The Big Squeeze New Zealand’s rate of inflation continues to be low, even though our economy is growing. Lower petrol prices, cheaper airfares and computer equipment are some of the biggest contributors to low inflation and have reduced the impact of higher prices for housing-related goods and services. However, this is not necessarily cause to celebrate. The way in which people spend and save is very much influenced by...

Ownership of Your Assets The more wealth you acquire, the more important it becomes to look at how your significant assets such as your home, investments and insurance policies are owned. Ownership has flow on effects in terms of tax, estate planning, and protection of your property against claims from creditors or former partners. At the simplest level, assets can be owned individually or jointly if you are in a committ...

Get Rich Fast or Slow The rate at which wealth grows is determined by three things: the difference between your income and your outgoings (that is, how much you save), the nature of your assets and the nature of your liabilities.   Saving Income is a flow of money which can be either spent or saved. Wealth is like a store of money where savings are accumulated. The more you save, the more your wealth should grow. ...

It's About Time It’s about time, or, to be more precise, it’s mostly about time. That is the answer to the question on most investors lips, which is ‘How should I invest my money?’ The next question to ask should be ‘How long do I want to invest my money for?’ Your investment time frame is one of the key ingredients in deciding how best to invest your money. The problem is, many inexperienced investors don’t...

Get Ahead Before You Retire The last five years or so before retirement are some of the most important in your life. Your choices between spending and saving in those few years will determine the quality of your retirement. The wealth you have accumulated at the time of your last day of paid employment will determine your financial future for the rest of your life – which could be around thirty years. In these last few...

Include a Charity Giving is for everyone. We all have causes we care about and we all have the power to give money to help those causes. Whether you leave this earth with $10 to your name or $10 million, you can provide for you chosen charity in your will. It is one of the easiest ways to give. There is a common misconception that donations or bequests to charity are only made by wealthy people. This is not so. They are ...

Conquer Your Fear of Debt When it comes to confronting your financial fears, the ultimate four letter word is debt. For many households, debt it is the single biggest contributor to stress. It has the power to destroy relationships and even lives. Everybody’s tolerance of debt is different.  Problems occur when two people in a relationship have different views about debt, or when debt repayments cause financial hardshi...

Planning with Uncertainties Making plans for your financial future is hard enough at the best of times, but when there are lots of unknowns it is even more difficult. There may be uncertainty around basics, such as what your income will be from one week to the next, or one year to the next, and around what your outgoings will be, such as when you transition from a working life to retirement. At a higher level, there may b...

Small Steps to Financial Success It’s great to have big, audacious goals to achieve. Perhaps you want to retire early, become financially free, or become a multi-millionaire. To achieve big goals, you have do things differently than you have done them before. However, finding the confidence to take a big leap out of your comfort zone is not easy. Big goals can seem unachievable at first, as well as scary, so a good plan...

Top Tips for Your Fifties Whether you plan to keep working after becoming eligible for NZ Superannuation or not, 65 still looms as the defining age for retirement, and it looms even larger in your fifties. Depending on your circumstances, the prospect of reaching 65 can lead to feelings of joy, fear or uncertainty. The ten years before retirement are like the last lap of a marathon race. If you are leading, you could easi...