2024 Financial Wrap Up

2024 Financial Wrap Up

Ruth

Today, I will describe our financial year from January 1st to December 15th 2024. As someone who likes to update their net worth at the end of the month, it is awkward to do it two weeks early. We will take a break in January, and I didn’t want to wait until February to post this. I have been enjoying seeing others share their numbers on Instagram and love that it's becoming less of a big deal to do so. Like you, I am curious about other people and their money. The more open people are about money, the more we can learn from each other. Therefore, without further ado, here's how 2024 shaped up for Jonny, our daughter and I.

How Our Daughter Will Pay Cash for University

How Our Daughter Will Pay Cash for University

Ruth
Kids and Money, Money Education, PocketSmith, Saving, Investment

Our daughter will likely attend University or Polytech in 2026. She still has to complete Year 13 in 2025, but after that, she has some decisions to make as she attempts to answer the dreaded and most commonly asked question, “What do you want to do when you finish school?” Going into further study is not a foregone conclusion, but it is certainly an option. As we spend the next year trying to help her decide what comes next, we will also take the time to help her (and us) financially prepare. She has no firm plans as to what she might do, but money comes in handy, that much I know. We want her to pay to study using cash. I’ve met too many ex-students who regret their student loans. Given we all know this cost is coming, we can save for it. 

PocketSmith Helps Me Manage and Understand Our Money

PocketSmith Helps Me Manage and Understand Our Money

Ruth
Budgeting, PocketSmith, Money Education

Budgeting is particularly at the top of my mind as I’ve been leaning heavily on it since quitting my day job in late October. Given that my regular paycheque is now gone, it is during times of change that I pay closer attention to our pūtea until things settle down. In the lead-up to finishing work, I’d used my budgeting and saving skills to build up various bank accounts, which would act as a cash buffer/backup plan. My hunch was that we would be OK, but it pays to double-check. So I could feel confident about stepping away from a paycheque, PocketSmith, as always, played a massive role in helping me plan.

Your emails keep me busy, and I’ve picked a few to share with you.

Your emails keep me busy, and I’ve picked a few to share with you.

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, KiwiSaver, Kids and Money, Money Education, Smart, SmartShares, Simplicity, Sharesight, Sharesies

My inbox is cluttered with hundreds of different threads of conversations, which in turn means I struggled to find a true focus for a blog post this week. But I often think I’m receiving and sending out some real wisdom, and it's a shame it never reaches a broader audience. So, today, I’ve scrolled back through my inbox from the last week or two and pulled out a few threads from some emails I’ve received.

I quit my job!

I quit my job!

Ruth
ETFs, Hnry, Investment, KiwiSaver, PocketSmith, SmartShares, Smart Invest, Smart, Budgeting, Net Worth

In a recent blog post, I rebalanced our investment portfolio; this time, I’m rebalancing my life. I resigned from my PAYE job. I’m another step closer to early retirement, and I’m VERY excited about it! I always looked forward to working on Wednesday and Thursday each week, and deciding to leave a job I enjoy, plus giving up $20,000 a year, has been challenging. 

We Invest Using the Share Market, Not Property

We Invest Using the Share Market, Not Property

Ruth
ETF, Index Funds, Investment, KiwiSaver, Sharesies, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares

This week, I wanted to show how our US 500 ETF investment is tracking, especially now that this is our only one. And explain how we will use it to provide income for retirement. I also have a quick update on our KiwiSaver. I mainly wanted to share this because investing in KiwiSaver and an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) provides an alternative to investing in rental property, something we have never wanted to do. This blog explains how Jonny and I invest, that investing this way grows our wealth, and how we see our investments providing us with long-term, easily accessible income.

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Shares, Tax

I’ve got a super short blog post for you this week where I am answering a question that is often asked: What is an imputation credit? If you are a share investor (including ETFs), you will pay tax at your personal tax rate on any dividend income that you receive. You must also be aware of any tax credits available to you due to your dividend income. These are called Imputation Credits, and you can use them to reduce the overall income tax you pay.

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Ruth
ETFs, Investment, Sharesight, SmartShares, Simplicity

In August, I made a significant change to our investment mix. I sold all $103,000 of our Smartshares NZ Top 50 ETF (FNZ). This change ties in with all the other tweaks I’ve made over the years, where I have been progressively refining how we invest and setting ourselves up for future growth. Year after year, our mix changed as I learned and understood more, so this recent change is part of this evolution. If I were to use investment speak, I’d say I have ‘rebalanced my portfolio’.

Financial Reset: Spending less and earning more for a month!

Financial Reset: Spending less and earning more for a month!

Ruth
PocketSmith, Simplicity, SmartShares, KiwiSaver, Budgeting, ETFs

My latest bright idea was for our whānau of three to spend the month of July earning more money while spending less of it. Call it a Financial Reset. Why? When the general societal vibe is that we are all in a rough state economically, it is easy for an individual to feel powerless. Although optimistic by nature, I’m not immune to this feeling of gloom. But instead of accepting that we are in a financial crisis, I’d prefer to take the bull by the horns and own our situation.

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