What is your net worth? $1,077,000
Are you filling this out as an individual or a couple? Couple
At what age(s) did you become a net worth millionaire? 32 and 31
What region of New Zealand do you live in? Blenheim/Nelson (but currently living in Ohope Beach for job opportunity)
How did you accumulate your net worth, what are you invested in? 2 houses. KiwiSaver x2. Craigs Investment. Starting young with savings and working, going to uni but having a scholarship so coming out of uni with more money than I went in with due to side jobs. Climbing the career ladder quite quickly. Starting salary as a grad accountant at $39,000 in 2014 to now in 2026, earning over $250,000.
What was your highest average household WEEKLY income after tax? Currently - $5,133
What is your career? A CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and a Procurement Manager
Do you have children? NO
Do you have a tertiary qualification? YES
Did you inherit any of your money? YES
If YES, how much did you inherit? $10,000
What's the approximate value of your house? 2 x 750,000 = $1,500,000 total
Are you debt free now? NO
If NO, how much debt do you have and what is it for? $570,000 on one house in Blenheim and $80,000 on the other in Nelson
Are you in KiwiSaver? YES
Were you taught about money? YES
If YES, how were you taught? I was brought up very frugally on a farm with 5 children. Our parents sacrificed a lot to send us all through boarding school. We overall never missed out on anything apart from the too expensive things like rowing at school, extracurricular camps, etc., which were too expensive. Money didn't grow on trees, don't wait for an inheritance, and put up with a bit of adversity, living off the smell of an oily rag were common terms. All 5 kids had a natural affinity with maths, economics and accounting through school and 4/5 pursued study down this path. 3 daughters are Chartered Accountants. My partner was brought up basically but didn't miss out on anything, but he bought his own home in his early twenties, also with his ex-partner. He also lost some equity through that split. So we have both had marriages to the wrong people and now are on our journey together with a lot of learnings under our belt. He is definitely more of a spender than a saver, whereas I am more of a saver, and he hasn't had the education of money as I have through study and a genuine passion for learning about money/accounting.
What is the most enjoyable thing you do with money? Travel, meals out, activities
Do you use your money or your time to help others? NO - Not YET.
What is your greatest financial win? Getting a scholarship to uni for the full 3 years. Building a house when I was 24 in Christchurch in 2017 and selling 4 years later after COVID in 2021 for a profit of $335,000.
My partner bought a house in his early twenties at $200,000, then bought and sold a couple in relatively quick succession to make a profit.
What is your worst financial mistake? Getting married to the wrong person, having a relationship agreement in place to protect my wealth in my house prior to meeting him, and him and his family contesting the agreement anyway and getting more than they were entitled to… My partner also had a marriage split mid twenties.
What advice do you have for others? Start early, be consistent, protect your wealth, and strive for bigger, better-paying jobs.
What is the point of having a net worth above $1,000,000. What does it mean to you? Working towards having the option of working when we are new parents (hopefully in the next year or so), being mortgage-free so that rental income is not put to mortgage, choosing the jobs we have based on whether we need to work or not, rather than working in crappy job cultures. Just a note - my partner has a 12-year-old son to his previous marriage and we have him 50:50. We don't have any children together yet.
Finish these sentences:
If you want to build wealth do this… Budget and plan out spending, i.e. groceries, as frugally as possible. Always buy on special. Make homemade meals and baking. Get into a house early, pay your own mortgage not someone else's, and contribute to KiwiSaver and or investments consistently and early.
Invest in your career early on.
If you want to build wealth avoid doing this… Being materialistic, you don't need the latest and greatest clothes and jewellery to look nice and take pride in your appearance. Rent dresses, look after good quality clothes so that they last and re-wear them for years.