Last week, the Labour Government announced a new proposal to help close the gender gap in KiwiSaver  balances. For qualifying individuals taking Paid Parental Leaving AND contributing from that 3% into their KiwiSaver, Government will match the 'employer' contribution that you would normally get at work, for up to 26 weeks. T&Cs apply so be sure to…

Before exiting this blog or questioning its relevance, my flexibility and the madness entangled in the pose above, consider this: The body that formed that shape (which, by the way, is called Mermaid pose or eka pada rajakapotasana in Sanskrit) started contorting, training and shaping at age 6 and continued to do so for decades; it…

Charity is a core pillar in the world of personal finance. Many famous personal finance gurus, including Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor. Dad fame and Dave Ramsey follow a tithing system, where they give away 10% of their wealth.  Some religious organisations suggest you should do this too but in this case their charity is self-directed, so not pointed at…

The crazy thing about retirement is that the best time to think, and plan for it, is when you're young. Ironically, when you're young, you think you're going to live forever and the very idea of 'retiring' is repugnant because it's another word for getting old. As a consequence, most people fail to plan when they…

The latest financial blow-up involving Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), and the contagion of Credit Suisse, have likely had one of two responses: “SVB who?”,  Or :”Which one is next and am I invested in it?" If your reaction was the first, read Matt Levin’s excellent piece here in Bloomberg. If the latter, read on.  Levels of panic…

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…