Keep The Change

Most Kiwis are overthinking wealth building. They're waiting for the perfect election result, the right market timing, or the ideal economic conditions. Meanwhile, they're missing the simple fundamentals that actually work.James Blair from Lighthouse Financial breaks down why money is actually straightforward: earn as much as you can, don't spend it all, pay down debt, buy shares, buy property. That's it. We cover why waiting for political changes is pointless, why timing the market fails, and why victim mindset keeps people poor.Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Start taking imperfect action. The fundamentals work if you work them.Find James:https://www.instagram.com/lighthousefinancialnz/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up to Money Mail for free weekly emails to improve your finances: https://www.keepthechange.co.nz/moneymail Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well here we are again. More volatility + vulnerability and a sense of not knowing how long this could go on. I am not going to explore that too deeply, but I do want you to reflect on 2025. Because if you want to invest, you have to accept risk and therefore understand that risk is not a bug in investing, it’s part of the process. Markets are constantly reacting to something.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people misallocate their time worrying about share platform fees when they should be asking their boss for a raise. They're trying to optimise $3 in fees instead of increasing their income by $10,000.Luke and Mikey break down the hierarchy: time allocation first, income allocation second, capital allocation third. We cover why when you're young, time is your capital, and when you're older, capital buys your time back. You can get more money, but you can't get more time. Yet most people waste hours researching investments instead of spending that hour asking for a pay rise.We cover why misallocating time is worse than misallocating money, the needle-moving activities that actually matter, and why successful people do boring things consistently. Stop looking for magic solutions in chapter 8 when you haven't finished chapter 1.Time is your most valuable asset. Are you treating it that way?Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let’s run the numbers on someone earning $35 an hour trying to “get ahead” in NZ.Full-time is roughly $72,800. After tax, ACC, KiwiSaver (3%), you’re left with roughly $55k take-home.Here are the real costs one person shared (good starting point: 29, single, no kids, flatting):Rent: $350/weekFood: $150/weekFuel: $45/weekInsurance (car, contents, health): $60/weekGym (CrossFit): $50/weekPower: $60/weekThat totals about $715/week, or $37,200/year.So on paper: Take-home: $55,000Core living costs: -$37,200Leftover: $17,800/yearThat suggests they could be lucky to save around $15k per year. I think there are some missing costs from this budget:Dentist / medical. Car repairs + servicing + tyres. Registration + WOF. Clothing, gifts, travel, weddings. Subscriptions, eating out, entertainment.That $17.8k surplus becomes something like: $12k–$15k per year saved.That’s still solid! BUT let’s be honest about NZ.ISSUE 1: You can’t afford emergencies… and you really can’t afford house prices running away If you’re saving $12k–$15k a year,A major car problem can wipe out a big chunk of your progress or a job interruption hurts. AND you definitely don’t want house prices rising quickly while you’re trying to stack a deposit.If a $600,000 house increases by 5%, that’s $30,000 of price movement in a year. (You will get blasted by multiple media articles monthly about how possible this is and how predicted it is).So while someone is proudly saving $15k, the goalposts could move by $30k.With the cost of living increasing and tax rates not being indexed to inflation, keeping your saving rate in line with house increases becomes very hard. Fortunately house prices have been flat in SOME regions.ISSUE 2: People WITH $$$$ are experiencing the oppositeThe sharemarket returned a solid 15% in 2025 for many S&P500 investors. $100k invested and you have $115k at the end of the year (loose math). You didn’t have to work a year to gain $15k. You had to risk $100k.(The market doesn’t always act like this but it did in 2025, and in 2024 and in 2023).Even “Risk-averse Randy” with $400,000 in a term deposit at 6% received roughly $16,080 after tax in interest for risking his $400k.So of course younger people (or anyone without capital) get frustrated watching others make money “easily” like this, while they grind for the same result.When the math looks like this, it’s not hard to see why so many are choosing to try their luck somewhere else.We all know deep down that our income earning ability is our single biggest asset.If you were 25–30 right now, what would you do?SOLUTIONS??Bluntly, people in this position face a choice:- Earn more (overtime, upskilling, better industry, commission-based roles, side income)- Change housing structure (flatting vs living alone)- Stay home with parents (if it’s viable)- Reduce big recurring costs (or just do less for a season)- Invest in assets where possible (even small, consistent amounts)- Speculate (high risk, usually punished)- Move to Australia (which has been very popular)The importance of KiwiSaver to get the employer match. When saving for the first home not many financial advisors would suggest exposing the deposit to too much risk so some may not have seen the gains of those investing for different purposes (more long term). