The Happy Saver Turns 10: Giveaways, Gratitude and Your Wins
21 Jun, 2026
I know your time is important, and I’ve taken up ten years of it!
Yes, The Happy Saver is 10 years old!
There is a lot packed into this blog post:
My heartfelt thanks to you for being part of The Happy Saver
Giveaways
Audience WINS. You didn’t just read my blog; you changed your lives.
Thank you to the Kiwi companies who continue to support me
For ten years, I’ve been writing blog posts documenting our financial progress and answering the questions I regularly receive from you. The original goal of The Happy Saver was simple: Help people. Ten years later, our goal has not changed.
What has changed in ten years is our own net worth, up from $635,000 to $1,800,000, and the net worth of the thousands of people who’ve quietly and steadily grown better and better at managing their pūtea.
I’m not done yet
I get a real kick out of seeing other people succeed - it’s addictive. I love answering the questions that land in my inbox, or reading the musings of emailers who treat me like a Dear Diary. You and I both are just trying to manage money well, correspond with someone who ‘gets it’, and build financial security. I’m always happy to give people a few basic pointers (because money done well is simple) and simply say to them, “Just get going and refine as you go along”.
I vividly remember what it felt like to have those same questions and no one to ask, which is why I continue to reply to all emails. Yes, my response times have slowed, but my enthusiasm hasn’t.
I feel incredibly grateful, and, if I’m honest, still somewhat amazed that I seem to be good at this mahi. Over the years, I’ve watched people become financially stronger because of the information I’ve shared for free. I’ve seen you get out of debt and stay out of debt. Emergency funds grow. KiwiSaver provider and funds get sorted. Share investments are growing by hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the big one: You get a better night's sleep when you don’t have to worry about money.
And every time someone writes to tell me about a financial win, it reinforces something I believe: when you have access to simple, practical information, people are far more financially capable than they realise. I am delighted by this. There are so many Kiwis managing their money beautifully, and when they have their own whare in order, they are far better able to help and support others generously.
My interest has never been in complexity because I don’t think it works. You don’t need a complicated strategy to do well with your money. You don’t need endless financial products. And, in most cases, you certainly don’t need to pay someone to manage your money. You’ll often do better when you manage it yourself. I know I have.
Why? Because you pay attention.
You notice where your money goes. You think ahead to upcoming costs. You connect today’s decisions (save $50 a week towards a holiday) to tomorrow’s outcomes (enjoy a holiday paid with cash). You gain control. And with that control comes choice - the ability to work differently, be more generous, travel or simply do more or less of whatever it is you love.
To every single one of you who has allowed me to be part of your journey - to smash debt in the face, put out financial fires with an emergency fund, switch from a poor KiwiSaver provider to a better one, have the courage to invest in an ETF, make work optional, retire young, give generously, or simply sleep better at night - you are awesome!
Thank you for trusting me with your questions, your challenges, and your wins. When I get an email that starts with “We paid off our mortgage, or, we’ve just become net worth millionaires, and I didn’t have anyone to tell, who gets it, except you, Ruth”, I’m honoured. And I literally sit at my computer, cheering and fist-pumping nobody in particular - before hitting reply with a digital congratulations. I’m stoked for you.
The greatest gift The Happy Saver has given me is a front-row seat to thousands of financial transformations. Without seeing those changes firsthand, I’m not sure I would hold the conviction I do today: that people who pay attention to their money are not only financially better off, but often more content, more confident, and more hopeful about the future. Financially sorted people are fun to be around, and I’ve loved meeting so many of them through The Happy Saver.
As I was writing this post, I received this message from someone I’ve been in touch with intermittently for years. I’ve conversed with them as they have wrestled with some very big life decisions, and this sentence hit home for me: “Thank you for being the kind of person who responds to strangers on the internet with genuine wisdom and no agenda. It's rarer than it should be.”
It has been an extraordinary privilege to have the time to do this.
What’s next for us? For Jonny and I, 2026 is a transition year where he will quit his job, our investment contributions will slow now that we have hit Coast FI, giving us more time (once Jonny gets back to full health) to travel, and, of course, also to work on The Happy Saver, something we both enjoy creating.
To celebrate ten years, Jonny and I wanted to do three things: Give stuff away, share your wins, and thank the companies that support us. Firstly, the giveaways…
10th ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY
Over the years, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the support of some excellent Kiwi companies, and a few of them have generously come to the party to help us celebrate.
Here’s what’s up for grabs:
PocketSmith is giving away three one-year Flourish Plans, plus a swag bag to go with each one. If you’ve been meaning to get better at tracking where your money goes, planning ahead, or seeing your full financial picture in one place, this is a brilliant prize.
