The slow moving trainwreck that is the NZ housing market continues on unabated. Those wanting a first home can’t buy one because those owning many homes keep buying them to rent them out to those wanting to buy a first home but can’t afford them…
Are my SmartShares working?
I have been chipping away at buying into the SmartShare fund NZ Top 50 (FNZ) for 14 months now. Statistics out recently tell me that this is the most popular of their funds so I’m moving with the crowd and many small time investors like myself are getting involved it seems. Today I am trying to find the answer. Is it worth it?
Forestry as an Investment
Over the years I have heard about forestry as an investment. I even toyed with the idea of our own Christmas Tree Farm as a side hustle. It is a REALLY long term investment as you wait for the trees to grow… But grow they will which then begs the question of whether it is worth the initial investment and the really really long wait.
Sell, Sell, Sell - How To Sell Your Shares
Back in July 2016 I helped Mr Happy Saver hook up with some SmartShares. He only bought a very small amount because it was always my intention to use it as an experiment to blog about. Today is sale day!
Relationships and Money
Having a common goal helps. We equally don’t want to be broke now or broke in retirement. We want to work less now, enjoy family life now, be prepared when things go wrong and not be so reliant on other people to create an income. These goals keep us on the straight and narrow and they are something that we openly discuss.
Money Memory - Dumb Mistake
Significant moments help to shape the people we are today and that got me wondering why I’m a saver and not a spender. This is one of my significant money memories that influenced me for ever after and hopefully helps me to do things right, more than I do things wrong.
Tracking Your Net Worth
It is important to track your net worth. How else can you know where you are financially so that you can plan for the future? The most important thing is to understand your financial position today so you can be moving in the right direction.
KiwiSaver Switch
I have been hearing a lot for a long while about the fees that we pay to our KiwiSaver providers and that over the lifetime of the fund we are paying well above the odds for the service we get. Apparently we should be outraged. I have finally removed my head from the sand and took a closer look this week.
The Side Hustle
I thought I would conduct a small experiment in the month of February. Get a job AND create a side hustle. I thought everyone knew what a side hustle was but my sister did not, so there are probably others equally in the dark.