Episodes

  • 102. Once you have won the money game, stop and enjoy life.

    102. Once you have won the money game, stop and enjoy life.
    Mar 11 2025
    Today, I’m sharing the financial ins and outs of Alan and Katie Donegan, the world-travelling English couple behind Rebel Finance School. Over the years, we have become friends, and learning about their journey to financial independence and then watching them move into full retirement has been incredibly motivating for both Jonny and me. They finally made it to New Zealand, and back in early December 2024, we sat down at my kitchen table, where they generously answered all of my nosy questions. I’m looking forward to sharing their personal finance journey with you because once they discovered the concept of financial independence, these two were on FIRE!
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!

    101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!
    Feb 18 2025
    I first met today's guest, Ajith, when he emailed me with a couple of questions back in 2024. He’d come across The Happy Saver while on the hunt for some motivation to keep pushing towards the goal that he and his wife Arya have to become debt-free by his 39th birthday, which is in 2028. When they began to lose patience and motivation, hearing both my journey with money and that of others helped to keep them on track. This couple are in their mid-thirties, with an eight-year-old daughter and live on the East Coast of the North Island. When I spoke with them at length in October of 2024 and again in February 2025, they were debt-free except for the $223,000 mortgage they have on the home they had built in 2021. They have also been investing in their KiwiSaver plus in investments outside of KiwiSaver. I wanted to share their journey today because his email to me and our subsequent kōrero threw up the dilemma of paying down debt fast vs investing. I think you will enjoy it.
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    1 hr
  • 100. A Solo Journey to Financial Independence

    100. A Solo Journey to Financial Independence
    Dec 17 2024
    In mid-October 2024, I brewed a coffee, sat down, and gave Poto a call. She’s been a long-time listener of the podcast, drawing on insights from past guests to help guide her decisions over the years. Back in 2021, she and I started exchanging emails, and we've stayed in touch ever since. When we recently crossed paths in person, I learned more about her journey and couldn’t help asking if she’d join me for a kōrero. True to her kind and generous nature, she agreed. Poto is 57 years old and calls the Central Plateau, in the centre of the North Island, her home and playground. She loves the area and loves the great outdoors. She had been heading down a few avenues that didn’t sit quite right with her and backing out to take another path, but steadily, she tracked towards the FI (Financial Independence) community and a more simple path to wealth. With dedication and mahi, she’s reached a point of financial independence—and today, she’s here to share her story.
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    44 mins
  • 99. Work, Life, Balance: With Plenty of Free Time!

    99. Work, Life, Balance: With Plenty of Free Time!
    Nov 26 2024
    This week, I’m making a bit of an exception and chatting with someone who was a bit reluctant to talk about money. Which is ironic, given this is a podcast that talks about money. Rob, a 33-year-old plumber from Western Australia, took a little persuading to come on my podcast, but I persisted because I knew enough about him to know that his personal finance story is one that many of us will be able to relate to and draw ideas from. Rob is essentially financially independent, working just a quarter of the year, and he recently hosted Tribe FI, a personal finance retreat. I met Rob after he invited me to speak at the event, and after some detective work to confirm he wasn’t a scammer (spoiler: he’s not), Jonny and I attended—and loved it. In this episode, I delve into Rob’s journey to financial independence and what inspired him to create a space for like-minded people to connect.
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    38 mins
  • 98. Life and times of a property investor, turned global traveller.

    98. Life and times of a property investor, turned global traveller.
    Nov 5 2024
    In today's episode, I will be sharing the financial journey of Jack, a Kiwi from the lower North Island. Jack found The Happy Saver when he was searching for podcasts on money. As an investor in rental property, he was looking to learn about shares. As you’ll find out shortly, he leads an interesting life. He has a personality that I can relate to; he said he could talk to a lamp post, and as a result, he meets heaps of people, so he had no qualms about stopping in to visit Jonny and I when he was down in Central Otago riding the famous Rail Trail and doing other interesting things, earlier in the year. We’ve stayed in touch since, and I’m pleased I have because Jack gets about. When we chatted for this podcast, he was sitting in San Fransisco, having just had many months overseas and was getting ready to board a three-week cruise to bring him back home to Aotearoa.
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    45 mins
  • 97. Revisit with Chris and Rosemary: These two are not mucking around!

    97. Revisit with Chris and Rosemary: These two are not mucking around!
    Oct 15 2024
    Today’s episode is an update on North Island couple Chris and Rosemary. Their first episode came out in March 2021 — it was episode number 49. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, and today’s episode is an update on where this couple are now, in terms of both money and life. It’s safe to say they have absolutely transformed their situation, and I hope this episode lights a fire under those listening and prompts you to reach for a few stretch goals, whatever they might be. Over the last four years, Chris has sent me some pretty epic emails as he went on a deep dive into learning about personal finance. I watched from the sidelines as he got Rosemary on the same page. They’ve since both utterly transformed their financial lives, embarking on a new journey toward financial independence. Today’s update won’t disappoint — these two are not mucking around.
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    47 mins
  • 96. Reality Check

    96. Reality Check
    Sep 25 2024
    Today's episode began with an email from a Kiwi couple in their mid-40s, who asked to be called Tokyo and Rio, inspired by the show Money Heist. Tokyo reached out just before Christmas 2023, sharing how a sinking fund she started nearly a year ago was making her happy amidst a tough financial year. It had been a challenging one—an overseas trip, big bills for their rental property, tax and ACC bills, and a lower-than-expected income. They were considering a $15,000 mortgage top-up to cover it all. But Tokyo wanted to know if there was a better way. Of course, there is another option. I hit reply to her email and proceeded to throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 95. On the Verge of Lasting Change. Hopefully.

    95. On the Verge of Lasting Change. Hopefully.
    Sep 4 2024
    When I received an email from a guy called John saying that he and his wife Betty have gone from being terrible with money and trying (unsuccessfully) to grow wealth via debt to completely changing their mentality to one of getting away from debt, even going so far as to head to the mines in Australia to clean up the consumer debt mess they had created, they had my attention. Today, I want to share the story of a 38 and 39-year-old married couple with two primary school-aged kids who are on the crest of a knowledge wave when it comes to money. Month by month, they are reassessing everything they thought to be true about money and now are tackling their biggest remaining debt head-on, their $480,000 mortgage.
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    1 hr and 8 mins