Keep The Change

Budget 2026!!! I went to the live from the beehive. There were hundreds of pages of forecasts, funding announcements, assumptions and political chat. I’ll be honest I didn’t read every page. The challenge was trying to work out what actually matters to everyday Kiwis like you. So a few (not all) of those things…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.

Luke caught up with Greg Smith, investment specialist at Generate to break down everything you need to know about the 2026 budget. From changes to FIF rules, to the new infrastructure developments and what it means for everyday New Zealanders.Find Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-smith-cfa-07214215/ https://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 : [email protected] 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.

Dave Wood is one of New Zealand's leading experts on stress control, from working as an intensive care paramedic to coaching some of the UFC's top fighters, and today I sat down with him to understand how to better harness & control our own stress.Dave breaks down the crisis of unprecedented levels of stimulation in the modern age, how to control your stress level and the breathing techniques anyone can use to see results for themselves. Your ability to control your state under pressure is a skill, it's time to develop it.Reach out to Dave at [email protected] or https://wmw.co.nz/contact/ and mention KTC for 10% off any of their products, only available up until June 30th 2026. Find Dave:Website: https://wmw.co.nz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrated.training/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 : [email protected] 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.

Mark from Feijoa built an app that rounds up your spending and puts it straight into KiwiSaver. 3,000 users are now contributing hundreds if not thousands per year extra without thinking about it.Mark breaks down how it works, we cover why they chose KiwiSaver first, the 1.6 million who don't regularly contribute, and how roundups solve the behaviour problem traditional saving can't.We cover the regulatory hurdles, why they use open banking, and the expansion plans into managed funds and ETFs. Plus Mark's fundraising journey, from bootstrapping to raising $750K to scale the marketing and tell more people about automatic saving.Find more information on Feijoa at https://feijoa.kiwiAmy 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 : [email protected] 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.

The question a grandparent asked me this week. They had been tucking money away weekly for their grandchildren and wanted to know if they were missing something by not investing the money. They currently save it into a bank account. Great intentions but times have changed a bit! Over long periods of time, investing can dramatically outperform cash sitting in a bank account. So how do we go about 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.

New Zealand liquidations have hit a 15-year high, the highest since the GFC. Todays guest is lawyer Brent Norling who's receiving 160 calls a month from businesses drowning in tax debt, one of the main driving factors of these liquidations.IRD debt has exploded from $2.5 billion to $9.5 billion, with the next update likely starting with a 10. The pattern is often the same: lose money on a job, do the next job to pay for the previous one, then use IRD and creditors to fund the shortfall until it all collapses.We cover why employees get burnt when Kiwisaver deductions aren't paid, the construction domino effect when big companies fail, and why most directors never get prosecuted despite owing millions. Plus the harsh reality: if you're using IRD as your bank, you're competing unfairly until you get caught.The liquidation wave is here. Don't be next.Find Brent: Website: https://norlinglaw.co.nz/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-norling/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 : [email protected] 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 subject line sounds so sexy. But one of my first jobs out of uni was not so sexy. Being an auditor. Don’t you dare judge me. This meant that in my early 20s, I worked inside councils, universities, government organisations, and powerline companies reviewing payroll systems and employee records. I think this experience mattered more than I realised at the time. Because once you’ve seen the data, it becomes harder to believe the story that earning well is impossible.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.

Today we're talking about the all important subject of how where you live impacts not only your finances, but your life in general. Answering the questions of should you move somewhere cheaper to save money? Or does it make sense to live in a more expensive area to go after opportunity? Should you buy someone with a long commute, or rent somewhere without one? All of this and more in todays episode.But we want to hear from you too, whats worked for you? What have you learned? 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 : [email protected] 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.

There is no hard and fast ‘business or hobby?’ number, so let’s explore how it works. To start with, let’s keep it simple. A hobby = done for fun. Probably one off or done rarely. A business = done to make money. Consistently. However, it’s not what you call it. It’s how it looks.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.

Michelle Morfett has a cake shop, a self published cookbook, an ecommerce site, a thriving social media presence and manufactures her own baking tins. Today she breaks down how she built multiple income streams, we cover why she turned down publishers, and why diversifying income streams gives her confidence.We cover the loneliness of entrepreneurship, why she lost all shame about posting content, and how social media became essential after initially building a business without it. Sometimes the best business strategy is just backing yourself to figure it out.Find more info on Michell:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellemorfett/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleMorfett Website: https://michellemorfett.com/Mint Cakery: https://mintcakery.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 : [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridge Website: https://www.levridge.co.nz 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I want to tell you about a new Kiwi fintech called Feijoa. But first, full transparency: after being a customer, I ended up investing in their recent funding round and am now a VERY, VERY small shareholder. So yes, you could 100% argue I’m biased. It is my first 'Fintech' investment, and I am looking forward to taking you on that journey of how that space works, where appropriate also. With that said, I’m going to give you the straight view as always, and why I kicked some of my hard-earned money in. 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.

