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Brighter / / Jimmy Rees on investing time in family and finances

Jimmy Rees on money lessons, rainy-day funds and struggling at tax time

Aussie comedian and former children’s entertainer Jimmy Rees shares his thoughts on balancing smart financial moves and investing in yourself.

  • Jimmy balances smart saving with living in the moment, investing in both his finances and time with his family of five.
  • He’s learnt the value of a rainy-day fund the hard way, after watching savings vanish when unexpected costs hit.
  • Jimmy is honest about struggling with taxes and the relief of being able to pay for help.

Though best known for his comedic stylings on shows like Giggle and Hoot, Jimmy Rees has recently built quite a following on YouTube and TikTok, where he shares short, laugh-out-loud skits. In this chat with Brighter, he reflects on spending habits, quality time with loved ones and just how confusing taxes can be.

How would you describe your spending style?

I don’t look at the account and just go for it. My wife and I like to save and invest but we do like to have a little bit of cash to spend because we’ve got three children and we want to give them a nice, fun life. If we want to go on an adventure, we want to know there’s money there to do that.

What’s the best money lesson you’ve ever learnt?

That’s a hard question. The best money lesson I’ve ever learnt is that you can have the best of both worlds and make your money work for you. Be mildly conservative and do all the traditional things like making sure your debts are paid down but you should also be investing in yourself. It is actually worth a lot in the long run. 

What do you wish you’d known when you first started earning money?

That your car will break down eventually and all of the cash that you saved from the tips at that restaurant you worked at will be wiped out in one go. You know the old rainy-day fund? It rains a lot!

What’s something you’re still figuring out when it comes to financial fitness?

I definitely don’t have it all down pat. It’s very hard. I’m still trying to figure out taxes. What’s going on there? Luckily we can pay other people to do that for us!

What does success look like to you?

I think success is being comfortable and being able to do the things that you would like to do – within reason – without being stressed about finances. I think that’s success for me. 

Being in a nice, comfortable position where, if we wanted to, we could go on a modest holiday and have a great time with the family and not worry about the finances. It’s being able to do something that’s going to create memories just by being together somewhere. It doesn’t mean having a bajillion dollars. I don’t think anyone needs that, really! 

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Published: 1 January 2026

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