All tagged KiwiSaver

124. Learning, Letting Go and Rethinking the Road to FIRE

124. Learning, Letting Go and Rethinking the Road to FIRE

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Financial Independence, Investing, KiwiSaver, Rental Property, Simplicity, InvestNow

MONEY JOURNEY

I had a great chat with Rose and Adam, a warm and friendly duo who came to our conversation well prepared. After moving from Israel to Ōtautahi Christchurch, they built a life through careful spending and a mix of KiwiSaver, shares and property. But after eight years of owning rental properties, they have accepted that the strategy has not worked for them. Now, guided by mindfulness and Zen philosophy, they are letting go of those investments and redirecting their money towards a clearer path to FIRE.

123. Feeling Financially Safe Again

123. Feeling Financially Safe Again

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Financial Independence, Investing

MONEY JOURNEY

Today’s guest is Olivia, a 59-year-old single woman who is on track to pay off a 30-year mortgage in just 10 years, entirely on one income. It is a story about rebuilding financial safety after divorce, relationship breakdowns, solo parenting, financial mistakes, grief, and years of carrying the full load alone. This episode is honest, practical, and relatable for anyone who feels “behind” financially.

122. Renting, Investing and Building Financial Freedom

122. Renting, Investing and Building Financial Freedom

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Financial Independence, Investing

MONEY JOURNEY

Anna has developed strong money habits through years of study, careful saving, and living well below her means. After following the traditional advice to buy a home, Anna and her partner, Thom, began to question whether home ownership really suited the life they wanted. Once they ran the numbers, they made the bold decision to sell their house, rent a home that better fits their lifestyle, and redirect their surplus income into sharemarket investments instead. She and Thom are still early in their journey towards financial independence, but they are already experiencing what it can look like in practice.

121. The Missing Will

121. The Missing Will

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Financial Independence, InvestNow, Smart, KiwiSaver, Investing

MONEY JOURNEY

Petra shares the deeply personal story of losing James suddenly at just 53 and being forced to untangle a complicated financial life while grieving. From a missing will to life insurance, superannuation and learning how to invest, her story is about love, loss, resilience, and creating security, confidence and choices when life changes.

120. Rebuilding After Divorce

120. Rebuilding After Divorce

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Financial Independence, KiwiSaver

MONEY JOURNEY

This episode shares the story of Emma, a solo mum who, from the outside, appears to have it all together: a home of her own, strong finances, and a clear plan for the future. But behind that picture is years of hardship, resilience, and determination to rebuild her life after leaving an unhealthy marriage. Through grit, determination, and a series of deliberate, intentional steps, she has rebuilt her confidence and created a safer, more stable life for herself and her children.

Part 4: KIWISAVER

Part 4: KIWISAVER

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

Joining KiwiSaver is a no-brainer, and it still surprises me when I meet people who are not in it. I’m always looking ahead and doing my best to determine what I might need money for and how much I might need. I keep my ear to the ground about how affordable retirement is for New Zealanders. I talk to people over 65 and ask them what advice they would give me about financially preparing for retirement. Then I ask myself if, on my current trajectory, I’m heading in the right direction.

67. How to Use Your Nest Egg in Retirement

67. How to Use Your Nest Egg in Retirement

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Debt Free, Financial Independence, KiwiSaver, Retirement

MONEY JOURNEYS

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.

61. Revisit with Bella: I don’t want a student debt hangover!

61. Revisit with Bella: I don’t want a student debt hangover!

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Financial Independence, Podcast, PocketSmith, Debt Free, Saving, Money Education, KiwiSaver

MONEY JOURNEYS

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!

51. Family first, live within your means, always have an emergency fund.

51. Family first, live within your means, always have an emergency fund.

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Financial Independence, Podcast, Investing, Saving, Money Education, Index Funds, KiwiSaver, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEYS

Aria and her husband Dave didn’t grow up with much so once they got together they knew they didn’t want to live paycheque to paycheque. When asked what financial independence means to them they said it means “we don’t have to worry about money” and that is a sentiment that they want for everyone.

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