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

Create an account with Sharesies using the code 'KTC10' and they will match your first $10 deposit with an additional $10 to get you started investing: https://sharesies.com terms and conditions applyInvesting involves risk. You aren’t guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. Any information we provide is general only and current at the time prepared. For advice we provide, see our disclosure statement. This is a paid promotion and is not financial advice.The KTC10 promotional code is offered by Sharesies Limited. Terms and conditions of this offer apply. These terms apply in addition to Sharesies General Terms and Conditions, Invest Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policy.Find Sharesies on:Website: https://www.sharesies.nz/Instagram: @sharesiesnzFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharesies/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Sutherland bought a tiny brewery in Leigh with very little brewing experience. Now, Sawmill produces almost 2 million litres a year and employs 50+ people.Mike breaks down the journey from learning to brew from a textbook, competing against Lion and DB's exclusive contracts, and building the business through farmers markets and word of mouth. We cover the 1am phone call that changed everything - "the brewery is on fire" - and how they kept growing while rebuilding everything from scratch.The fire destroyed one end of the building, but Mike never considered quitting. They brewed at 15 different breweries during the rebuild and came back stronger.We cover the morning tea rule (everyone stops at 10am, no phones allowed), why they focus on bars and restaurants over supermarkets, and the B-Corp certification that proves you can run a sustainable business with a sustainable bottom line. Plus why Mike thinks New Zealand needs to keep control of its food and beverage assets instead of selling them overseas.From reluctant employee to brewery owner employing 50 people, sometimes you have to take the leap to find what you're meant to do.Find more info on Sawmill:Website: https://www.sawmillbrewery.co.nz/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawmillbrewery/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 : [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridge Website: https://www.levridge.co.nz 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Zealand ranked last out of 11 Asia-Pacific countries for business growth for the second year in a row. And I don’t think it’s JUST because of the economy. The data suggests it’s because of who’s running it. One factor is something we are scared to talk about. Let me explain. 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.

Andrew Rooney started making drum videos as a personal library for his students. Now he's got 177,000 subscribers and makes more from YouTube than he ever did gigging.Andrew breaks down the accidental journey: from "Coffee with Rooney" Facebook lives during COVID to viral drum reaction videos that hit 3.5 million views. We cover why he gave up thousands of gigs to focus on content creation, the loneliness of building something while others have normal jobs, and how sponsors found him instead of the other way around.The video that changed everything was filmed on a Samsung S5 with terrible audio while he had a cold, sometimes imperfect action beats perfect planning.We cover the income streams most people don't know exist (AdSense, Patreon, sponsorships), why Americans are more generous with support than Kiwis, and the mindset shift from trading time for money to building an audience.Your expertise is valuable. The internet just makes it scalable.Find Andrew on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndrewRooneyDrumsAmy 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 : [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridge Website: https://www.levridge.co.nz 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I know I’m flogging a dead horse because there are now a million users of it and over 40% of the users have multiple accounts. But anyway, I enjoy pushing sh!t up hill for the few who will listen. When you’ve already pre-spent and committed that buffer on repayments, you don’t have cash to absorb the shock so you feel it immediately. The buffer in the budget is gone! That makes you vulnerable. No one likes feeling vulnerable.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.

Alongside six others, Leighton Roberts co-founded Sharesies back in 2017. Sharesies is a wealth app that's helped make investing simpler for one million users. He breaks down why most people struggle with investing and how to actually get started.Leighton explains why Kiwi can get overwhelmed by choice, the journey building a startup, how to overcome analysis paralysis when it comes to investing, and the power of compounding returns.,Get started on SharesiesCreate an account with Sharesies using the code 'KTC10' and Sharesies will match your first $10 deposit with an additional $10 to get you started investing. Terms and conditions apply. For more info visit https://sharesies.com Investing involves risk. You aren’t guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. Any information we provide is general only and current at the time prepared. For advice we provide, see our disclosure statement. This is a paid promotion and is not financial advice.The KTC10 promotional code is offered by Sharesies Limited. Terms and conditions of this offer apply. These terms apply in addition to Sharesies General Terms and Conditions, Invest Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policy.Find Sharesies on:Website: https://www.sharesies.nz/Instagram: @sharesiesnzFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharesies/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 : [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridge Website: https://www.levridge.co.nz 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ASB just dropped a number that made me look twice to see if it was right. They say that ‘households will likelThat’s hard enough for most people. But then an accountant like me says no you don’t. You need MORE! Because that $55 a week is after-tax money.y face a $55 per week increase in the cost of living over 2026'. Let's explore how that works.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.

