All in Shares

What 220 Kiwi Net Worth Millionaires Told Us

What 220 Kiwi Net Worth Millionaires Told Us

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Investment, Money Education, Net Worth, Saving, Shares

Reaching a net worth of $1,000,000 is no small feat, it takes time, discipline, and a whole lot of intentional decision-making. I’ve been lucky enough to hear from over 220 Kiwis who’ve done just that, and they generously shared how they got there by filling out my Net Worth Millionaire Questionnaire. In this blog post, I used AI to analyse all of the responses, giving me a summary and highlighting the repeated themes across all submissions for each questionnaire question. The result? A fascinating look at how everyday New Zealanders are quietly building wealth. The beauty of becoming a millionaire is that, as you will see, there are many paths that lead to it. So, pick your own path, and enjoy the journey. Whether you’re just getting started or already on your way, I reckon you’ll find a few golden nuggets in what they had to say.

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Shares, Tax

I’ve got a super short blog post for you this week where I am answering a question that is often asked: What is an imputation credit? If you are a share investor (including ETFs), you will pay tax at your personal tax rate on any dividend income that you receive. You must also be aware of any tax credits available to you due to your dividend income. These are called Imputation Credits, and you can use them to reduce the overall income tax you pay.

Applying the 4% Rule. We are selling!

Applying the 4% Rule. We are selling!

Ruth
ETFs, Gold, Sharesies, Shares, SmartShares, Investment, Index Funds

A year ago, I published a blog post titled “We Sold Some Investments: Putting our version of the 4% Rule to the test!” To cut to the chase, we’ve done it again. Having read about The 4% Rule for years and met many people who had retired early and were using it, back in 2023, we decided that we were not yet ready to retire, but pulling some income off our investments would improve our lives at that time. Finding more available cash without working more hours would allow us to do more of the things we wanted to do. 

Share Market Swing

Share Market Swing

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, KiwiSaver, Shares, Sharesies, SmartShares, Simplicity, Investment

A super quick blog post this week because I thought you might find it interesting. My last blog post, Share Market Shocker, shared that our investments had dropped $25,000 between August and October 2023. I said I’d give you an update in a year. Well, just to show how fast and volatile the share markets are, it's only been three weeks, but I have an update for you. The point of this post is to share how comfortable Jonny and I feel with these fluctuations.

Which is better: TWF or USF?

Which is better: TWF or USF?

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Shares, SmartShares

This week I’m answering a question that Paul has sent to me, and it is a question that I’ve been dwelling on myself. I’m going to do my best not to get too deep in the weeds with my answer. It might sound like a niche question (Which is better: TWF - Total World Fund or USF - US 500?), but the answer I give is, in my opinion, widely applicable to investors.

Weekly vs Monthly Investing?

Weekly vs Monthly Investing?

Ruth
ETFs, Investment, SmartShares, Shares

Today I’m sharing a practical example of why it might be worth investing weekly instead of monthly and moving from Smartshares to InvestNow to enable that. I’ve met many lovely people via my blog, few more lovely than Dale and Dean. We have been emailing back and forth for three years, and they recently let me know of a significant change they have made to how they invest. With their permission, they have let me share it.

Book Review: Why Does The Stock Market Go Up?

Book Review: Why Does The Stock Market Go Up?

Ruth
Reviews, Shares, Money Education

I have a shelf dedicated to personal finance books that I actually enjoyed reading. The books that live there are the ones that I often refer to, and I’m pretty particular about the books I keep for future reference. I have to LEARN something from them, or there is no point keeping them around. They also need to pass my stringent ‘sleep test’. If I fall asleep reading them, it’s not a good sign. I’ve recently bought several new release personal finance books that I’ll review once I’ve read them, but today I wanted to give you a heads up on the one I’ve just finished.

What the FIF? Foreign Tax and How to Pay It

What the FIF? Foreign Tax and How to Pay It

Ruth
ETFs, Hatch, Index Funds, Investment, Kernel, KiwiSaver, Money Education, Shares, Sharesies, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares, Tax

Because I like to make life difficult for myself, I thought I would write a blog post on the tax implications of using a FIF. A Foreign Investment Fund. Due to the proliferation of online investment providers like Hatch, Sharesies, InvestNow, Smartshares, Kernel, Betashares, Stake etc. I’m getting more and more emails from people who are concerned about the national and international tax implications of using these platforms.

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