All in Emergency Fund

Part 4: KIWISAVER - Financial Independence Series

Part 4: KIWISAVER - Financial Independence Series

Ruth
FI Series, Budgeting, Debt, Emergency Fund, KiwiSaver, Net Worth

The fourth part of this six-part series is one of the easier topics to cover, KiwiSaver. Joining KiwiSaver is a no-brainer, and it still surprises me when I meet people who are not in it. I’m always looking ahead and doing my best to determine what I might need money for and how much I might need. I keep my ear to the ground about how affordable retirement is for New Zealanders. I talk to people over 65 and ask them what advice they would give me about financially preparing for retirement. Then I ask myself if, on my current trajectory, I’m heading in the right direction.

Part 3: EMERGENCY FUND - Financial Independence Series

Part 3: EMERGENCY FUND - Financial Independence Series

Ruth
Budgeting, Debt, Emergency Fund, FI Series, Investment, KiwiSaver, Net Worth

The best thing I ever did was set some cash into a bank account, which we could instantly access in a financial emergency. It is an amount of money set aside in a specific bank account to be used for bailing myself out if something happens that I didn’t otherwise plan for but I need money to pay for. It takes me less than one minute to log into my banking and move money from my emergency account to my spending account. 

Part 2: BUDGET - Financial Independence Series

Part 2: BUDGET - Financial Independence Series

Ruth
Budgeting, FI Series, Net Worth, Debt, Emergency Fund, Investment, KiwiSaver

Budgeting is simply making a plan for your pūtea (money). Although I meet hundreds of people who are keen, motivated and willing to do better with their money, I meet few who are “Oh yay, let’s track our spending and earning each month”. I know. I understand your reluctance, but if you want to grow your wealth, you must do what wealthy people do. And they know how much they earn and spend. So, I’m sorry, there are no shortcuts here; you’ve just got to suck it up and budget anyway. Most will come to enjoy it as I do, simply because it gives me a feeling of control over my life and removes any anxiety around my pūtea. But for some of you, it will always be a chore. So be it! Do it anyway.

Part 1: NET WORTH - Financial Independence Series

Part 1: NET WORTH - Financial Independence Series

Ruth
Net Worth, Budgeting, Debt, Emergency Fund, Investment, KiwiSaver, FI Series

Welcome to the first post in a short six-part blog series. I’m crafting a collection of posts to cover critical areas that will set you on the right path with your pūtea. Part 1 focuses on ‘Net Worth’. How much wealth do you have right now? If you added it all up and subtracted what you owe, what are you worth? This can be daunting if you’ve never thought about it. However, the objective is not to objectify wealth; it’s to create a level of wealth that makes you feel comfortable and in control of your present and future.

The Power of an Emergency Fund in a Crisis

The Power of an Emergency Fund in a Crisis

Ruth
Emergency Fund, PocketSmith, Budgeting

As I became aware of the weather event slowly unfolding in the upper North Island and, over the days that followed, the scale and breadth of the carnage it caused, it took me right back to the Canterbury Earthquakes and our experiences of coping with a natural disaster. Since the beginning of The Happy Saver, I’ve talked about Emergency Funds, and I’m not letting up. Although they are fantastic for solving minor money problems, they are even better for giving you strength when the absolute worst happens. An emergency fund comes into its own in a real crisis.

Financial Peace in an Emergency

Financial Peace in an Emergency

Ruth
Personal Finance, Saving, Emergency Fund

This blog post might be the quickest and shortest one I have ever written! My inbox has just received yet another round of invoices for payment. February has been a particularly expensive month with a number of invoices due for payment over and above what we would usually expect. Some we have budgeted for and had fully covered, others we had partially saved for or were out of the blue. For the unexpected expenses, I was faced with only one option really, to reach into our emergency fund and use that to pay the invoices.