Just when it felt like things were improving, here we go again. Multiple conversations I had over the week cited the same thing. People back in fear. People delaying decision making. People not wanting to invest or take out debt. Business confidence has tanked quickly too! Inside my business I’ve noticed business planning inquiry drop. It’s hard to plan for 12 months' time when you can’t see certainty in front of you. And all of this before things REALLY change for NZers.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.

Chloe McKnight sells businesses and sees the same patterns: the businesses that sell well are organised, have systems, and can prove consistent income. The ones that struggle are hoping someone will pay for their potential.She's seen young people selling e-commerce empires they built as side hustles, and baby boomers shocked their 30-year business isn't worth what they thought.We cover vendor finance deals, why banks are getting more flexible with business lending, and how most people leave selling too late and end up accepting whatever they can get.Find Chloe:https://www.instagram.com/chloemcknightkakapo/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 : [email protected] 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.

Mikey and I have both become millionaires through building million dollar businesses alongside traditional investments. Mikey left a million-dollar income to start Guardian and is only just coming out the other side after four years, whilst Ive grown my accounting & advisory firm alongside my business partner to $2m/year in revenue. We cover the valley every entrepreneur faces, why most people quit when things get hard, and how believing in something for a decade changes everything.We cover why speed beats perfection, the resilience required to build something meaningful, and how both their businesses reward them for the risk they're taking. Plus the mindset shift from thinking in months to thinking in decades, and why New Zealand is actually perfect for building wealth if you're willing to do the work.It can still be done in New Zealand. You just have to be willing to do the hard work.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 : [email protected] 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.

Most people are letting momentum and compounding work against them. They're compounding the wrong things... Debt, bad habits & negative thinking, instead of building momentum toward their goals.Luke and Mikey break down why momentum is like compounding but for your daily life: once you get it rolling, things become easier, but you have to get your foot on the gas first. We cover the stages of momentum, why it's a cruel mistress that can turn on a dime, and how to harness it when it arrives.In a country of so much negativity and doom and gloom, it's crucial to be around high energy and momentum. You can spot it in people who are building and creating.Momentum is your most valuable asset. Are you building it or letting it work against you?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 : [email protected] 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.

The other day I posted a photo online. It was just a payment terminal with a small sign: “CREDIT/PAYWAVE 1.5% surcharge”. It blew up. HUNDREDS of thousands of people saw it. Hundreds of comments. Over one thousand people voted in a poll asking if they do the same. In the comments, people were debating, agreeing, asking questions. All over one simple statement: “I still insert debit card to avoid 1.5% surcharge.”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.

Renata built Roam with Kids from zero to 4,000 paying subscribers while raising three kids. Her secret? Posting every single day for two and a half years, even when no one was watching.Renata breaks down the reality of building a startup in New Zealand, whilst juggling work & kids. We cover the loneliness of building something while everyone else has normal jobs, and how consistency beats perfection every time.We cover the pivot from travel vlogger dreams to local business reality, why she charges less than half a cup of coffee per month, and how she's building something that actually helps families while creating wealth. Plus the harsh truth: if you want to build something meaningful, you have to be willing to do boring work consistently when no one's watching.Speed creates momentum. Consistency creates success.Find Roam With Kids:https://www.instagram.com/roamwithkids/Find Renata:https://www.instagram.com/renataroaming/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 : [email protected] 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.

Immigrants often arrive with nothing to fall back on so “safe” feels different.Why are so many newcomers in NZ are willing to start businesses, take bigger risks, and end up hiring Kiwis? While locals often see business as too risky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time of the year can be where the new year's energy has died down, and we waver from goals, or we realise we didn’t do what we said we were going to and now there is no point. For some inspo, I asked some KTC listeners what it was like to ‘think they can’t’ but ‘do it anyway’ and what they noticed. Perhaps NOW is the time. What do you need to start doing?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 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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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, upsk

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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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 : [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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 : [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nz 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.

Labour recently announced a 28% capital gains tax on rentals, batches and commercial properties. Politicians say it'll make housing affordable, but the data says otherwise.Luke and Mikey break down why this won't work: no country has ever lowered house prices with property taxes, wealthy people will just borrow against assets instead of selling, and the revenue projections are fantasy. To get $965 million in year three, they need $3.4 billion in property gains - in this economy?New Zealand is taxed up to your eyeballs. Everything you touch has a tax, levy, or fee. We cover why Australia's CGT didn't stop their property ponzi, how governments get addicted to property tax revenue, and why this policy is 20-30 years too late. Plus the harsh reality: if you want to disincentivize property investment, you needed this before we financialised housing.Capital gains tax won't save New Zealand. It's just another way to extract money from people who actually build wealth.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 : [email protected] 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.

‘If no one knows you, money won't flow to you’ - simple but confronting words that stopped me in my tracks a long time ago. Unfortunately, for many, many Kiwi people we are allergic to getting known. But you’re getting in your own way, over complicating it all. All you have to do is be good at something and have people know that you are. That’s all it is now. Keep it that simple to win and progress.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.