The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

• 107. Revisit with Hamish: An investor with military precision!

  This is a revisit episode, I enjoy doing these because I like you wonder, “Whatever happened to…?” I last spoke with Hamish in 2021, Episode 50, An Investor With Military Precision, back when he was a 27-year-old solo homeowner and disciplined saver working in the New Zealand military. Fast-forward four years, and life has changed: he’s now 31, married to Sophie, and the two of them are navigating homeownership, investing, and future planning as a team. It’s clear from talking to Hamish that theirs is a partnership built on communication, respect, and shared goals. With two minds on the case, they’re refining their investment strategy, slowly shifting from property-heavy assets toward a simpler, more diversified approach, while still living a good life with their growing whānau.

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• 106. Revisit with Neil: A Financially Complicated Breakup

  This episode revisits my August 2022 conversation with Neil in Episode 69, A Financially Complicated Breakup. Now 52, Neil has lived in New Zealand for 20 years, working in IT since moving from the UK in 2005. He retained his UK property as a rental and began learning about personal finance around 2006. When KiwiSaver started in 2007, he joined up, and by our first chat, his KiwiSaver had grown to $200,000. After a previous long-term relationship ended with a fair asset split, Neil began to invest more and more in a range of ETF funds. A new relationship followed, and he became a father, but without a relationship property agreement in place, the eventual breakup led to a bitter legal dispute over money. Hearing his story offered a valuable male perspective on something I more often hear from women: lengthy, painful separations marked by financial and emotional strain. Often, there’s already a financial imbalance, which becomes even more difficult when children are involved and time off work affects a woman’s earning power. While I’m mindful this is only Neil’s side of the story, I’m pleased to share that this challenging chapter ultimately ended well, and I hope the details provide insight and hope to others navigating similar situations.

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• 105. A Lumpy Journey – No Need to Go Anywhere in a Straight Line

  In this episode, I chat with Tracey, a long-time reader and listener of The Happy Saver who first came on my radar through her detailed Debt Free Questionnaire in 2022. Tracey and her husband have reached what's known as Coast FI—meaning they already have enough money invested that, even if they never added another dollar to their investments, by the time they reach 65, it will have grown to their required amount. This gives them the flexibility to reduce their working hours in their self-employed HR roles if they choose. We dig into how Tracey got herself to this point and where she plans to take it from here. It’s an interesting episode, with quite a bit of complexity, but I think it’s a fascinating one, as this couple have independently and collectively created a lot of options for themselves. Tracey said she has had a “lumpy” journey, and that “there is no need to go anywhere in a straight line.” The key for her is that she is making progress. She is a firm believer in setting up an investment, making regular contributions to it, but not being afraid to make changes and do things differently as you continue to research and learn new information.

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• 104. I Have Stopped Sleepwalking Through My Finances

  After my long kōrero with Sammy to prepare this episode, my head was spinning from all the twists and turns of her story. After 57 years of personal and financial trauma, last year, in 2024, Sammy had her “aha” moment when she said “Screw it, I’m sick of this,” and started to let a little light shine on her money. Once she had opened the door a crack, she basically just ripped the whole roof off her financial life, and has had a complete, and hopefully permanent, financial transformation. She’s not done yet; she has some mahi in front of her, but she is well on her way. I’ll often meet people who blow up their financial lives for the better, and the progress they make is astounding. Sammy is one of these people. Twice divorced, and with three children, one of whom has special needs, she has spent many years often living below the poverty line and buying bread and milk on a credit card that she could not pay off, and sometimes she has made decisions that kept her on the poverty line. Over the decades, she trained as a teacher and stabilised her situation, but still made questionable financial choices, until finally, aged 58 today, she is charging ahead.

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• 103. 20-Year-Old on the Path to Financial Freedom

  In November 2024, I attended Black FI-Day, New Zealand’s first financial independence hui. Nearly 40 people gathered for this three-day event to share their financial journeys. One of them was Amelie, the person in the spotlight today. Just 19 at the time, she showed up on her own and was understandably nervous. But before long, every participant was in awe of this young wahine from Taranaki, who had decided that if spending a weekend with a bunch of strangers meant learning about money and building financial confidence, it was worth the risk. She got fully involved in the weekend, even sharing her situation in a case study that she presented to the group. Now 20, she joined me for a kōrero, giving me the chance to dive deeper into her money journey. I hope today’s episode resonates with teens, 20-somethings, and to the adults who happen to have a young person in their midst.

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