The morning had been perfect for my friend Paul’s brother. The Queensland sun warmed his skin as he hitched his modern caravan to his Nissan SUV, ready for a weekend at the beach. The open road beckoned, promising relaxation and the soothing sound of waves.
When Catchphrases Replace Common Sense: The Dangerous Allure of Investment Folklore
The investment world loves its pithy sayings. From "Sell in May and Go Away" to "Buy Low, Sell High," these catchphrases roll off tongues in boardrooms and backyard barbecues alike.
Is Rent “Dead Money”?
How our obsession with property ownership is quietly sabotaging national productivity.
Walk into any New Zealand café, and you'll inevitably overhear the same conversation: someone explaining why they're buying a rundown villa to convert into their office space.
Mum Knows Best: The Financial Lessons We Should All Take from Our Mothers
With Mother's Day upon us, there's one more reason to celebrate the mums in our lives – they might just be better investors than they realise.
Field Strategies for Financial Success: Investment Lessons from the Maimai
As the early morning mist rises over wetlands across New Zealand this opening weekend, hunters will be settling into their duck hide or maimai, waiting for that familiar wing-beat overhead. Patience is as much a tool as any hunting hardware.
Market Patience: The Easter Lesson for Investors
In times of market uncertainty, wealth often transfers from the impatient to the patient. This timeless truth feels particularly relevant today, as markets respond to shifting economic policies and global events with characteristic volatility.
Tariffs & Markets: What History Tells Us About What May Lie Ahead
As markets absorb the implications of Donald Trump's return to the White House, investors are increasingly concerned by his promises to implement new tariffs on imported goods.
The Simple Path to Financial Freedom
The number 400 carries deep significance. It represents completeness, divine perfection, and liberation from bondage – much like how sound financial planning offers a path to freedom from money worries.
Legacy Planning: Preparing for Tomorrow Today
In the journey of life, we often focus on building—building careers, families, wealth, and memories. Yet, an equally important aspect that many overlook is planning for what happens when our journey ends.
Hedonic Treadmills Have No Finish Line
As Dan Solin (author of ‘The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read’) astutely observes, "The financial media is not your friend. Its primary goal is to separate you from your money."[I]
7 Lessons on Volatility
Everyone is an expert after the fact. Predicting the future is nigh impossible, but it’s quite easy to look back and say “we saw that coming” when making a call on either the behaviour of markets, or economic factors.
To Catch a Falling Knife
Financial markets are one of those things that move fast and slow at the same time. Not much happens in the short-term, yet so much happens over longer periods of time. We get so caught up in and sweat the small stuff that we miss the forest for the trees.
Inflation, the Rising Tide
When the Earth, moon, and sun are just so, you get a king tide – which can be a very real issue for those dwelling along the coast. With the rapid swell of inflation, we can see a similar effect.
The Value in Going Off-Script
No script is perfect on first draft. Even iconic films like Casablanca underwent several changes – it was originally a play called Everybody Comes to Rick’s when Warner Bros purchased it in 1940.
The rising cost of living
A report by the New Zealand Initiative states households are spending an extra $3000 or more a year on essentials, with a third of the increase being due to higher transport costs.
When it Rains, it Pours
A Consumer NZ sentiment tracker recently reported that 15 per cent of New Zealanders have no savings, 27 per cent were anxious about the level of their savings, and one in ten of the respondents indicated spending more than they saved over the past three months.
Coffee Conversations
Over the course of our lives, there are many uncomfortable questions and conversations to be had. But it is safe to say, those dealing with financial well-being are perhaps the most persistent and difficult.
Good and getting better
Why would the couple in their 50’s have such a different outlook to the man in his 30’s? It’s hard to be a successful investor unless you’re an optimist. Firstly, if everyone does well, you’re likely to do better as an investor.
The lesser-known link between investment and return
"Investment" actually has two interrelated meanings: a physical investment (machinery, building, cars etc.) and financial investment (stocks and bonds), which lays claim on physical investment and the income (aka "return") it generates. So what is the lesser-known link between investment and return? Productivity.
Gifting that might be taking
New Zealand has remained prosperous for more than a decade if you're judging based on recessions, but it hasn't happened without creating wealth divisions. The property ladder issue has led to some parents feeling the need to help the kids reach the first rung. What are the issues?
