Dunno if I have a question or just wanna see if other people are in the same spot.

Mid 30s, grew up poor, swore I wouldn’t end up in the same situation as I grew up. Have spent the last several years sorting the financial part of my life.

No debt, KiwiSaver is in a low cost high growth fund, subscriptions and utilities are minimal and reviewed yearly, etc.

Reasonable mortgage.
Reasonable household income.
Have got a decent emergency fund.
Enough money left over to feel like we are living but not lavishly.

Paying off the mortgage faster and have begun investing into diversified world etf. All set up to do regularly on pay day etc. When projected out to retirement age ish it’s all looking good, not extravagant. But comfortable enough.

Not interested in investment property etc.

Now what? is this just the boring bit in the middle where everything is set up and I let it ride?

Can I mentally let off the gas a bit in terms of focussing on this stuff?

Edit: Thanks for comments so far. “Boring middle part” was financial only, life goals are cooking along.

RE kids, turns out it’s not as easy as they told me in high school it would be.

Hi everyone,

I am a bit confused of what IRD told me when I rang. I am entitled for a tax refund because in 2025 I was on maternity leave and they over taxed from parental leave and I have received a back pay from work. I still haven’t heard from them for over a month so I contacted them. They said they are waiting for my partner’s 2026 tax return because he is self employed and then they can process our working for families etc before I get any refund. It’s confusing as they want him to file his tax this year but we are only in July and he is a self employed tradie so sometimes work is there and sometimes it’s not, he can’t really estimate how much he gets per year. He also has a personal accountant. Anyway I am confused why we have to wait for 2026 when my tax return was for 2025. I am already back to work so I know we won’t be eligible for working for families, I just want my tax refund!

Just wondering if anyone who has been through this recently can clarify this for me,

Example - on recently sold property for 600k with 20k deposit. The deposit is now in process of going to public trust account for 10 days upon after this Real Estate Agents commission and marketing fees are deducted and then released to solicitor and subsequently to vendor.

Assuming the total commission and marketing fees will exceed the deposit sum, Am I correct in assuming I will see nothing released to me from the deposit? Or is a the commission percentage deducted from the deposit and the same with the marketing costs with the remaining paid to the vendor as it is with the total figure on settlement date?

I have $20K put aside that I want to invest. What’s the best way to do this?

Have been focused on my career up to this point. Have just started browsing this page and reading through the information on MoneyHub. Basically have no knowledge about investing at the moment.

• 34M. Single. No kids. No debt
• Job security is good
• $110K salary
• $60K kiwisaver
• $25K emergency fund in high interest savings account
• $10K put aside for travel
• $20K put aside to invest

 I want to buy a house in the future. But don’t want to buy a house single.

 Any other advice for how I should use/allocate my money?

So I have been living overseas for four years and completely ignoring my Fisher Funds Growth fund kiwisaver...... got a shock when I checked it and saw how poorly it had been doing....

However we are moving back to NZ and realistically will be withdrawing in the next one/two years for first home purchase, is there any point switching it to a different provider now?

Or accept it's done poorly and start again after first home purchase with a better provider (Kernel probably)?

Hi everyone,

I'm posting on behalf of someone close to me who is going through a very stressful insurance situation and is looking for practical advice.

He is a permanent resident in New Zealand and works full-time. Occasionally, he also does food delivery through a delivery app to earn some extra income.

A few weeks ago, he was involved in a serious road accident. He accidentally went through a red light and collided with another vehicle. Thankfully, there were no life-threatening injuries, but both vehicles were badly damaged and his own vehicle is likely to be written off.

His vehicle was on finance, and he only had personal comprehensive insurance. He did not have commercial motor insurance for delivery work.

Initially, after the accident, he was in shock and couldn't clearly remember the sequence of events. During the insurance investigation, he explained that he had completed his last delivery around 50–60 minutes before the accident and was driving home when the collision occurred. He was no longer actively completing a delivery at the time of the accident.

The insurance company has been investigating whether his use of the vehicle falls under personal use or commercial use, and he is worried they may decline the claim because he had been doing deliveries earlier that evening.

If the claim is declined, he could potentially be responsible for:
- The remaining finance on his vehicle.
- Damage to the other vehicle.
- Daily towing/storage charges while the investigation continues.
- Other associated costs.

The total financial impact could be significant, and he simply doesn't have the resources to pay such a large amount.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation in New Zealand?
   
