All tagged ETFs

Part 6: INVESTING - Financial Independence Series

Part 6: INVESTING - Financial Independence Series

Ruth
Budgeting, Debt, FI Series, KiwiSaver, Investment, Net Worth, Index Funds, ETFs

Congratulations, you have made it to the final blog post in this series of six: INVESTING. Investing can be incredibly complex, but I found a way to simplify it. I used to feel overwhelmed by the options available, but now I don't. I’m hoping to help you feel the same way. But still, this is one of the most challenging blog posts I have EVER written. Condensing “investing” into a single document is no easy feat. The Happy Saver was born out of my search for information about what I could invest our money in. It took me years to arrive at our current strategy, which combines KiwiSaver and ETF investments. Ultimately, I finally found THE perfect information, which I want to share today. 

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.

Share Market Shocker

Share Market Shocker

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, KiwiSaver, SmartShares

In the first seven months of 2023, the combined balance of our investments increased monthly, helped by two factors: the share markets had risen, and we have invested a portion of every paycheque we make. But, it was not to last. As the year has rolled on, between August and October, and despite continuing to invest throughout that time, the total value of our investments dropped $25,000. Am I concerned about this recent drop? Not one bit. Give it time, and it will come right.

The Temptation to Sign Up to Endless New Investment Products

The Temptation to Sign Up to Endless New Investment Products

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Investment

I’m not sure what’s going on at the moment, but I’m getting a higher-than-usual amount of emails from subscribers asking me my thoughts on newly released funds. Often, people will say they are looking at funds that buy a particular sector. There are endless iterations of how you can invest your hard-earned pūtea. They will often explain what they already invest in, so it’s usually not too hard for me to see that the new funds they are asking me about are about to have them veer off in quite a different investment direction or switch to something more or less the same. Once again, the options are endless. But the point I am about to attempt to make is not WHAT they are looking at; it is that they are looking to jump on any new opportunities offered.

How is my US 500 ETF performing?

How is my US 500 ETF performing?

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Sharesight, SmartShares

This week, I’m aiming for this blog post to loosely follow my last one, where I talked about Index Funds and ETFs. Today, I will share my own experience, and to simplify things, I'm sharing information on one of our investments only, our Smartshares US 500 ETF. As an alternative to property, readers are trying to find the ‘perfect’ share market investment and will suggest an investment provider or fund as ‘the ONE’. My thoughts are that there is no perfect investment, housing or otherwise. It simply doesn’t exist, but I have concluded after investing myself for many years that there are several investments that are perfectly ‘good enough’.

How to invest in a Total World Fund from New Zealand

How to invest in a Total World Fund from New Zealand

Ruth
ETFs, Hatch, Index Funds, Kernel, Money Education, Sharesies, SmartShares

Every Tuesday morning, a group of Kiwis takes part in Rebel Finance School. When I meet people and talk about money, a common regret is that no financial education was taught in school or at home. I think this course is your best shot at bringing yourself up to speed. The only sticking point is that while most of what they teach is internationally applicable, some elements are specific to their home country, England. As soon as we reached the investing component, the companies and products they discussed were incompatible with Aotearoa. Today, I want to explain the New Zealand equivalent of the two Vanguard Index Fund options they suggest as concisely as I can.

We Sold Some Investments: Putting Our Version of the 4% Rule to the Test!

We Sold Some Investments: Putting Our Version of the 4% Rule to the Test!

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, SmartShares, Sharesies, Kernel

In early May, Jonny and I made a call; we decided to sell off a portion of our investments to supplement our lifestyle. There is no drama, and we are not doing this due to inflation or the current cost of living; the simple fact is that our journey with money continues. For those who have followed along from the beginning, you’ve seen us slowly growing our net worth in readiness for it supporting us in early retirement. We are not there yet, we still need to work for an income, but we are well underway with our early retirement plans. What has changed is that there are things we want to do now that we need money for now.

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

Ruth
ETFs, PocketSmith, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares

I’m about to share my 2022 numbers with you. The primary reason is so that you have someone to benchmark against. Because of my blog, I’m lucky that I’m regularly conversing with people interested in discussing personal finances. Those conversations also helped me learn what Jonny and I could improve. Chances are that very few of you have friends and family willing to share their experiences with money to help you learn. Therefore, I’m happy to share ours. Please don’t judge me and my financial position; it’s just information. Use it how you will.

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