Recent Articles

A good financial advisor in New Zealand can leverage AI (artificial intelligence) to provide more clarity and cut through complex financial issues quickly. The things AI hasn’t changed are the reasons why my clients hire me in the first place: judgement, behavioral coaching, and listening carefully to understand what my clients need, want, and how … Read more

Here at Simple Money, I believe the Financial Advisor Code of Conduct is only the foundation of how I treat my clients. As a US Air Force officer, I believed in the core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. I continue to live these core values in how … Read more

Whether you’ve sold your company, inherited a large sum of money or properties, or won the lottery, coming into wealth in New Zealand can come with a lot of emotional, mental, and financial baggage. You might be elated one moment, despondent the next, terrified you’ll lose it all, excited for what the future holds, worried … Read more

Aotearoa New Zealand is a beautiful country, no doubt about it. Friendly people, clean water, clean air, beautiful mountains, lakes, and vistas. I’m proud and happy to call this my adopted home. However, New Zealand has a small share market. As a percentage of the global share market, the NZX is about 0.1%. A rounding … Read more

I was reading Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, a great companion to his more widely read How to Win Friends and Influence People. Here are a few quotes from the book that resonated with me. It’s amazing how, originally published in 1948, so much of what he wrote still rings true … Read more

This data is from the SPIVA New Zealand Scorecard. Produced by the S&P Dow Jones Indices, the SPIVA Scorecard compares actively managed funds to their indexed benchmarks. The data is overwhelming clear. For the average retail investor, you have a strong chance of not picking the lucky fund manager and even if you do, over … Read more

Hi Spencer It was great to work with you on our retirement / investment planning.  Your straightforward and friendly approach made the whole process interesting and fun – and not as daunting as I’m sure it could have been.  We look forward to receiving your recommended booklist and an updated version of the Statement of … Read more

Congratulations! You just won a multi-million dollar prize in the NZ Lotto. Now what? Step one: Do Nothing. Sign the ticket. Put it somewhere safe. Take a picture of it for your records. Contact the Lotto NZ Customer Service to claim your prize. Don’t tell anyone. Maybe your immediate family, but as soon as you … Read more

There is a cultural meme in New Zealand that you “made it” or succeeded when you buy a home. But so often Kiwis buy more house than they can afford. An excessive amount of their income now goes to servicing a property that might increase in value or might not. But every week, every fortnight, … Read more