All in Podcast

108. Living by Design, Not by Default

108. Living by Design, Not by Default

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

In this episode, you’ll meet Kate and Taka, an awesome couple in their early 30s who are doing life and money a little differently, and doing it well. They’ve stepped back from full-time work, now each working just two days a week, so they can spend more time with their three young kids and focus on what matters most. We chat about how they’ve built a life of freedom and stability by sticking with frugal habits from their student days, questioning whether more work really means more money, and making financial decisions as a true team. It’s an honest, practical look at what it means to live by design, not by default.

107. Revisit with Hamish: An investor with military precision!

107. Revisit with Hamish: An investor with military precision!

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

This is a revisit episode, with Hamish, whom I spoke with in 2021, Episode 50, An Investor With Military Precision. Fast-forward four years, and life has changed: he’s now 31, married to Sophie, and the two of them are navigating homeownership, investing, and future planning as a team. With two minds on the case, they’re refining their investment strategy, slowly shifting from property-heavy assets toward a simpler, more diversified approach, while still living a good life with their growing whānau.

106. Revisit with Neil: A Financially Complicated Breakup

106. Revisit with Neil: A Financially Complicated Breakup

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

This episode revisits my August 2022 conversation with Neil in Episode 69. Now 52, Neil has lived in New Zealand since moving from the UK in 2005, and began learning about personal finance around 2006. After a previous long-term relationship ended with a fair asset split, Neil started investing more in a range of ETF funds. A new relationship followed, and he became a father, but without a relationship property agreement in place, the eventual breakup led to a bitter legal dispute over money. While I’m mindful this is only Neil’s side of the story, I’m pleased to share that this difficult chapter ultimately ended well, and I hope the details provide insight and hope to others navigating similar situations.

105. A Lumpy Journey – No Need to Go Anywhere in a Straight Line

105. A Lumpy Journey – No Need to Go Anywhere in a Straight Line

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

In this episode, I chat with Tracey, a long-time reader and listener of The Happy Saver. Tracey and her husband have reached what's known as Coast FI. It’s an interesting episode, with quite a bit of complexity, as this couple have independently and collectively created a lot of options for themselves. Tracey said she has had a “lumpy” journey, and that “there is no need to go anywhere in a straight line.” She is a firm believer in setting up an investment, making regular contributions to it, but not being afraid to make changes and do things differently as you continue to research and learn new information.

104. I Have Stopped Sleepwalking Through My Finances

104. I Have Stopped Sleepwalking Through My Finances

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

After 57 years of personal and financial trauma, Sammy had her “aha” moment in 2024 when she said, “Screw it, I’m sick of this,” and began to shine a little light on her money. That small shift led to a complete financial transformation. Twice divorced, and with three children, one of whom has special needs, Sammy had often lived below the poverty line, buying basics on a credit card she couldn’t pay off. Over the decades, she trained as a teacher and stabilised her situation, but still made questionable financial choices, until finally, aged 58 today, she is charging ahead.

103. 20-Year-Old on the Path to Financial Freedom

103. 20-Year-Old on the Path to Financial Freedom

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

In November 2024, I attended Black FI-Day, New Zealand’s first financial independence hui. Nearly 40 people gathered for this three-day event to share their financial journeys. One of them was Amelie, the person in the spotlight today. Just 19 at the time, she showed up on her own and was understandably nervous. But before long, every participant was in awe of this young wahine from Taranaki. She got fully involved in the weekend, even sharing her situation in a case study that she presented to the group. Now 20, she joined me for a kōrero, giving me the chance to dive deeper into her money journey.

102. Once you have won the money game, stop and enjoy life.

102. Once you have won the money game, stop and enjoy life.

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith, Money Education

MONEY JOURNEY

Today, I’m sharing the financial ins and outs of Alan and Katie Donegan, the world-travelling English couple behind Rebel Finance School. They finally made it to New Zealand, and back in early December 2024, we sat down at my kitchen table, where they generously answered all of my nosy questions. I’m looking forward to sharing their personal finance journey with you because once they discovered the concept of financial independence, these two were on FIRE!

101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!

101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

I first met today's guest, Ajith, when he emailed me with a couple of questions back in 2024. He’d come across The Happy Saver while on the hunt for some motivation to keep pushing towards the goal that he and his wife Arya have to become debt-free by his 39th birthday. When I spoke with them they were debt-free except for the $223,000 mortgage they have on the home they had built in 2021. I wanted to share their journey today because his email to me and our subsequent kōrero threw up the dilemma of paying down debt fast vs investing. I think you will enjoy it.

100. A Solo Journey to Financial Independence

100. A Solo Journey to Financial Independence

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

In mid-October 2024, I brewed a coffee, sat down, and gave Poto a call. She’s been a long-time listener of the podcast, drawing on insights from past guests to help guide her decisions over the years. She had been heading down a few avenues that didn’t sit quite right with her and backing out to take another path, but steadily, she tracked towards the FI (Financial Independence) community and a more simple path to wealth. With dedication and mahi, she’s reached a point of financial independence—and today, she’s here to share her story.

99. Work, Life, Balance: With Plenty of Free Time!

99. Work, Life, Balance: With Plenty of Free Time!

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

Rob, a 33-year-old plumber from Western Australia, took a little persuading to come on my podcast, but I persisted because I knew enough about him to know that his personal finance story is one that many of us will be able to relate to and draw ideas from. Rob is essentially financially independent, working just a quarter of the year, and he recently hosted Tribe FI, a personal finance retreat. In this episode, I delve into Rob’s journey to financial independence and what inspired him to create a space for like-minded people to connect.

98. Life and times of a property investor, turned global traveller.

98. Life and times of a property investor, turned global traveller.

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

In today's episode, I will be sharing Jack's financial journey. Jack found The Happy Saver when he was searching for podcasts on money. As an investor in rental property, he was looking to learn about shares. As you’ll find out shortly, he leads an interesting life. When we chatted for this podcast, he was sitting in San Fransisco, having just had many months overseas and was getting ready to board a three-week cruise to bring him back home to Aotearoa. 

97. Revisit with Chris and Rosemary: These two are not mucking around!

97. Revisit with Chris and Rosemary: These two are not mucking around!

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

Today’s episode is an update on North Island couple Chris and Rosemary. Their first episode came out in March 2021 — it was episode number 49. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, and today’s episode is an update on where this couple are now, in terms of both money and life. It’s safe to say they have absolutely transformed their situation. They’ve both utterly transformed their financial lives, embarking on a new journey toward financial independence. Today’s update won’t disappoint — these two are not mucking around.

96. Reality Check

96. Reality Check

Ruth
Money Journey, Personal Finance, Podcast, PocketSmith

MONEY JOURNEY

Today's episode began with an email from a Kiwi couple in their mid-40s. Tokyo reached out just before Christmas 2023, sharing how a sinking fund she started nearly a year ago was making her happy amidst a tough financial year. They were considering a $15,000 mortgage top-up to cover a tough financial year. But Tokyo wanted to know if there was a better way. Of course, there is another option. I hit reply to her email and proceeded to throw the cat amongst the pigeons.

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