Smart Money

• Andrew Bascand: We've seen the bottom of the rate cycle

  Last week the Reserve Bank dropped the OCR 25 basis points to 2.25%, but their tone was a bit more hawkish than usual. Some analysts are thinking it's a signal that rates have gone as low as the RBNZ is willing to drop them - and the new Governor may be wanting to turn a new leaf in 2026. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Lisa Dudson: Is it time to fix long term?

  We got another OCR cut this week - now down to 2.25% - the lowest it's been since June of 2022. That was the last one for the year, so a lot of us mortgage holders are trying to figure out whether things are slowing down, and if it's time to fix for a longer term this time around. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Martin Hawes: Higher earners increasingly seeking budgeting help

  Queues at budgeting services are getting longer, and financial advisors are finding households with increasing incomes are seeking help. Kiwis with a household income of over $200,000 a year and likely with a mortgage are struggling to make ends meet. It feels like it was only a few years ago that being on a six figure salary meant you were fairly well off, but it seems it's barely enough to get out of living paycheck to paycheck these days. So what actually is a liveable wage these days? Do we truly need to be making half a million a year just to pay our bills and still have a bit left over for savings and fun? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Rupert Carlyon: Take a breath before you touch that windfall

  Most of us have spent the past few days daydreaming about what we would spend $55 million on. Pay off the mortgage, book a holiday, send some off to charity, throw the rest in a term deposit. Three lucky punters each one a share of the jackpot last night - $18.3 million each. Not many of us will have the chance to come across tens of millions in our lives, but most of us will at some point get a large some from inheritance or a bonus or the likes. So what's the smart thing to do when you get a big windfall, before the excitement takes over? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Hamish Pepper: The NZ economy is finally recovering

  The Reserve Bank shocked a lot of us last month when it cut the OCR by 50 basis points down to 2.5%. Analysts have said that the RBNZ was reading the room and giving kiwis a much needed breather after years of high rates. Early signs are showing it's starting to have an effect - with the GDP estimate for the September quarter pointing to 0.6% growth and many banks forecasting an optimistic remainder of the year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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