Amanda

27 articles published

KiwiSaver contribution rate rises coming April 1st. Are you ready?

FinanceJanuary 29, 2026195Views 0Likes 0Comments

Under changes announced by Government during the last budget, KiwiSaver contribution rates are due to increase by half of a percent on April 1st. Currently the minimum employee contribution rate is 3% and the same goes for employers. It will automatically nudge up to 3.5% for both you and your employer. The move is aimed at…

What women get wrong with money

FinanceDecember 28, 2025178Views 1Like 0Comments

I hate classifying personal finance prowess based on gender but some crude truths emerged from my work with mentoring women in 2025. They are as follows: Administrative stuff (like getting on top of your taxes, claiming legitimate expenses, and starting an investment fund) are considered too hard. When you dispel that myth and start to tuck…

Know your worth, increase your wealth

FinanceOctober 3, 2025157Views 1Like 0Comments

I'm not one to generalise but when it comes to women and money, there are some common traps that hold us back, none of them to do with ability. Here are but a few of them: We undervalue ourselves and our services and do too much for free or below market value. Know your worth. …

Mind your money; make your riches

FinanceSeptember 5, 2025190Views 0Likes 0Comments

If you want more money in your life, consider how mindful you are about it. If this sounds like a psychological prod, maybe even spiritual, it is. The biggest mistake I see people make with money, is not having a clue why they are chasing it and or what they are doing with the money they presently…

What you should know before switching KiwiSaver providers

FinanceAugust 22, 2025257Views 0Likes 0Comments

How often should you switch KiwiSaver providers? Assuming you made an informed decision the first time around, you shouldn't have to. Sadly the strike rate there is probably the same as getting the right partner first time around. If the divorce rate is any indication, that's about 50%. When KiwiSaver was first introduced in 2007, most investors were…

The shifting tides of KiwiSaver and first-time home buying

FinanceJuly 31, 2025279Views 0Likes 0Comments

By now, most will be aware that the cherished KiwiSaver cherry (aka Government contribution) was halved again during Budget 2025. It went from a juicy $521 to $261 per annum, slashed for the second time from its original $1,000. While investors were busy wiping away tears and reporters scrambling for other headlines, the Budget money-saving bus also…

Personal finance is an Inside Job

FinanceJune 15, 2025266Views 0Likes 0Comments

If you love finance and Wall Street movies, the Inside Job is legendary. The documentary reveals the greed and deception that led to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. If you haven't already seen it, watch it. The film details the avarice and human stupidity that preceded the calamitous economic train wreck. While many might think macro-economics is…

The slow hollowing of KiwiSaver under Budget 2025 and why (some) people should carry on investing

FinanceMay 22, 2025364Views 0Likes 0Comments

As expected KiwiSaver turned out to be a soft target to balance the books for Budget 2025. Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today (May 22nd) a few key changes that will be good for some, bad for others and plain ugly for a few too. First things first. If you haven't already made the threshold to receive…

Means testing KiwiSaver and what that could mean for your future

FinanceMay 5, 2025349Views 0Likes 0Comments

To go forward, firstly we need to step back. KiwiSaver was introduced in New Zealand back in 2007, the same year I moved here from Canada. There was much fanfare, PR and hype about the workplace savings scheme and a compelling reason to enrol. Joiners received a $1,000 kick-start, and a matching annual gift of $1,000 if you…

How often should you check your investment balance? A strategy for self-protection.

FinanceApril 17, 2025359Views 0Likes 0Comments

If you're invested in a long-term managed fund like KiwiSaver, the short answer is hardly ever. Provided you're in the correct fund type to match your risk profile, there's little to be gained by obsessing over your balance. In truth, it probably does more harm than good. That tends to result from people panicking and changing…

Keeping up with global savers: How do we stack up?

FinanceApril 8, 2025317Views 0Likes 0Comments

It will be of little surprise to most New Zealanders that we are trailing our peers around the world regarding our savings levels, but the degree to which we're at the back of the pack might. Let's take Australia as our closest comparable nation. There, a man's average superannuation account (before Trump's tariff wars ) was…

Trump tariff mayhem ruffling KiwiSaver feathers, again!

FinanceMarch 24, 2025386Views 0Likes 0Comments

Anyone who has checked their KiwiSaver (or other investment fund portfolios) will feel dizzy, and not in a good way. KiwiSaver funds have fallen as much as 10% or more depending on the type you're invested in. The level of pain you're feeling will likely correlate to the time you invested. Since the Dumpster (Donald…

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