All in FI SERIES

Part 6: INVESTING

Part 6: INVESTING

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

Investing can be incredibly complex, but I found a way to simplify it. I used to feel overwhelmed by the options available, but now I don't. I’m hoping to help you feel the same way. The Happy Saver was born out of my search for information about what I could invest our money in. It took me years to arrive at our current strategy. I don’t want you to take so long to settle on your own strategy. We had some margin in our budget, and I was looking for something to make us money. Ultimately, I finally found good information, which I want to share today.

Part 5: DEBT FREE

Part 5: DEBT FREE

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

Get out of debt, and stay out of debt. I think of debt as a phase of life that I moved through. That period has passed, and I’ve moved on. Jonny and I have been entirely debt-free since our early 30s, and I encourage you to head down the debt-free path as well. Debt has always had an ‘ick’ factor for me, a feeling I am grateful for. There has never been a day that we regretted becoming permanently debt-free. We never have to seek the bank's opinion about our financial decisions again.

Part 4: KIWISAVER

Part 4: KIWISAVER

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

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

Part 3: EMERGENCY FUND

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

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. Try as I might, I can’t think of everything. Your emergency fund covers the things you forgot despite your best intentions.

Part 2: BUDGET

Part 2: BUDGET

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

In the first episode in this series of six, I quickly showed you how to calculate your net worth. Today, I want to explain why you need to keep an eye on how and where you earn and spend your money, i.e., budgeting. When you learn to budget, your net worth will begin to increase. Budgeting is simply making a plan for your pūtea (money). 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. 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

Part 1: NET WORTH

Ruth
Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, FI SERIES, Financial Independence

FI SERIES

Welcome to the first episode in a short six-part Financial Independence Series. 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.