Sharesight is giving away one one-year Sharesight Standard Plan, which is ideal if you want to keep a closer eye on your investments and understand how your portfolio is performing.
Sharesies is giving away two $50 Sharesies Gift Vouchers, perfect for giving your investing a little boost, or helping someone else get started.
Smart is giving away two excellent personal finance books: The Simple Path to Wealth and The Barefoot Investor. Both are packed with simple, practical money wisdom and have helped so many people get their financial lives moving in the right direction.
And from The Happy Saver, we’re giving away a few of our favourite money books too: Die With Zero, Barefoot Kids, The Richest Man in Babylon, and Pathfinders.
And now for a very special prize:
One lucky person will win a special one-hour, one-on-one video call with the brilliant Alan and Katie Donegan from Rebel Finance School, and me.
This is your chance to sit down with Alan, Katie and me for a warm, honest, no-judgement money kōrero. Together we’ll help you think through where you’re at, celebrate what you’re already doing well, and identify a few simple next steps.
To find out more about the fantastic prizes and enter the giveaway, click the button below:
What you have learned and done over the past 10 years…
I asked people to share their wins with me by asking, “What's one thing The Happy Saver has done over the past ten years that has been a genuine game-changer for you?”
If I had to distil their responses and hundreds of years of collective experience into a single sentence, it would be:
Pay attention to your money, get the basics right, invest consistently in low-cost index funds/ETFs, and give it time.
There were far too many wonderful responses to squeeze into this post, so I’ve shared them on a separate page. But for those short on time, here are the five key themes I took from them:
1. Start investing in low-cost index funds or ETFs
This was by far the most common practical action people took. Keep investing simple, diversified, and low-cost.
Many people:
Started investing for the first time.
Moved KiwiSaver to a lower-fee provider.
Switched from managed funds or financial advisers to self-managed broad-based index funds/ETFs.
Sold investment properties and invested in index funds/ETFs instead.
Learned that they didn't need to pick stocks or chase returns.
2. Take ownership of your money
A huge number of people described moving from confusion, fear or avoidance to confidence and action. Financial progress starts when you pay attention.
They:
Started tracking net worth.
Learned how KiwiSaver works.
Built financial plans and held regular money meetings with themselves, a partner or a friend.
Stopped outsourcing financial decisions.
Became confident enough to make their own choices.
3. Prioritise debt reduction and build financial foundations
Many of the biggest wins weren't flashy investments - they were getting the basics right. Financial freedom is built on strong foundations.
People:
Paid off mortgages faster.
Became debt-free.
Built emergency funds.
Created sinking funds and put systems in place for future expenses.
Started budgeting properly.
4. Change your money mindset
This theme appeared over and over again. Before people changed their money, they changed the way they thought about money.
People talked about:
Moving from fear to confidence.
Realising money isn't taboo (and that I’m happy to chat about it).
Talking openly about finances.
Believing financial independence was possible.
Understanding that ordinary people can build wealth.
Feeling in control instead of overwhelmed.
5. Think long-term and build a life, not just wealth
Many responses weren't really about money - they were about options. Money is a tool that creates freedom, choice and security.
People:
Brought retirement plans forward.
Became work optional.
Reached or approached their version of FI.
Gained confidence after a divorce.
Reduced financial stress.
Had better conversations with spouses and children.
Passed financial knowledge to the next generation.
Thank you to the Kiwi companies who continue to support me.
Before you go, I want to thank the Kiwi companies that have come alongside me without dictating the terms and have supported what I do by offering affiliate partnerships and sponsorships. While I have gently grown The Happy Saver, the costs of creating and maintaining a blog and podcast have also grown, and I appreciate working with some genuine NZ companies.
PocketSmith and I struck up a friendship early. And they remain our biggest cheerleaders, as I am for them. When I mastered the art of budgeting, my financial progress surged. What I love about them is that they not only provide an exceptional product but also have a caring, committed team that runs a really good Kiwi company.
I discovered Sharesight during my search to actually work out whether my share investments made money. They are my North Star when it comes to being factual about my returns - their math is far better than mine. Thank goodness for Kiwi-made software!
When I first started investing, platforms like Sharesies didn't exist. But they arrived at exactly the right time to teach my teenage daughter about investing, and I appreciate the role they continue to play in her financial education as she begins her investing journey.
I read JL Collins, The Simple Path to Wealth, and I thought, “I bet I can’t find the same type of investments here in Aotearoa”. But I did: Smart. Grateful to have discovered them when I did, and grateful that they now support my mahi.
Thanks again and congratulations on how far YOU have come over the last ten years, too!