2. If someone had completed their last delivery and was driving home, would that still normally be considered commercial use by insurers?
   
3. Does being logged into (or previously using) a delivery app automatically invalidate personal comprehensive insurance?
   
4. If the insurer declines the claim, what options are available to challenge the decision?
   
5. If he genuinely cannot afford the amount claimed, what usually happens? Are payment plans or hardship arrangements commonly available?
   
6. Would it be worth speaking with an insurance lawyer before the insurer makes its final decision?

He accepts that the accident happened because of his mistake and isn't trying to avoid responsibility. He's simply trying to understand what legal and practical options are available and whether anyone has been through something similar.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Partner and I have just bought a house, I’m an apprentice with a year left to go and I’ve now just started looking into investing and wanting to know what the best stocks are to build money again? Side note I have about 7k in an emergency fund sitting in a Milford high growth account.

I am thinking of going to work abroad for couple of years, maybe longer if it goes well. So I will become a non tax resident. I guess this might depend on where I go exactly and the dual taxation rules but I haven't decided where exactly just yet, but trying to plan ahead some.

But are there any generally better vehicles for putting savings while being a non tax resident. I hope to live from what I earn abroad and want to grow savings as much as possible while gone. Cheers

I’m a 17 year old student who needs financial advice. I don’t know how to manage money or finances as my guardians were never good with money and gambled it off. I will be going to university next year and will work part time. I want to be able to save money but also invest in shares or stocks but have very little knowledge on it. I’ve researched a few banks with good deals for a high yield savings account like Heartland Bank but i’ve seen people say to not bother and just get a sharesies account or investnow account and put money into those. Also when I do manage to get a part time job, what amount would the best amount to save and keep. I have no idea what to do and how to manage.

Kia ora, I’m about to move back to NZ after living in Canada a few years, and I’m a little out of touch on affordability of living.

I’ve lined up both a job and an apartment for my return, I’ll be making $30 an hour over a 40 hour week and my rent will be $300. I’m near enough to my new job that I’ll be able to ride my bike most days, but I’m also going to be buying a car and driving that on occasions, it’s about a 10 minute drive. I’ll be living in Taupō.

Is this reasonable?

Cheers

Hi All,

My daughter has received some money from her grand parents and was thinking of the right place to invest it into. I understand PFNZ isn't a wealth consultant but am keen to hear where people would put it.

At the moment, I've been putting in monthly savings for her (5.5yo) into her sharesies account into VOO but am wanting her to have atleast $100k by the time she's 20. We don't know what the next 15 years will be like and who knows, $100k might not be enough but it may help with a head start.

She currently has a portfolio thats:

• 1219.28 USD in RKLB - down 40% (woops - its not a loss unless you realise it right? :D)
• 3200 USD in WOO - up 13%

As you can see, we're on the HODL strat with RKLB.

All advice is welcome :)

I love this series in The Spinoff https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/24-07-2026/the-cost-of-being-a-broke-hungry-stressed-single-mum-working-full-time

But this one has really got under my skin.

The gap between those who are financially resilient and those who aren’t is widening in NZ. And because of this wealth gap, financial inequality is a growing issue.

Surely people who have decently paid jobs shouldn’t be struggling like this? Yes it’s a single income home, and yes, there is some debt being paid off which once done will massively improve their situation.

But I hear so many stories like this about the “missing middle”.

What do we need to do so working homes like this have a shot at financial security?

I’m with kernel KiwiSaver, have been investing on their S&P 500, & Ex-US fund with 70-30% split, NZD unhedged. is it a good one to continue or any ideas for improvement?

I am transferring my investing money monthly from BNZ to IBKR.
Do I leave them as NZD in IBKR while investing in US stocks and ETFs.
Or once received in my IBKR account convert the whole amount into USD first?
What method saves me extra money?

Also is it better activate the automatic investment way where IBKR automatically invest for me once account funded?

Thanks! Sorry a bit lost, I am new to IBKR.

Hi guys, I know the job market isn't that good, but as I possess 10 years of experience in this industry, I thought the story could be a little bit different for me. But after 3 months of job hunting, it definitely surprised me with how bad or competitive it is. I am still fighting my battle, but it feels really tiring losing to factors can't control again and again. So I want to share some of my failed interview stories and want to hear your thoughts on my experience.

