The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

Hosted by Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger

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Episodes

132

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

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

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60 recent

September 9, 202652 min

126. Building Financial Strength Together

Joseph and Jane’s story is one of resilience, generosity and small financial decisions adding up over time. From Joseph buying his first home at just 22 and navigating some serious health setbacks, to Jane returning to Aotearoa after years overseas and going on to build a successful career, they eventually brought two very different financial journeys together. Today, she has paid off her student loan, they’ve combined their finances, they’re aggressively paying down their mortgage, investing for themselves and their child, using sinking funds and an emergency fund, hunting for bargains and deliberately spending money on the things they enjoy. But above all, I think their story is about what money can really give you. Choices. Resilience. Independence. And, when you’re in a position to do so, the ability to help others.

August 19, 202656 min

125. Revisit with The Happy Saver: Eight Years On

Today I’m doing something a bit different. I thought I’d give you a little update on what Jonny and I are up to. If you've been listening for a while, you might remember that way back in 2018 I released Episode 12, It’s All About Me. Since then, The Happy Saver blog has become a bit of a diary, tracking our financial journey and the thinking behind the decisions we’ve made. The podcast, on the other hand, has always been about everybody else. But while kind people constantly tell me they love hearing other people’s money stories, I’m still regularly asked to share more of my own. So, eight years on, I thought it was probably time. This episode isn’t going to cover every tiny detail; the blog is still the best place for that, but I’ll share a few numbers, what’s changed, what we’ve learned, and where Jonny and I find ourselves financially today. It’s not easy interviewing yourself; I can tell you that much!

July 29, 202659 min

124. Learning, Letting Go and Rethinking the Road to FIRE

I had a great chat with Rose and Adam on a cold winter’s day in July, and this warm and friendly duo came to our conversation well prepared. Just over 20 years ago, they made the move from Israel to Ōtautahi Christchurch. They joined KiwiSaver early, eventually bought a home of their own, and continued investing in both the sharemarket and residential property. Mindfulness is also central to their lives. Their daily meditation practice and Zen philosophy have taught them to let go of drama, avoid dwelling on setbacks and view mistakes as opportunities to learn. That perspective is particularly valuable now as they chase down FIRE and rethink their investment strategy. While some of their investments are doing extremely well, others are performing extremely poorly. After eight years of owning rental properties, they have accepted that the strategy has not worked for them. They are now steadily untangling themselves from those investments and redirecting their money towards share investments they better understand and believe in. Throughout their relationship, they have always lived within their means and spent less than they earn. Combined with their mindfulness practice, that habit allows them to view past mistakes as tuition fees rather than failures: take the lesson, make a better decision and move forward.

July 8, 202659 min

123. Feeling Financially Safe Again

Today’s guest is Olivia, a 59-year-old single woman who is on track to pay off a 30-year mortgage in just 10 years, entirely on one income. But this is not simply a story about paying off debt. It is a story about rebuilding financial safety after divorce, relationship breakdowns, solo parenting, financial mistakes, grief, and years of carrying the full load alone. Olivia shares why becoming mortgage-free matters so much to her, why she believes financial independence is essential for women, and how she changed her financial life through consistency, frugal living, tracking every dollar for 27 years, and learning to trust herself with money. This episode is honest, practical, and relatable for anyone who feels “behind” financially.

June 17, 202657 min

122. Renting, Investing and Building Financial Freedom

Anna has developed strong money habits through years of study, careful saving, and living well below her means. After following the traditional advice to buy a home, Anna and her partner, Thom, began to question whether home ownership really suited the life they wanted. Once they ran the numbers, they made the bold decision to sell their house, rent a home that better fits their lifestyle, and redirect their surplus income into sharemarket investments instead. Anna’s story is about much more than money. It’s about questioning lifestyle creep, rethinking housing as the automatic path to wealth, biking instead of driving, budgeting with intention, and creating enough financial margin to have real choices. She and Thom are still early in their journey towards financial independence, but they are already experiencing what it can look like in practice: breathing room, flexibility, and the ability to choose how they spend their time.

