All in Financial Independence
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
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!
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
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.
MONEY JOURNEYS
This week I’m sharing the story of a central Hawke’s Bay couple Rach and Becs. They made the bold move to leave both of their families behind and move out of Auckland, headed for Hawke’s Bay so they could get ahead both financially and for a better work-life balance.
MONEY JOURNEYS
Over the years Janet, who is 59, has worked out that other people can be unreliable, so she is better to plan for her own success, instead of relying on others. She is a huge forward thinker and she spends time gently tweaking all aspects of her financial life to gently steer her waka where she wants it to go.
