The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

Author: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger Language: English Episodes: 100
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.
Episodes
57. You can plan not to be broke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:21
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 tw…
56. House Rich, Cash Poor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:55
Today I’m introducing you to Fatima. By working hard and being at the right place at the right time, she had managed to buy several properties but there was a tipping point one day when despite the net worth she had buil…
54. Where are they now? A revisit with Lucas, Callum and Bradie. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:00
For the last episode in this series, I have once again reconnected with a few people that I’ve interviewed before. I like to check in on people and get a feel for the progress and changes they have made and I know you do…
53. On a flight path to financial independence. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:42
When Julian and Sophie met in 1999 they each had a car, a very small amount in savings and no debt. Just 21 ‘short’ years later they have an approximate net worth of $1,500,000. So, how did they do it? Their current weal…
52. I don’t want a student debt hangover! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:20
In today’s podcast, 26-year-old Bella shares the realities of student loan debt in New Zealand and how you can meander your way into debt, but it’s far harder to meander your way out again. She explains how the pressure…
50. An investor with military precision! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:54
I first heard from Hamish when he sent me an email in late 2020 telling me that back in 2018, at the age of just 24 he had saved up and bought a $379,00 house in Palmerston North with a big deposit of $125,000. Apparentl…
49. Everything I thought I knew about money was wrong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:08
“Well this is awkward” I thought when some guy called Chris started secretly emailing me without his partner’s knowledge! Big long emails with tonnes of questions about personal finance, my favourite topic for sure! That…
48. Everything is working out perfectly! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:46
Jen freaked out at 49! She considered herself to be halfway through her life and had big concerns about what the other half might look like. She became heartily sick of working so hard. At the age of 16, she started full…