The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

Being only 19, and one of the younger people I’ve interviewed didn’t mean that today's guest Nathan had less to share. In November of 2022, he will graduate from Polytech with a Diploma in Quantity Surveying, with two years of industry experience, no debt and a job lined up. Added to that, he is also helping to pay for his girlfriend’s tertiary studies as well. He has some big plans for the years ahead and I think his story is worth sharing with high school students wondering “where to from here” as they gear up to leave school.

Today’s guest, 33-year-old Freya from Auckland, emailed me because she wanted me to interview more younger women who had their money sorted and also handled their families' finances. From the little she divulged in her email, I could tell that she was on track to being financially sorted, so I encouraged her to speak with me instead! In the space of just seven years, she and her husband have moved to New Zealand from India and starting from scratch, they have got themselves into good careers, purchased a home and had a child. All in the midst of a global pandemic, stupid house prices and being all alone in a new country, I found her so inspiring to speak with. I think you will too.

Neil has come a long way in life since his move from London to New Zealand in 2005. His one-year adventure has turned into 17 and counting, and year on year, he has continued to learn a little more about how money works. Today he finds himself in his late 40s, a father of one, with investments both in the UK and New Zealand, which he is steadily adding to from his take-home pay and rental income. But it’s not all roses, and the break up of a relationship is also teaching him how to financially prepare for a settlement and let go of what's not important in life, to create space for the things that are.

I managed to cross paths with 35-year-old Dani because both of us are runners and seeing the trails she was enjoying always inspired me to lace up my own shoes and head out the door for a run. It’s probably no surprise that when I found out she was also navigating her own path to FIRE, or Financial Independence, Retire Early that I became even more curious and asked her to chat with me. I find that there is always something that tips people over the edge financially and makes them feel annoyed enough to do something about the strife they find themselves in. In Dani’s case, it was the purchase of new curtains to go into their home. The home they bought in an effort to keep up with The Joneses.

Sometimes, a minor conversation lights a spark and makes me want to know more about a person. This was the case with today’s guest Zoe. She emailed me a question, which I answered, but what got me interested was how financially assured this recently retired woman from Christchurch was as she actually begins to live off New Zealand superannuation plus the investments she has built up. The thing was, though, it was only more recently that she began to feel more financially confident as she only really started to pay attention to her pūtea (money) when she was in her late 50s, proving that it’s never too late to take control of your finances.

Senia and her small whānau moved to Ashburton, New Zealand, from Samoa back in 2010 and quietly began to take on consumer debt. Until one day, enough was enough, and some well-timed conversations about becoming debt-free coincided with her realising they were living paycheque to paycheque. This kicked off the process of paying off $70,000 in consumer debt and completely changing the future of her family.

Australian based Kiwi Dad of two Jon went through a relationship separation and a financial crisis some years ago but is now on track to be mortgage-free within the next four years. The key for him has been self-taught education about how to handle his personal finances and he was particularly keen to share with other single parents that they can get their finances sorted too. He calls himself ‘a work in progress’ but he is well on his way and is proof that reaching FI is a marathon, not a sprint.

Today I have a chat with Jay. He reached out to me with a story to share about him and his wife Shelle and their property investment journey. He sees residential real estate as their way to riches, and he enjoys the ins and outs of the property market. He has been incredibly successful so far in building wealth using debt, yet he is still constantly looking for new information and tweaking his approach as a result. He’s building on a foundation built by his whānau and continuing to grow his investments, with the main goal being for him and Shelle to hand them on to the next generation, their three tamariki.

This is the fourth time that I’ve interviewed Bradie for this podcast! Why do I keep coming back for more? Because I am hooked on her journey from suffocating mortgage debt to financial independence in just six short years. Each time we speak there is an exciting new development and this episode does not disappoint. I’ve also enjoyed following the personal transformation that Bradie has gone through, from feeling significant stress to feeling that anything is possible. Join me in this latest episode to find out where she is now.

This week I’m sharing the story of early retiree Brendan. We’ve met in person many times now, even more so since he moved to Central Otago in late 2021 and I have always found him a relatively quiet and contemplative kind of guy. So I was delighted when he took the time (because let’s face it he has heaps) to share with me just how, at the young age of 39, you manage to have enough money that you never need to work again.