How I money
(Technically, this article should be titled “How WE money” because everything I do, I do it with my wife.) One of the things I pride myself on is providing financial advice that follows the...
Category: Building Wealth
You’ve got to spend money to save money
Frugality is great. But only if you’re frugal out of choice, and you define frugality in terms of being mindful about how you spend your money and making sure you spend in a way...
The last safe investment is YOU
I love books that swing for the fences. They almost always include things I disagree with. And they’re not the sort of books that will average 5 stars on Amazon. That’s how I’d describe...
What does wealth mean to you? [VIDEO PRESENTATION]
This week I gave a 30-minute presentation to a group of engineers. I talked about investing and insurance, while emphasising the importance of making financial and lifestyle decisions that are in line with YOUR...
How money misconceptions can put your life into hard mode
My son is starting to get into video games. In many games, you have the option between playing on “easy mode” or “hard mode”. Sometimes I think we unnecessarily put our lives on “hard mode”,...
How to flawcast your financial future
One of the most valuable exercises I run through with clients is “flawcasting” their financial future. It’s one thing to create a personal balance sheet setting out your existing assets and liabilities, and getting an...
A curmudgeon reads The Barefoot Investor
(Ugh. This has been the most popular article on this blog for a long time, despite the fact that there are far more interesting and useful articles on this site. I’ll update this article...
Kiwis should embrace supermodels
(When I talk about embracing “supermodels”, I’m actually talking about embracing “super models”. As in, all Kiwis should care about the policy settings relating to NZ Superannuation. If you were expecting something more salacious,...
Don’t be fooled by the 4 percent rule
If you’ve done any research on planning for retirement, you’ve probably come across the 4% rule. It originates from the US (specifically, Trinity University from Texas). This idea, like many US ideas, has spread...
Should you repay your mortgage or invest?
If you’re looking for a financial adviser, one of the best places to start is Mary Holm’s list of financial advisers. She doesn’t endorse these advisers, but they meet minimum criteria that mean their...