Josh Frydenberg is in a better position than most of his Liberal colleagues heading into a difficult federal election.
If his party beats the odds and returns for a fourth term of government under Scott Morrison, he will remain in the crucial role of treasurer.
If not, there is a very good chance he will be leading the party from opposition.
Scandals have left a mark on many of his ministerial colleagues - justified or not - who felt they were destined to lead the Liberal party at some stage of their political careers.
But the treasurer has largely skated through like a modern day Steven Bradbury.
While Mr Frydenberg was severely mocked for prematurely declaring a surplus in his first budget in 2019 - collector item "Back in Black" mugs are still gathering dust - he now stands at the helm of an economy that has rapidly recovered from the first recession in nearly 30 years.
Whether through luck or astute management, the economy now stands 3.4 per cent larger than before the pandemic and unemployment has dropped to a 14-year low of four per cent and destined to go even lower.
While economic support during the early pandemic came at a huge cost to the budget, the financial books are set to be in substantially better shape when Mr Frydenberg hands down his fourth budget on March 29.
It has been a dramatic few years for the Victorian MP since becoming treasurer, a portfolio of his choice after being voted deputy Liberal leader by parliamentary colleagues during the 2018 leadership spill.
Mr Frydenberg, 50, has been a rising star in the party he joined 23 years ago and long seen as a future leader.
And he has had some serious mentors along the way.
Before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, he was a senior adviser to then foreign minister Alexander Downer and prime minster John Howard, followed by five years with Deutsche Bank.
He quickly climbed the political ladder under Tony Abbott's prime ministership - parliamentary secretary (2013-14), assistant treasurer (2014-15) and resources minister (2015-2016).
He was handed the poisoned chalice of the highly-politically charged environment portfolio under Malcolm Turnbull in 2016, a role he held until the 2018 leadership coup which saw Scott Morrison take charge.
Now he just has to hope he hangs on to his seat of Kooyong on election day.
