The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

In today’s episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Carla. She lives in a small regional town in the South Island with her husband and their three children. Carla’s story is about money, but it’s also about health. I don’t think I’ve spoken with someone with quite the mix of things going on that Carla has, but listening to such a wide variety of people share their money journeys on this podcast has given her the courage to make some big changes in her own life, because she knows that no two people manage money the same, and you do what works for you and your whānau. Her story is about stress. It’s about values. And it’s about what it can look like to protect your relationships, while also protecting yourself. Carla and I have been emailing back and forth for quite a few years now, and those emails tell a story I absolutely love to witness: the slow, steady progression of thought over time. It’s like watching someone move from, “I should probably look at this,” to, “Oh wow, I’m actually doing this,” to, “This is now how I live.”

Jennifer first emailed me in early 2023 after listening to all my podcasts. She knew I was a big advocate for parents teaching kids to invest and had a few questions, including one detail that really caught my attention. Her then 17 and 19-year-old children didn’t know they had a small amount of money coming their way at 25. She wanted to keep it secret, plus they had zero interest in investing. That sparked an ongoing email exchange, and nearly three years later, we’re here, with Jennifer finally agreeing to share a much deeper financial story than she first intended. She genuinely thought she was the only one in her position, struggling to make ends meet, trying to get out of debt, and managing a solo financial journey within a happy marriage. This episode is a frank look at how so many couples who think about money very differently are actually dealing with it today, and why her experience is far more normal than she realised. I know there will be people listening who see themselves in her story and come away with reassurance, clarity, and a sense of what’s possible.

Today I’m sharing the story of Steve and Sarah, a UK couple who, many years ago, packed up their lives, moved to Aotearoa, and built a really solid financial life together. From the get-go, they’ve been a great team with money: well-educated, curious, hard-working, and brave enough to take big leaps when the chance came along. Over the years, they’ve invested in property, shares, and themselves, learning plenty along the way. Like many of us, they’ve had a few financial detours, several property disasters, but their long-term habit of saving and investing has quietly set them up for a strong and flexible future as they approach retirement in their late 50s. This conversation is full of insights from Steve’s engineer’s brain, the steady teamwork he and Sarah share, and the real-life curveballs that have made them rethink what matters most. It’s an honest, practical story about the power of keeping things simple, staying curious, and building the kind of financial life that lets you enjoy today, while still planning for tomorrow. Whenever I pick up the phone for a kōrero with someone like Steve, I know I’m in for a detailed chat, and he didn’t disappoint, and I’m sure that those listening will be able to pull out little nuggets of wisdom from the information he shared.

Maria and Michelle were late financial bloomers who only really got started in their 50s. Now 71 and 69, they’ve paid off their mortgage and student loan, invested in the sharemarket, built up $1,000,000 in savings and investments, and receive NZ Super and a US pension. Through hard work, investing as much of their income as they possibly could, and carefully tracking and measuring their progress, they went from feeling anxious about retirement to completely calm about it. For Maria, money had always meant security, yet for a variety of reasons, she kept making poor financial decisions throughout much of her adult life. She knew what to do, save, invest, be sensible, but never quite managed to pull it all together. Moving from the US to New Zealand at age 50, however, felt like pressing a giant reset button. She’d always invested in her education, and she brought that knowledge with her. Soon after, she met her partner Michelle, who was equally qualified but also late to the financial party. Together, they realised they were well set up to succeed if they put in the effort. And so, they did. They’re a textbook example of starting right where you are, no matter your age. And I have to say, this was one of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve had in a long time.

This week, I’m sharing the story of Rachel, a 90s kid from Timaru. Rachel is the youngest of four, with three brothers, and a ten year gap between her and her oldest brother, and they all grew up with a stay at home mum and a Dad who always took any and every job he could to provide for their family. Although Rachel just assumed that hers might be a standard life plan of go to school, complete some tertiary study at some point, get a full-time job and work your way up the career ladder, she has ended up veering off on a path entirely of her own making. Aged 32, she now works where and when she wants to and is not afraid to work full-time or not at all. She’s created a financial cushion for herself, which is smaller than you might expect, but it's plenty enough for her. This is coupled with a large and supportive family and community, meaning she gets to go out and be herself, knowing she’s never alone. I reckon that Rachel’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and crafting a life that balances work, faith, community, and financial independence on her own terms, and she is genuinely happy and content with where she has been and where she is yet to go.