When we talk about spending money it’s usually in absolutes. There’s good spending and bad spending. Spending money that you have budgeted for on healthy food is good and spending money on daily coffee is bad. Impulsive purchasing of consumer items and clothing is going to kill you in your sleep. That’s bad spending. But is it really this simple when we talk about spending? or are we simply missing …
How much time do you “waste”? I’m not talking about time wasted at work skiving off, or taking an extra-long lunch break- I believe that to get ahead in your career you can’t waste time at work. You need to provide value at work to get ahead. So far this attitude has worked for me. I’m talking about wasting your own time. I waste a lot of my time. Especially …
Read MoreHow Much Time Do You Waste- and How Much is it Worth?
Do you dream about early retirement? The definition of retirement is the action of leaving one’s job and ceasing to work. That is why the term retirement and financial independence are often used interchangeably. Both, retirement and financial independence, are achieved when you have enough retirement savings and investment incomes or NZ super to cover your expenses. The History of Retirement Retirement hasn’t actually been around for that long- it …
Certain myths seem to persist over time. For instance- there’s the myth that there is a dark side to the moon. I blame Pink Floyd for this one! There is no dark side to the moon- it’s just the far side. Which has the same light and dark as the side we can see. The share market is like the dark side of the moon for many Kiwis. Mysterious and …
As you all know, I am an avid index investor. I’m generally interested in low cost, well-diversified index funds. There is a good deal of evidence out there that low-cost well-diversified index funds give you the best chance of getting a great return from the share market with little effort. No researching companies, or timing entry and exits of positions- while interesting- I don’t have the time. And lower fees …
Whether you should pay down your mortgage faster, or invest instead, is one of the longest-running debates in personal finance. What should you do with any extra money that you might have- pay off your mortgage, or invest? There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both sides. Sure, you can be completely analytical and run the numbers to get an estimate of which is better for you in the long …
Read MoreShould You Pay Down the Mortgage Early or Invest Instead?
Are Bonus bonds better than buying Lotto tickets? Probably… In a previous post, I tried to visualise the odds of winning the Lotto’s Powerball– and how it doesn’t really make sense to buy lotto tickets at all. The odds are so small that almost anything is more likely to happen than you winning Lotto. And yet- I still purchase the odd Lotto ticket now and then- it’s interesting how illogical …
I buy lotto tickets- there, I said it. Not all the time, just occasionally. I usually buy them when the jackpot gets really high- like the recent $32 million Powerball- for some reason, I have convinced myself to only buy tickets once the Powerball jackpot goes beyond $20 million. Because you know- anything below 20 million just isn’t worth my time. But why? Only buying tickets when the Powerball is …
31 March 2020 marked the end of the financial year for the year 2020 – which also means that in the next few months you will need to file taxes! Luckily, we have an easy tax system in New Zealand. For many people you who are on salaried wages, your tax is automatically done for you through PAYE (pay as you earn). Your employer would have already paid your taxes on …
One of the most asked questions, when it comes to investing, is generally along the vein of “I have X amount of dollars, where should I invest it”. And it’s a hard question to answer with just that much information. There are two other pieces of information that you need to know when deciding where to invest your money. One being, what is your investment time frame- how long are …