that’s more expensive. If you want freedom, you need to smash the debt, not service it forever.” His Infinity Group model helps clients flip that script, building accountability and structuring loans to be paid off in 10 to 15 years instead of 30.
Graeme knows the stakes first-hand. In 2012, after a divorce, he was $248,000 in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. Four years later, he had rebuilt enough to purchase a multimillion-dollar home. He credits that turnaround to absolute honesty, a strict budget, and the discipline to prioritise needs over wants. “Everyone says they’re struggling, but then they’re buying bottles on Friday night. Stop lying to yourself. Be honest about where your money is going, and decide what’s a need versus a want.”
Yet for Holm, money itself isn’t the end goal. It’s the purpose behind it. He speaks openly about his “why” — the children he doesn’t yet have. “When my kids are born, I don’t want to work because I have to. I want to be at every school reading, every soccer game, every canteen duty. That’s what drives me. That’s why I’ll outwork everyone now. So when that day comes, I’ll have the choice.”
Choice, he believes, is the true definition of wealth. Not early retirement, not a life of doing nothing — but the freedom to decide how you spend your time and what you build along the way. Or, as he puts it, “You can’t beat someone who doesn’t quit.”
👉 For the full story and unfiltered insights, listen to Graeme Holm’s episode on the Bothsides Podcast.