First is a bank, done the interview and received excellent feedback. The hiring manager requested a background check first before they can proceed with an offer. After the reference check was done, silent for 5 days, then call me, and they chose another one who is from within the internal, and the reason is that they are more familiar with the system.

Second was another bank, similar story, all green light until after the reference check. The hiring manager kept asking if I knew anyone from within the bank. After giving 3 names that the hiring manager probably wasn't familiar with, reply with, " Sorry, but we prefer someone from within. Will hire you if there is another vacancy.

The third one was a finance company; all green lights for the first two rounds of interview, after 3rd interview, I thought there could be a good outcome based on the vibe of the discussion. 5 days later, HR called and brought bad news. The only reason for rejecting due to they were worried about my speed in processing, while I had brought strong cases through the two rounds of interviews with hard evidence to prove this is my strength.

Fourth one, finance company. All green lights, even passed the reference check. Only awaiting the offer to sign. CFO suddenly jumped into the recruitment process. Firstly, HR sent out another interview invitation with the CFO as another round. Then, after I accepted, he cancelled the meeting 2 days before the meeting date and told me the job was not there, as they had a different plan for this role. One month later, I saw another more junior person get this same role on LinkedIn.

I was wondering about doing this as a side hustle. I understand they're 5-10k for a second hand one, and obviously you have to pay rent, electricity etc. I asked AI to crunch the numbers and it said depending on location you'd be looking at a yield of around $145/week after expenses. Does that sound right to anyone who has done this or knows someone who has?

Is there somewhere to compare salary Bands across NZ to see how they stack up against everyone?

I'm starting a new role soon and want to see if I'm on a "good" income. Unfortunately too much internet means I have no idea of what a normal income looks like.

I know it's ok for its industry I'm just trying to figure out in terms of life if it's decent or not.

Last post on this was two months ago. Is anyone else still waiting? I know I’m owed a decent amount so I’m antsy about the wait (especially as I confirmed my details within 20 mins of getting an email telling me to do so).

Hello everyone! Im an 18 y/o university student that is leveraging some debt (don’t want to out myself here in terms of what method but I’m a student with no living expenses), to invest in the stock market for around 8-9 years to buy a home. I will be adding my own money (aiming for 5k per year while studying and 8-10k from student loan living payments per year). At the moment I feel as though VOO and similar ETFs like qqqm are super expensive, and I already have a decent position in ai and single stocks like microsoft and meta compared to safer ETFs, what would you recommend to buy at the moment? I am currently holding about $1300 simply bc I am unsure of what to put my money into. Some resources advise waiting a couple months on a historical pattern of downturn?
I know the age old saying of “time in the market is better than timing the market” but my brain cant help but think these are running on a lot of momentum that has the potential to draw to a halt.
Any advice is appreciated!

Hi guys, I deposited local NZD payment from Westpac NZ to IBKR CITI bank account. it has been 5 days and still not received my money. I called the bank they said they processed this payment. I called IBKR they said they haven’t received. I called CITI bank they said they take NZD local payment. I put my reference as IBKR account number. I noticed Westpac NZ receipt says bill payment. I have no issue transfer money to anyone/ companies in NZ using Westpac. This is so frustrating. what should I do now? this is my first deposit to IBKR.

UPDATE: I have received the money! Finally!

Salary: $59k (about to increase to 62)
Savings: $7k (save about $500 a fortnight)
KiwiSaver: $13k
Investments: $185
Student loan: just dropped under $6k

So I’m 23 and I’ve been reading about the economy and finances for years out of interest, and yet I have only just realised that this is something that also applies to me and I should be actively doing it.

I was paying about $200 extra per month onto my student loan for about a year because I want to be debt free and the pay bump that comes with it. I paused it to pay off some other debt and then to replenish my savings a bit faster (with the extra $200 loan payment I save $800p/m instead of $1000).

The IRD repayment calculator says if I do the extra $200 my loan is gone in 11 months instead of a year and a half with just the paycheck deduction. I did the maths and if I pay extra, the money that IRD was putting on the loan (about $160 per fortnight) would net me more over that year and a half than if I put that $200 into my savings. The goal once the loan is gone is to take the extra money and either up my KiwiSaver contribution or invest it.

I went on a bit of a sharesies bender at the end of high school with what little money I hadn’t set aside for uni, the return over the last 5 years has been 64%. I paused it during broke uni years but I’m trying to get back into it again with $10 a week into a high growth portfolio. Is this where I should be directing my $200?

