94. Continuous Improvement

94. Continuous Improvement

Author: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger August 14, 2024 Duration: 49:40
Ruby stumbled across The Happy Saver in October of 2022, prompting her to email me with a couple of questions. She’d recently signed up with Sharesies and was testing the waters by investing $20 a week, and had a few questions about where to start. Plus, she had a question about her KiwiSaver. While at home with two young tamariki, she had just realised that even when she was not in the paid workforce, she could voluntarily contribute money into her account, which she immediately started doing. Taking a moment to think about investing made her start digging around for more information about her money. From then on, her thirst for financial literacy grew, and she began to search for information that could teach her to be better with her pūtea. A year went by, and I heard from her again. She went into more detail, which led to me asking her to be on my podcast today. She is now 34, and her husband Tim is 38. They live in rural Canterbury with their two preschool children. I think their journey is typical of a lot of Kiwis, and what I particularly like is that they continue to adjust their financial course as new information comes to light.

Money conversations can feel awkward, but they don't have to be. On The Happy Saver Podcast-Personal Finance in New Zealand, host Ruth brings her perspective as a longtime personal finance blogger to break down that barrier. Each episode is built around real stories from everyday Kiwis, exploring the nuanced and often personal relationship people have with their finances. You'll hear frank discussions about how money influences life choices, for better or worse. The focus is on practical, grounded experiences within the New Zealand context-where people save, how they invest, and whether those strategies actually pan out over time. Ruth guides conversations that delve into both financial victories and those moments that feel like train wrecks, always with an eye toward learning. The underlying question is how to design a life rich in experience without spending a fortune to get there. This isn't about theoretical jargon; it's about the applied reality of making dollars and sense work together in Aotearoa. By listening to this podcast, you gain a collective wisdom from a community navigating the same economic landscape, from everyday budgeting to long-term investing goals. Ruth facilitates a space where money is simply a tool to be understood and mastered, one honest story at a time.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand
Podcast Episodes
99. Work, Life, Balance: With Plenty of Free Time! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:26
This week, I’m making a bit of an exception and chatting with someone who was a bit reluctant to talk about money. Which is ironic, given this is a podcast that talks about money. Rob, a 33-year-old plumber from Western…
98. Life and times of a property investor, turned global traveller. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:16
In today's episode, I will be sharing the financial journey of Jack, a Kiwi from the lower North Island. Jack found The Happy Saver when he was searching for podcasts on money. As an investor in rental property, he was l…
97. Revisit with Chris and Rosemary: These two are not mucking around! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:50
Today’s episode is an update on North Island couple Chris and Rosemary. Their first episode came out in March 2021 — it was episode number 49. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, and today’s episode is an update on where th…
96. Reality Check [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:49
Today's episode began with an email from a Kiwi couple in their mid-40s, who asked to be called Tokyo and Rio, inspired by the show Money Heist. Tokyo reached out just before Christmas 2023, sharing how a sinking fund sh…
95. On the Verge of Lasting Change. Hopefully. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:23
When I received an email from a guy called John saying that he and his wife Betty have gone from being terrible with money and trying (unsuccessfully) to grow wealth via debt to completely changing their mentality to one…
Part 6: INVESTING [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:18
Congratulations, you have made it to the final episode of this series of six: INVESTING. Investing can be incredibly complex, but I found a way to simplify it. I used to feel overwhelmed by the options available, but now…
Part 5: DEBT FREE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:06
Get out of debt, and stay out of debt. I think of debt as a phase of life that I moved through. That period has passed, and I’ve moved on. Jonny and I have been entirely debt-free since our early 30s, and I encourage you…
Part 4: KIWISAVER [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:03
The fourth part of this six-part series is one of the easier topics to cover, KiwiSaver. 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 doi…
Part 3: EMERGENCY FUND [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:10
The best thing I ever did was set some cash into a bank account, which we could instantly access in a financial emergency. It is an amount of money set aside in a specific bank account to be used for bailing myself out i…
Part 2: BUDGET [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:21
In the first episode in this series of six, I quickly showed you how to calculate your net worth. It will take a little longer today, but I want to explain why you need to keep an eye on how and where you earn and spend…