In the very first episode of Money Made Simple for 2024, Jennie and Liv discuss a very important topic which savvy investors will be all over... diversifying your portfolio! For both KiwiSaver and non-KiwiSaver investments, it's super important not to put all your eggs in one basket. We explain how diversification works, why you should do it and how to make sure your investments have the best chance of success over the long term (spoiler alert - it's super easy!). This week's episode...

In our 13th and final episode of the year, Money Made Simple hosts Liv and Jennie chat about what has become a hugely problematic part of modern life: financial scams. Scams are becoming more and more prolific, as well as increasingly sophisticated - fooling even the most vigilant people. We provide guidance on how to avoid scams and scammers, the 'watch outs' and how to keep your online data secure. Liv also shares a personal story about someone in her life that has recently been the victim...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie is honoured to introduce Rebecca Roberts, manager of the Simplicity Foundation. The Foundation is an important part of the Simplicity story, founded at the same time as Simplicity NZ Ltd back in 2016. From the very start, the Foundation has received 15% of fees charged to our KiwiSaver and Investment Fund members - subsequently donating this money to a range of awesome Kiwi charities across the country. Jennie and Rebecca discuss why the Foundation...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv are addressing the "elephant in the room" of the finance industry: the many types of fees and interest charged (which help generate those significant profits you keep hearing about in the news!). They provide some simple examples of how paying higher fees can impact the amount of money you accrue via your savings or investments over the long term, or the amount of interest you'll pay over the lifetime of a debt. This week's episode...

In this 10th episode of Money Made Simple, Liv and Jennie are here to convince the naysayers out there why KiwiSaver is SO handy - by bringing you their super-duper, absolute favourite benefits of the scheme. They highlight a range of cool things that make New Zealand's retirement savings scheme unique, as well as tips for how you can make the very most of some of these benefits (whether you're new or well-versed in how it all works).  This week's episode covers: How compounding returns are...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv welcomes a new guest to the show - Dan Maguire, Simplicity's co-head of lending. Liv and Dan chat all about mortgages in New Zealand. They break down exactly what a mortgage loan actually is, how they work, and de-mystify the different types of mortgages you may hear thrown around by home owners and investors alike! This week's episode covers: The simple mechanics of how a mortgage worksWho offers them (and who can get one)The main different types of...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv and Jennie flip last week's episode on its head and chat about "good" debt, in part two of the debt conversation. They explain why borrowing money for certain things in life can actually improve your financial standing (remember: net worth!) in the long run. This week's episode covers: Two particular types of debt that are considered goodThe value of post-secondary education (and we don't just mean Uni) in terms of dollars and centsHow student loans...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv and Jennie are tackling debt! This episode is part one of two, focusing first on what we call the "bad" type.  Acknowledging that things aren't always as black and white as "good debt" or "bad debt", they explain why they are making this distinction and what the implications of bad debt are, in the short and long term. This week's episode covers: What exactly we mean by "bad" vs "good" debt The long-term impacts of bad debtThe pros and cons of credit...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv chat aaalllll about KiwiSaver contributions. They provide an overview of what the four different contribution types are (and how they work), how to keep track of them, and most importantly how to make them work harder for you... so you can grow the retirement nest egg you deserve! Key outtakes from this episode include: Check your employee contribution %, and use tools (linked below!) to make sure that it suits your needs (eg. for your...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv is joined by founder and managing director of Simplicity Sam Stubbs to explain exactly how Simplicity Living (the build-to-rent company which Simplicity funds own) works. Sam, who is also on the board of Simplicity Living, provides a useful overview of exactly how the investments work, and importantly why he thinks this type of investment will be SO good for our members in terms of long-term returns. This episode covers: How Sam came to start...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv explain how compounding returns (including compound interest) work, and why compounding is such an important financial concept to understand. So magical, in fact, that Albert Einstein called it the "eighth wonder of the world". Go figure! This episode covers: A simple explanation of how compounding returns workAn example of how compounding can work in terms of interest on your bank balance vs investment returnsHow compounding can work...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, we talk about how to get rich.  And no, we're not promoting some get-rich-quick scheme, we're talking about building sustainable wealth over the long-term. Spoiler alert: It's all about changing the way you think about money and your finances. AKA  focusing on your net worth vs. money in the bank. This episode covers: What we mean by net worthHow to calculate your own net worth (it's easier than you think!)How thinking in this way can make you happier -...

In this episode of Money Made Simple, we discuss the basics of KiwiSaver in New Zealand. What exactly is the KiwiSaver scheme, and why was it even brought in? Do we actually need it? There seem to be plenty of myths and misconceptions out there around KiwiSaver and KiwiSaver providers, so we're here to help you separate the facts from the fiction - and why the KiwiSaver scheme such a good thing when it comes to planning for your 20-year holiday (aka retirement)! This episode covers: The...

We want everyone to talk more about money. Let's be honest, Kiwis aren't great at it - maybe we find it impolite, or a little bit awkward. But that's not going to help us get ahead - as the old saying goes, knowledge is power.  And by sharing our knowledge, we can learn.  In this episode, we provide a super brief intro to Simplicity (NZ's low-cost, nonprofit KiwiSaver and funds manager)  and your co-hosts Liv and Jennie. We dive into why we really should talk more about money and finances -...