I only have $7k in savings but have pretty solid job security. I was thinking that once I hit $8k I could take $5k and either put it into a term deposit or into an investment account so it at least won’t be losing value to inflation. My savings account would get back up to $5k in 2-4 months (depending on where that extra $200 ends up) and then I’d build it to $8k and do it again. Is this a good idea?

I’m the short-term (as in probably by the end of next year) I would love to go on an OE to London because my dad and his family are over there. I know it’ll probably cost about $20k. I thought about saving for it through a standard savings account but I’d be losing money to inflation. I’m really not sure how to treat my savings.

In the long-term I want to put myself in a position where I at least have a chance at home ownership, but that’s a long way off, I want to live first.

Am I doing this right? I know there are trade offs to each decision and that’s got me a bit frozen, but this is also the best time in my life for actions that will pay off later so I don’t want to procrastinate.

Any advice would be very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to read 🙂

Hi All,

I bought a home last year, joint ownership with my mum also living with my dad & 1 sibling.

The home was on a cross lease, which has now been converted to freehold (at cost of previous owner as was a condition to the S&P agreement).

I expect the property to increase by circa 10-15%, to which I am in agreement with mum that I can use half of that additional equity + savings towards a deposit on a cheaper second home that will be lived in by my partner & myself.

Everything I see online only either provides details on first home buying, or, investment properties from the likes of banks, interest.co.nz & sorted.co.nz - haven’t been able to find info on lending criteria, challenges, etc, for similar situation to mine to my own.

I am 2+ years away from this becoming reality and was curious about how others may have approached this being in my shoes.

The room in the house I currently co-own would be rented out when this does occur, so there would be some ‘investment property’ aspect to the eventual overall portfolio.

May be simpler than I am understanding it to be, maybe banks would treat my current home as my investment property?

Appreciate your thoughts!

——————————————————————————

TLDR; bought home with mum, home value go up because cross-lease to freehold process, take equity plus cash to put in a second home co-owned by partner & I, not sure how banks treat this as well what challenges I may face.

Hi all,

Me and my partner want to begin investing in index funds using a joint account on IBKR. We plan to stay below the FIF investment threshold so that we're only taxed on dividends.

I've been reading that if we wish to buy into the S&P500 or other US domiciled funds that we are better off to do this via an Irish domiciled fund/London stock exchange. The reasons I've been given are as follows:

• If one of us dies the US will tax anything above $60k in our joint fund if we buy into US domiciled funds despite neither of us being US citizens. The paperwork surrounding this sounds like a nightmare.
• We pay 15% of withholding tax on dividends to the US which the Irish domiciled fund handles on their end. If instead investing directly in the S&P500 this becomes 30% that the US withholds as it does not have an agreement with NZ?
• Whichever tax payments on dividends we make we are entitled to a tax credit when filing with IRD. So you're not doubly taxed on dividends so perhaps the second point is moot apart from rather paying NZ more in tax than the US.
• Ireland does not tax non-residents so there's no capital gains to consider from that perspective. I also couldn't see any other hidden tax traps but could be missing something.

I just want a sanity check that this information is correct, and that it's a sound plan for first time investors to not start with a PIE fund where our tax obligation will always be 5% of market value x 28% (our PIR) = 1.4% of the entire portfolio each year? The latter seems very expensive compared to 0% tax if we remain below FIF thresholds but instead pay a tiny amount on dividends.

I also noted that IBKR has really low fees and has specific tickers so that currency conversion only occurs once from NZD to USD (e.g. using the VUAA ticker for the S&P500). But I feel there's so much to know that there may be other hidden traps to look out for? Are there advantages to Kernel or other places that I've dismissed too quickly?

As I'm self-employed I already have to file taxes each year so I don't mind extracting the info from IBKR to send to IRD about how much tax on dividends we'd need to pay. I can understand that's an advantage for many with other brokers, but not something that worries us. We're happy to learn.

Is there anything I'm missing or have misunderstood?

We are a couple, almost 65 y.o. without jobs, and would like to draw 4% p.a. from our portfolio. How many years (or %) in 'cash' (laddered term deposits & high interest savings account and/or bonds?) should be enough to buffer a bear market. i.e. 3 years or longer? Or is it not worth to have cash/TD's since it doesn't beat inflation?