Search our articles

Maybe you’ve recently become an empty nester looking to downsize, or perhaps you’re starting or expanding your family, or maybe you’re moving between locations for a job offer or opportunity. Whatever your motivation, you’re thinking of selling your home and moving on. But before you dive in, it helps to know which home selling mistakes to avoid and ensure you get a great offer, sell... Read more Read more

It’s usually said that money can’t buy happiness, but apparently a salary of US$128,844 (NZ$182,539) will do the trick for Kiwi’s. Money and finance website Expensivity has calculated the salary level in each country that would prevent unhappiness. The global analysis was based on the “happiness premium” established by researchers at Purdue University, in the United States. In... Read more Read more

There’s no one answer for how much to save or invest. Every person’s investing target is a function of their specific circumstances — how much they make, how much they spend, the lifestyle or experiences they want to have later in life, and how much they’re willing to sacrifice to attain it. But, regardless of where you are in your journey toward financial independence, it’s generally... Read more Read more

Taking on debt has a bunch of negative associations. However, debt can be a helpful way to increase your earning potential, grow passive income, or otherwise invest in a financially stable future. Sometimes, it’s necessary to protect your health or wellbeing. When managed responsibly, good debt – including most student loans and mortgages – can be a clever thing to take on. In contrast... Read more Read more

A newly built property that received its code compliance certificate after 27 March 2021 will be eligible to deduct interest for up to 20 years from the time the property's code of compliance certificate (CCC) was issued. The exemption will apply to both the initial purchaser of the new build and any subsequent owner within the 20-year period. It will also be applied to purpose-built... Read more Read more

While a university degree can be important to generating great income and may be required for certain fields, it’s still possible to develop high-income skills without one. Thanks to the internet, you can learn pretty much anything that can translate to boosting your salary or starting a successful side hustle. No matter what, it will still require time and experience to really... Read more Read more

There is a near certain way to become wealthy that doesn’t involve the lotto, an inheritance, or a get rich quick scheme: simply invest for long enough. Given a long enough timeline, your chances of becoming wealthy are close to 100%. Accumulating wealth is the ultimate long game. If you stick with it for long enough, there are only two outcomes: You become wealthy (... Read more Read more

Conventional wisdom dictates that investment diversification is essential to long-term success. What is diversification? When we talk about diversification in an investment portfolio, which might include a KiwiSaver Scheme investment, we're referring to the investor attempting to reduce exposure to risk by investing in various companies (shares) across different sectors,... Read more Read more

Three major banks have pushed home loan interest rates up this week, despite Auckland remaining in strict level four lockdown. Kiwibank was the first to move, increasing its one-year special rate from 2.49 percent to 2.65 percent. Its standard rate lifted from 3.34 percent to 3.5 percent. Five-year fixed rates shifted from a standard rate of 4.74 percent and a special rate of 3... Read more Read more

Job interviews can be nerve wracking. Being sat in the hot seat and expected to summarise your career, strengths and weaknesses, all in a single conversation, while also fielding (and perhaps posing) rapid fire questions isn’t always a fun time. By preparing for common questions, you can build confidence and make it much easier to answer any of the curveball questions that might... Read more Read more

The term “generational wealth” refers to wealth that is passed down from one generation of a family to the next. You may also hear this called family wealth or legacy wealth. Perhaps it could be more accurately described as inter-generational wealth, as it passes down from parents to children. That wealth is usually in the form of assets, which can include stocks (shares), bonds, funds... Read more Read more

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is now forecasting that house prices will fall from 2022 to 2024. The forecasts are contained within the RBNZ's latest Monetary Policy Statement. The RBNZ also reiterated that current prices are not sustainable and provided plenty of technical language and reasons to support their statement. Many other experts have started to support this... Read more Read more

Many more Kiwis are now facing sudden and unexpected unemployment. Despite headline unemployment numbers being at rock bottom, those official statistics don’t tell the whole story. Even before the current ‘Delta variant’ NZ lockdown, it was widely reported that the number of people on the “jobseeker benefit” had doubled in just the last four years. If-or-when the pandemic is... Read more Read more

"Affluenza" is the term used to describe a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. The term might also be used to describe the inability of an individual to understand the consequences of their actions because of their social status or economic privilege. Background The term... Read more Read more

Widespread lockdown, it turns out, has presented many of us with an unexpected opportunity to make changes to our lives. This change can be positive or negative, it really depends on us. Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before leading the movement to end apartheid in South Africa, let alone becoming the South African president.... Read more Read more

Another lockdown and another supermarket rush – we’ve all been here before! This time around, here are some tips to arm yourself when you’re shopping for the panic buyers’ favourite item: toilet paper. Background Every personal or family budget distinguishes essential expenses from discretionary expenses. Toilet paper, a basic household product most of us use every day, falls... Read more Read more

Housing is riding an extended boom from the US to the UK to China. Global housing valuations are soaring at the fastest pace since 2006, according to one global real estate consultant, with annual price increases in double digits. However, Bloomberg Economics analysis shows many housing markets are flashing the kind of bubble warnings that haven’t been seen since the run up to the global... Read more Read more

How you view financial stability may vary compared to the next person. However, there are some common grounds to defining financial stability and how you can get there. What is financial stability? When you have reached a state of financial stability, you are confident and completely stress-free when it comes to money. You are not worried about having the funds to pay... Read more Read more

Daniel Lieberman is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and the author of the book Exercised. He once decided to do an informal — if sneaky — study. While at an academic conference, he counted how many people took the escalator versus the stairs. In ten minutes, 151 people walked past him and only 11 used the stairs. That’s just seven percent. ... Read more Read more

Investing has sometimes been viewed by New Zealanders as a dark and mysterious field. Fortunately, as Kiwi’s become more familiar with a wider range of investments – such as KiwiSaver, shares, property, or managed funds – this is steadily changing. Unfortunately, at times when we know a little bit about something, we become more dangerous than if we knew nothing at all. Consider this old... Read more Read more