Author page: morrallamanda@gmail.com

Remember the Spark Joy phenomenon? The term was coined by minimalist Marie Kondo, who devised an inspired system for decluttering closets, transforming mountains of messy clothes and other junk into a Zen-like temple of tranquillity and order. My mother-in-law was an early adopter. She bought the book, copies for grandkids, and worked Kondo cleaning rituals like an…

One of the first riddles I learned as a small child was the chicken or egg quandary. It did my head in trying to crack that one. The relationship between the mind and money is also somewhat circular. What came first, the right mindset or the money? You'll have plenty of examples on either side of the ledger I'm…

I could start with another New Year, New You personal finance post, but I won't. That is well-trodden territory; if you're honest with yourself, you will know the answers. If not, very quickly, here's a reminder to: Pay off any credit card debt you have in full or as fast as possible. Review your finances in line…

The plight of the single parent...where do I start?! Your assets are halved, your household income savaged, both made worse by your ability - or lack thereof - to work unless you have free, or highly subsidised childcare. Throw in the stress of separation, the emotional aftermath of a bitter ex, and now the crushingly high…

You don't have to be an economist to understand the effects of inflation. You feel it every time you shop, whether purchasing a flight, veggies or even dog food. We've all become numb to these sky-high prices but tend to experience at least a weekly price shock. Last week, I had mine at the Countdown in the…

You've heard it many times. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It wasn't that long ago I wrote in this blog for Simplicity KiwiSaver about the cost of knee-jerk reactions to investment market jolts. It was back in March 2020, around the time the first big wave of Covid had a tsunami effect on…

I’m sure a few Millenials choked on their oat milk lattes this week when they read the latest news about how much they’ll need to have saved to enjoy a comfortable retirement. According to researchers at NZ’s Massey University’s Fin-Ed Centre, if you want to have a retirement that comes with ‘choices,’ you’ll need around $755k in your KiwiSaver…

Many parts of my life make it a rich one. Most have little to do with money or my net worth. In no particular order, I'd say it is my health, friends, family, interests and environment. Health; After an almost perfect health record for most of my life, I ran into troubles in the last few…

"All of our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habit - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organised for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be." ~ Williams James Beginnings are not grand. They are mostly humble, and the subsequent steps,…

Big topic! It's hard to know where to begin. Let's put aside all the other core parenting requirements under the banner of 'investing', including proper nutrition, quality time, good role modelling and boundaries and focus on the financials, shall we? If you're a Kiwi parent, you'll wonder about KiwiSaver as a starting point for investing. This used to…

Buy now, pay later is a great idea until it's not. With the rising cost of living resulting in skipped payments and late fees, the reality of all too easy borrowing facilities is coming home to roost. Since After Pay and the like came to New Zealand around five years ago, the Buy Now, Pay Later approach…

When people ask me about money, I always preface the conversation with two points: Firstly, I can not give you personalised financial advice under NZ laws and regulations. That's the boring bit. While I have over 15 years of experience as a personal finance writer and commentator, I am not an authorised financial adviser. I never…