Smart Money
Looking to make sense of your dollars? Newstalk ZB’s Smart Money delves into the deep, dark recesses of unwanted debt, traverses the highs and lows of investments and helps to ensure you money works for you. Our industry experts give us their top tips on a wide selection of topics including mortgage rates, stock, savings, goal-setting and retirement.
Episodes
Last week the Reserve Bank dropped the OCR 25 basis points to 2.25%, but their tone was a bit more hawkish than usual.
Some analysts are thinking it's a signal that rates have gone as low as the RBNZ is willing to drop them - and the new Governor may be wanting to turn a new leaf in 2026.
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We got another OCR cut this week - now down to 2.25% - the lowest it's been since June of 2022.
That was the last one for the year, so a lot of us mortgage holders are trying to figure out whether things are slowing down, and if it's time to fix for a longer term this time around.
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Queues at budgeting services are getting longer, and financial advisors are finding households with increasing incomes are seeking help.
Kiwis with a household income of over $200,000 a year and likely with a mortgage are struggling to make ends meet.
It feels like it was only a few years ago that being on a six figure salary meant you were fairly well off, but it seems it's barely enough to get out of living paycheck t...
Most of us have spent the past few days daydreaming about what we would spend $55 million on.
Pay off the mortgage, book a holiday, send some off to charity, throw the rest in a term deposit.
Three lucky punters each one a share of the jackpot last night - $18.3 million each.
Not many of us will have the chance to come across tens of millions in our lives, but most of us will at some point get a large some from inherita...
The Reserve Bank shocked a lot of us last month when it cut the OCR by 50 basis points down to 2.5%.
Analysts have said that the RBNZ was reading the room and giving kiwis a much needed breather after years of high rates.
Early signs are showing it's starting to have an effect - with the GDP estimate for the September quarter pointing to 0.6% growth and many banks forecasting an optimistic remainder of the year.
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Dame Noeline Taurua was stood down as the coach of the Silver Ferns in September due to 'significant issues' in the team. After many public statements and interviews, she was reinstated at the end of last month.
Netball NZ, her employer, remained just vague enough that the public could allow their imaginations to run wild about what had happened.
Andrew Bayly, MP for Port Waikato, resigned as a Minister after an 'animat...
Trusts are hardly mentioned outside of when wealth tax is in the news, or when someone mentions their accountant told them to get one.
One side of the political aisle seems to have a good list of reasons as to why someone would need a trust, while the other side seems to be convinced that essentially the only reason anyone would have one would be to hide assets.
So what is the real purpose of a trust?
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An interesting report came out this week about budgets: the average household spending has only gone up two dollars a week since 2023.
50-percent of respondents said they're actively seeking out discounts and promotions - and 30-percent downgrade brands.
It's one thing to be spending less on non-essentials, eating less, or wearing cheaper clothes, but sometimes that can chip away at our mental health and confidence. So how can we s...
A new governor has been appointed for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand - all the way from Sweden.
Dr Anna Breman has already received criticism from economists who find themselves concerned that someone with such little knowledge of the New Zealand economy will hold such a high stakes position.
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The economy had a worse than expected drop in the June quarter, shrinking 0.9%.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has blamed it on global turmoil, but the Reserve Bank of New Zealand says there's a need to provide more stimulus to the economy by cutting the OCR.
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Last week, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters announced plans to campaign for compulsory KiwiSaver at the next election, and increase the minimum contribution from 4% to 12%.
He said there would be tax cuts alongside these changes to help fund the increase in contributions.
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There are two different types of employees - one who stays low profile, gets what they need to get done, done, and goes home.
Then there's the other, who complains about anything they feel inconveniences them.
Is it true that the squeaky wheel get the grease? Or is this a great way to get yourself ruled out when it comes to opportunities and promotions?
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It's no secret that the cost of living has gone a bit crazy these past few years, but insurance seems to be one of the hardest hit.
Insurance prices have increased 900% since 2000 - almost triple the increase of tobacco products.
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The OCR got another cut this week, now down to 3%.
While there have been questions for a while around whether banks are passing the cuts down to consumers, the real question is whether the cuts will actually solve anything at all.
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Wills are some of the most painstaking things you need to do as an adult. They remind you of your mortality, and of all the familial issues you may have had throughout the years.
But they must be done - so how can you write an airtight will?
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Most New Zealanders consider themselves only “average” with money.
In fact, a new study from Partners Life finds less than a quarter of New Zealanders rate their financial knowledge as "excellent".
Nearly 60 percent find it tough to pay monthly expenses, and just over half reported stress or losing sleep due to money concerns.
At the same time, many are reportedly using credit and afterpay services to make ends meet.
Ho...
The number of mortgage holders refinancing their loans is the highest ever recorded.
More than 3,500 borrowers refinanced in June, and experts are expecting to see the trend continue through to the end of the year.
Finance specialist Amanda Morrall joins Tim Beveridge for Smart Money.
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The Consumer Price Index over the June quarter was lower than expected at 2.7%, and it could mean a rate cut by the Reserve Bank next month.
So is the New Zealand investment winter over?
Shane Solly is a director at Harbour Asset Management and he joins Tim Beveridge for Smart Money.
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We all want our kids to do better than we did, and a major part of that is teaching them how to set themselves up financially.
Founder and managing director at Koura Wealth, Rupert Carlyon, joins Tim Beveridge for Smart Money.
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The cost of living is crunching down again, as more than 30-thousand Kiwis reportedly moved abroad last year.
Are there any more changes can people make to save money? What things can they afford to cut?
Additionally, at what point do we look in the mirror and say the problem is our lack of personal discipline?
"Financial Force of Nature", and Founder of financial strategy site joins Tim Beveridge for Smart money...
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