May 27, 20261 hr 12 min

121. The Missing Will

Today, we hear from Petra, whose life has taken her from the UK to Australia and then to New Zealand, with a few moves back and forth along the way. Auckland is home for now, but aged 60 and widowed about five years ago, Petra is still rebuilding her life without the love of her life beside her. She shares the deeply personal story of losing James suddenly at just 53, and finding herself forced to untangle a complicated financial life while grieving. For decades, they did what many ordinary families do: worked hard, raised children, bought houses, carried big mortgages, spent money as it came in, and often “jinked and jived” financially without any real long-term plan. It was only after James’s death, through life insurance, superannuation payouts, years of accumulated assets, and the difficult discovery of a missing will, that Petra began to understand the bigger financial picture. This was never how she imagined financial freedom would arrive. Her story is about far more than money. It is about love, loss, resilience, wills, insurance, investing, family, and learning, often far later in life than expected, how to create security, confidence and choices when life changes.

April 29, 20261 hr 11 min

120. Rebuilding After Divorce

This episode shares the story of Emma, a solo mum who, from the outside, appears to have it all together: a home of her own, strong finances, and a clear plan for the future. But behind that picture is years of hardship, resilience, and determination to rebuild her life after leaving an unhealthy marriage. She is now rebuilding from a much stronger foundation, describing her life as being in “financial rehab,” making up for lost time as she steadily rights her waka and moves into calmer waters. Through grit, determination, and a series of deliberate, intentional steps, she has rebuilt her confidence and created a safer, more stable life for herself and her children. Emma chose to share her story to help other women who may be feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin. Her journey is a powerful reminder that change is possible, step by step, and that with the right support, courage, and practical action, you can work your way toward safety, stability, and a future where you truly believe: I am going to be OK.

April 8, 202643 min

119. Revisit with Rachel and David: Out of Property, Into Funds

Back in November 2017, in Episode 04, I sat down with Rachel and David. They had reached financial independence long before the term was widely used, doing it through property and achieving what many Kiwi investors dream of: owning a portfolio of rental properties outright, spending little time managing them, and living off the income. They had around $3 million in equity across their rental properties, not including their own home, and a lifestyle built on freedom, travel, and choice. It was one of the first real examples I’d seen of property generating enough income to fully fund a life. Eight years later, their story has taken a very different turn. They’ve moved away from property and into the share market, with the help of a plan they took the time to properly understand and make their own. We talk about why they made the change, how they approached it, and what it looks like to shift from one asset class to another without losing sight of the bigger picture. Rachel and David are a great reminder that money is not just something to protect and preserve, but something that can be used to create freedom, joy, generosity, and a life well lived. As they said to me at the end of our chat: “We have abundance.” And it’s pretty special to hear what that looks like in real life.

March 10, 202653 min

118. Living Well, Spending Less

Emily and I first met over email and via one of my Phone A Friend chats back in late 2023. Like me, she loves regional Aotearoa and everything it has to offer. She’s happily ensconced in the Taumarunui community, and she has exactly the right attitude to thrive in a small town. She gets stuck in, makes things happen, and helps out whenever needed. She owns a tiny house on rented land and works a variety of jobs. From a young age, Emily decided that financial independence was essential to her. Since the age of 19, she has stood on her own two feet financially, and she told me that doing so is essential to her well-being. She has never been a high earner, but she has paid her own way regardless. More recently, she has invested time in her financial education, and that has led to her investing her money too. She’s focused on living a vibrant life today, while also planning for a secure future. By sharing her own journey today, she hopes to be the catalyst that inspires others to take control of their money and build a life they absolutely love, as she has.

February 17, 20261 hr 7 min

117. Owning Rental Property Is a Business

I really enjoyed creating this episode because it explores a form of investing that doesn’t often feature heavily in the wealth-building stories I usually share. I spoke at length with Lilly about the successful property investment business she and her husband, James, built together, and what struck me most was the intention behind it. This wasn’t accidental landlording, but a strategy grounded in maths, business savvy, long hours, and consistent hard work. The more I learned about how they deliberately grew their rental portfolio, the more I wanted to share their story as an example of how property, when done well, can be incredibly lucrative. I have no doubt this conversation will leave many listeners reflecting carefully on their own investment property decisions.