All in Financial Independence
Welcome to the first episode in a short six-part Financial Independence Series. Part 1 focuses on ‘Net Worth’. How much wealth do you have right now? If you added it all up and subtracted what you owe, what are you worth? This can be daunting if you’ve never thought about it. However, the objective is not to objectify wealth; it’s to create a level of wealth that makes you feel comfortable and in control of your present and future.
I’m particularly excited about today’s podcast because it is a revisit episode with Bradie and Paul. The elevator pitch for them is that they felt they were drowning in debt just seven short years ago, and now they have just completed their first year of early retirement! Today, I’m really happy to give you an update on a story that keeps getting better over time.
Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the story behind how Tony and his wife Karen came to create a net worth of $2.8 million and retire aged 49 and 54, respectively. They own one home and have a large retirement fund which they built from always investing a portion of their take-home pay from their 20+ year careers in the New Zealand Police. There are still many unknowns as they try to work out how to structure their money to support them during their long and adventurous retirement.
It’s what you DO with an inheritance that counts. Will chose to pay off debt and invest. His biggest financial triumph, he said, has been the fact that he took an interest in working out how to grow wealth, he took the time to educate himself, and then he actually took action. Now married and living in their own home in Auckland, this 31-year-old couple is still well on their way to financial freedom.
Today’s guest, 33-year-old Freya from Auckland, emailed me because she wanted me to interview more younger women who had their money sorted and also handled their families' finances. From the little she divulged in her email, I could tell that she was on track to being financially sorted, so I encouraged her to speak with me instead! I found her so inspiring to speak with and I think you will too.
Neil has come a long way in life since his move from London to New Zealand in 2005. Today he finds himself in his late 40s, a father of one, with investments both in the UK and New Zealand. But it’s not all roses, and the break up of a relationship is teaching him how to financially prepare for a settlement and let go of what's not important in life, to create space for the things that are.
I managed to cross paths with 35-year-old Dani because both of us are runners. It’s probably no surprise that when I found out she was also navigating her own path to FIRE, or Financial Independence, Retire Early that I became even more curious and asked her to chat with me.
Zoe emailed me a question, which I answered, but what got me interested was how financially assured this recently retired woman from Christchurch was as she actually begins to live off New Zealand superannuation plus the investments she has built up. The thing was, she only really started to pay attention to her pūtea (money) when she was in her late 50s, proving that it’s never too late to take control of your finances.
This is the fourth time that I’ve interviewed Bradie for this podcast! Why do I keep coming back for more? Because I am hooked on her journey from suffocating mortgage debt to financial independence in just six short years. Each time we speak there is an exciting new development and this episode does not disappoint.
This week I’m sharing the story of early retiree Brendan. We’ve met in person many times now, even more so since he moved to Central Otago in late 2021 and I have always found him a relatively quiet and contemplative kind of guy. So I was delighted when he took the time (because let’s face it he has heaps) to share with me just how, at the young age of 39, you manage to have enough money that you never need to work again.
In today’s podcast, I’m doing a revisit with Bella from Episode 52. She shared the realities of student loan debt in New Zealand and how you can meander your way into student loan debt, but you need to fight your way out again. Bella has not been idle, smashing out $66,000 of her $85,000 debt in just 14 months. Yep, you read that right. If she can do it, so can you!
Kiri, her husband John and their four-year-old daughter had big plans for 2020, but we all know how 2020 unfolded and it was interesting to hear how they created a new strategy and maneuvered themselves into their first home and a more secure position right here in Aotearoa.
I first heard from Andy when he was 29. He emailed with several questions and observations, and the bit that stuck with me most was that he was pretty keen to buy himself a car parking space as an investment. He writes for a living, so he writes a good email and through those, I got to see his thoughts evolve and the evolution of a workable financial plan.
