The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand cover art

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

By: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger
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About this listen

Your friends might not want to talk about money, but I do! Hi, I’m Ruth and I’m a blogger on Personal Finance and in this podcast I tell the stories of Kiwis and their experiences with the money in their lives. How do they use it or how does it use them? Where do they save and invest it and does it work? What are their financial triumphs and financial train wrecks? How can you extract the most out of life and spend as little as possible while doing it? Join me as I ask the questions everyone else is too polite to ask but is dying to know about New Zealanders and their money. Happy Saving! Ruth

 Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • 115. I Feel Like I’m The Only One

    115. I Feel Like I’m The Only One
    Dec 16 2025
    Jennifer first emailed me in early 2023 after listening to all my podcasts. She knew I was a big advocate for parents teaching kids to invest and had a few questions, including one detail that really caught my attention. Her then 17 and 19-year-old children didn’t know they had a small amount of money coming their way at 25. She wanted to keep it secret, plus they had zero interest in investing. That sparked an ongoing email exchange, and nearly three years later, we’re here, with Jennifer finally agreeing to share a much deeper financial story than she first intended. She genuinely thought she was the only one in her position, struggling to make ends meet, trying to get out of debt, and managing a solo financial journey within a happy marriage. This episode is a frank look at how so many couples who think about money very differently are actually dealing with it today, and why her experience is far more normal than she realised. I know there will be people listening who see themselves in her story and come away with reassurance, clarity, and a sense of what’s possible.
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    58 mins
  • 114. Engineering a Solid Financial Life Together

    114. Engineering a Solid Financial Life Together
    Nov 18 2025
    Today I’m sharing the story of Steve and Sarah, a UK couple who, many years ago, packed up their lives, moved to Aotearoa, and built a really solid financial life together. From the get-go, they’ve been a great team with money: well-educated, curious, hard-working, and brave enough to take big leaps when the chance came along. Over the years, they’ve invested in property, shares, and themselves, learning plenty along the way. Like many of us, they’ve had a few financial detours, several property disasters, but their long-term habit of saving and investing has quietly set them up for a strong and flexible future as they approach retirement in their late 50s. This conversation is full of insights from Steve’s engineer’s brain, the steady teamwork he and Sarah share, and the real-life curveballs that have made them rethink what matters most. It’s an honest, practical story about the power of keeping things simple, staying curious, and building the kind of financial life that lets you enjoy today, while still planning for tomorrow. Whenever I pick up the phone for a kōrero with someone like Steve, I know I’m in for a detailed chat, and he didn’t disappoint, and I’m sure that those listening will be able to pull out little nuggets of wisdom from the information he shared.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • 113. Late Financial Bloomers: Proof It’s Never Too Late to Start

    113. Late Financial Bloomers: Proof It’s Never Too Late to Start
    Oct 28 2025
    Maria and Michelle were late financial bloomers who only really got started in their 50s. Now 71 and 69, they’ve paid off their mortgage and student loan, invested in the sharemarket, built up $1,000,000 in savings and investments, and receive NZ Super and a US pension. Through hard work, investing as much of their income as they possibly could, and carefully tracking and measuring their progress, they went from feeling anxious about retirement to completely calm about it. For Maria, money had always meant security, yet for a variety of reasons, she kept making poor financial decisions throughout much of her adult life. She knew what to do, save, invest, be sensible, but never quite managed to pull it all together. Moving from the US to New Zealand at age 50, however, felt like pressing a giant reset button. She’d always invested in her education, and she brought that knowledge with her. Soon after, she met her partner Michelle, who was equally qualified but also late to the financial party. Together, they realised they were well set up to succeed if they put in the effort. And so, they did. They’re a textbook example of starting right where you are, no matter your age. And I have to say, this was one of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve had in a long time.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this episode. It is really difficult to bounce back from relationships that have ended. Ruth always works to get different points of view from all walks of life. I also really appreciate the focus on family most of her episodes touch on. A lot of finance doesn't often have the same whanau approach and is more wealth related.

Different way to financial freedom

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