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In accounting, one of the most important reports is a ‘profit and loss’. This report shows you the total sales, less the expenses, which equates to profit. In a world of ‘I do a million a year’ they typically mean they have sold $1million worth of something. ‘How I made $1million in 2025’ was probably $1mil of sales. There are always expenses to create the sales. Sales - expenses = profit. Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cameron Ward runs 62 Anytime Fitness gyms across New Zealand and has seen what separates successful franchises from failures. The stats are brutal: 1 in 20 gym franchises fail within 2 years, but 1 in 5 independent gyms don't make it.Cam breaks down what it really takes to succeed in franchising: follow the systems religiously, have proper capital (not just for setup, but working capital too), and understand you're investing in proven processes, not buying passive income. The most successful franchises follow the systems. The ones that struggle think they know better than the proven model.We cover the journey from employee to franchise owner, why some people own multiple sites, and the reality check every potential franchisee needs: if you think franchising is easy money, you're going to come unstuck pretty quick.Franchising isn't plug and play, it's investing in a system that works if you work it.More information on Anytime Fitness: https://www.anytimefitness.co.nz/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 expensive headwinds of New Zealand 🇳🇿 1. New Zealand has an ageing population.Cost = super + healthcare.2. Health issues rising. I.e. Obesity and point 1.Cost = system strain.3. Infrastructure deficit.Cost = rebuild or maintenance bill.4. Brain/worker drain.Cost = lost taxpayers to fund the above.5. Capital stuck in property.Cost = low productivity and low risk tolerance.6. Education slipping.Cost = weaker future economy.Many have been watching these come at us for years, perhaps decades. But they aren’t going away anytime soon!⚠️ As an individual you will need to plan accordingly.- Build income outside PAYE only- Own productive assets- Own / Grow businesses- Investing globally- Increasing your earning capacity- Look at medical insurances- Discuss financial situations with parents (rest home costs can wipe out wealth fast)- Have the “inheritance isn’t guaranteed” conversation- Prepare for more tax and more inflationWhat else Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s a write-off that’s why businesses do it”. You’ve seen it online where non-business owners and non-accountants suddenly educate you with 100% confidence on business ‘write-offs’ and how business owners pay no tax. So let’s clear this up. Because a tax write-off is not free money. It’s not a refund. And it’s definitely not the IRD wiring you back the full amount.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conner grew up on a council estate where people end up stuck in the same system. He came to New Zealand with $2,000 in his pocket and is now running a successful landscaping business in Queenstown.Conner breaks down his journey from addiction and destruction in England to finding purpose through running and gardening in South America, then building a business in New Zealand. We cover why he's lost friends who don't understand his transformation, how Kiwis helped him succeed, and why he believes New Zealand is the best country on earth."If you turn up with a good attitude and you're honest about what you're doing and you try and help people, people get behind it. People want to see you succeed."From sleeping rough to employing others, Conner proves that your past doesn't define your future. Sometimes you have to leave everything behind to find who you're meant to be.Find Conner:https://www.homegrowntahuna.com/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They want to earn more. They want to start something small. They want to build skills and income outside their job. But then they look at tax and it kills the motivation. They won't be the first or last Kiwi to get p!ssed off by this. However, maybe the bigger risk isn’t paying 33% the bigger risk is not exploring where you could end up with another income stream.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Zealand's economy is patchy, spending fell 0.5% in December, Boxing Day sales down 12%, and job ads are still 30% below pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, electricity is up 12% and gas up 16% - the highest increases since the late 1980s.Brad Olsen from Infometrics breaks down what's really happening and why the economy isn't magically turning around like everyone hoped.The biggest challenge? We've got an aging population to pay for, infrastructure deficits, and young people fleeing to countries that value them more.The economy might improve, but only if you stop waiting for someone else to fix it.Find Brad:https://www.infometrics.co.nz/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradolsennzl/https://www.instagram.com/bradolsennzl/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That’s according to the comment section of just about every social platform I use. The sad thing? Many of these people leaving comments so desperately want to be right. ‘I told you so’. Cool bro. Now what? Nothing. They won’t do anything, just like they never have before. Some of the people most worried about a stock market collapse have $0 invested. Make that make sense. Let's try...Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most first home buyers are back with low deposits and record-high debt, often borrowing with less than 20% deposit.Luke and Mikey break down the reality: people are stretching themselves thin with low equity loans that cost more in interest. We cover why you need to understand the true cost (not just the mortgage payment), the risks of buying with minimal deposit, and what happens when house prices drop while you're over leveraged.Don't let FOMO drive the biggest financial decision of your life. Understand what you're signing up for first.Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today marks 300 episodes of KTC Money Mail. 300 editions ago I was sitting in my one-bedroom apartment during lockdown, getting started. Hitting send on edition one. Today this will go to tens of thousands of people across various platforms. So how to we summarise the 300 editions? Let's try!Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amy breaks down why most people feel confused about money... They know what to do but don't do it, they can't articulate what they actually want, and they're stuck thinking "we want to create wealth" without knowing what for. 80% of people know what's good for them but don't follow through. They want passive income but can't explain why. They want to build wealth but haven't defined what success looks like.Money is just the tool. It's the vehicle that gets you from A to B. Nothing more, nothing less.We cover why intention and planning gives you permission to spend, how to map out what your future actually looks like, and why every decision becomes easier when you're clear on your goals. Plus the budget items most people forget: new tires, unexpected repairs, and the stuff that always comes up.Money isn't everything. But having a plan for it means you can focus on what is.Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These words stood out to me and should for you too. “It’s been a slog, and I've made many mistakes, but I have grown so much I feel like I'm a completely different person’’. That’s the real win. Becoming the version of yourself that you know that you could be! So HOW did they do it?Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2026 is going to be wild. AI will start eating jobs, currencies might collapse, and New Zealand has an election that could get divisive. The question is: are you ready?Luke and Mikey break down how to dominate 2026: take action now while others wait, build psychotic belief in yourself, and use AI as your unfair advantage instead of fearing it. We cover why the people who prepared in 2024-2025 will get rewarded big time, the AI arbitrage opportunity most people can't see, and why complacent people are screwed.The winners of 2026 will be the independent, critical thinkers who are deliberate in their actions. Everyone else gets left behind.We cover election predictions, why young people might finally get angry enough to demand change, and the importance of helping each other through what's coming. Plus the mindset shifts that separate those who thrive from those who just survive.It's time to get to work on 2026, baby.Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we close in on Week 300, I want to share with you an email I received recently and some of the key principles. ‘’For a long time, I let my lack of education and some really destructive self-talk become my narrative. I spiralled into a lot of debt - managed to rack up over $100k worth of the stuff and I have no one to blame but myself. I was spending money recklessly and committing my future wealth on stupid things like motorbikes, overseas trips, and nights out. Nothing useful, I was simply trying to fill the then ever growing hole of not meeting my potential’’. Fast-forward three years and they are now on track to be completely debt-free by August 2026, with a $20,000 emergency fund!Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 was a strange year for investors, but 2026 could be even stranger. Generate's Greg Smith breaks down what every Kiwi needs to know.We cover the investment trends shaping 2026: why diversification matters more than ever, emerging markets and the political chaos that's coming with Trump's new policies. Plus the New Zealand outlook, why our market hit record highs but still disappointed compared to global returns.Greg shares his predictions for interest rates, the Fed chair drama unfolding in the US, and why Kiwisaver changes mean you need to pay attention. We also discuss the baby boomer wealth transfer, why term deposit money is finally moving into investments, and the sectors to watch.Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.Please note: No part of this podcast is intended as financial advice; it is intended as general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider seeking expert advice before making any decisions. The views expressed by individual speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect Generate’s opinions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. To see a copy of Generate's Product Disclosure For more information about Generate's Schemes see their Product Disclosure Statements at http://generatekiwisaver.co.nz/disclosures. The issuer is Generate Investment Management Limited.Find Greg Smith:Email: greg.smith@generatewealth.co.nzAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.