Money Made Simple

In this episode of Economy Made Simple, Shamubeel Eaqub, Simplicity's Chief Economist, takes a step back from the election noise to ask a bigger question: what is government actually for?

With campaigns full of talk about tax, spending, debt (and of course now KiwiSaver), Shamubeel argues we have lost sight of the why and offers a simple set of tests to cut through the promises - before you vote.

This episode covers:

• The five core jobs of government, and why tax and spending are only the tools
• How government fixes market failures, from weak competition to pollution
• Why Canterbury's recovery is a strong case for sharing risk as a nation
• The hardest job of all: deciding what is fair, today and across generations
• Why the share of votes going to National and Labour has fallen from around 80% to under 60%
• What flip-flop policy costs NZ in infrastructure, health, education and climate
• Gates and ladders, and why the softer side of government matters as much as the hard levers
• Which generation pays and which benefits, from KiwiSaver to NZ Super to climate policy
• Why "am I a good ancestor?" might be the most useful question this election

By the end of this episode you'll have a clearer way to judge any election promise: does it serve the real purpose of government, will it last beyond one term, and will it leave NZ better for our future generations?

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv go back to basics on two of the most common ways to invest: buying shares in individual companies, or putting your money into a managed fund. They unpack what you actually own in each case, the pros and trade-offs of both, and the different types of funds you've probably heard about (but maybe thought WTF?), from share funds and diversified funds to ETFs, index funds and active vs passive managed funds. 

This episode covers:

• What you actually own when you buy a share, compared with buying into a fund
• Why a share can be risky, but a managed fund isn't automatically diversified
• The costs to check beyond the headline fee for different investments
• Liv's honest look back at her own share picking days
• Why "managed fund" is an umbrella term, not one type of investment
• What really separates different types of funds when it comes to risk
• ETFs explained, with a little help from a poem
• Why it doesn't have to be one or the other, when it comes to single shares vs. managed funds

This episode will give you a clear sense of the difference between choosing a company and buying into a portfolio, and why what's inside an investment matters more than what it's called.

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QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

As promised in the episode, here are a few questions worth thinking about before you choose how to invest:

*How much time and interest do I have to research and keep an eye on individual companies? *How would I feel if one company I own dropped 40% in a bad year? How long am I investing for, and could I ride out the ups and downs? *What's actually inside this fund? *Is it broadly diversified or focused on one area? What will it cost me in total, including brokerage, currency, platform and fund fees? *Do I want my values reflected in how my money is invested? *How does this fit with what I already have, like my KiwiSaver?

Just an editorial note on ETFs from our Chief Compliance & Risk Officer: Managed funds have what we call a NAV (Net Asset Value) which is how units of the fund are valued; while ETFs will have a NAV for the underlying fund that is being transacted, ETF units trade on-market at prices set by buyers and sellers throughout the day. That market price will generally be close to the NAV, but can trade at a small premium or discount to it.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv take a trip around the world to see how different countries tackle the very large question of retirement. New Zealand has NZ Super and KiwiSaver, but elsewhere the mix of government support, compulsory saving and personal choice can look quite different. From Australia's compulsory super contributions to Singapore's all-purpose CPF, the Netherlands' three-pillar model and America's 401(k), Jennie and Liv compare who pays, who carries the risk and who might miss out.

This episode covers:

• The important differences between a government pension and a funded retirement savings scheme
• Where New Zealand's mix of NZ Super and KiwiSaver sits within the global picture
• Why Australia's Age Pension is means tested, and how it compares to NZ Super
• What Australia's 12% (in 2026) employer contributions buy, and what they cost you today
• The Singapore fund that pays for housing, healthcare and retirement
• How one country has tackled the problem of outliving your savings
• Why the Netherlands keeps topping the global retirement rankings
• What America's 401(k) system gets right, and who it leaves behind
• The retirement ages around the world that might surprise you (and make you want to move abroad!)
• The important balancing act behind every system: security, flexibility, fairness and cost

Resources referred to in this episode:

- Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index - annual global ranking of retirement systems: https://www.mercer.com/insights/investments/market-outlook-and-trends/mercer-cfa-global-pension-index/

You won't come away from this episode with a verdict on which country has retirement 'sorted', but a clearer way to think about the questions NZ keeps needing to ask, and eventually answer. Every system is really a set of choices about who contributes, who carries the risk and who might get left behind.

*Please note, this episode discusses retirement rules, contribution rates and eligibility settings which can change at any time, and are accurate as at the date of publishing. It does not account for your own circumstances which may differ from what is discussed.*

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie and Liv take the show to Reddit, asking the often wise, very debate-happy r/PersonalFinanceNZ community for their very best money tips and tricks. More than 40 people came to the party, and the ones that made the cut are the ones the community upvoted most, so this is a genuinely crowd-sourced list from everyday Kiwis who think hard about their money. Jennie and Liv work through the top ten, from the deceptively simple to the slightly technical. 

*Please note, these tips and tricks do not constitute financial advice, and are personal opinions collected from Reddit and shared by the Simplicity team.*

This episode covers:

• The one-week pause that stops a want turning into a regrettable purchase, and the savings trick that turns leftovers into investments
• Why "buy assets, not crap" might be the most useful money slogan we've heard
• The payday order of operations that makes budgeting boring but effective
• How compounding works against you on debt, and what to do about it
• Giving money or investments instead of stuff, and why the kids will come round (eventually)
• The risk question most people have never honestly understood, or put into practice*
• Why and how playing it TOO safe carries a risk of its own
• Dollar cost averaging on the way in, and the part most people miss on the way out
• How sinking funds work, why they're handy, and why Jennie wants to rename them
• Offset and revolving credit mortgages, explained in a nutshell
• The perspective check that showed one Redditor they were $300 a week better off than they thought
• Liv and Jennie's own additions: the fee question nobody asks, and why you do not need to be an expert to start

*Editor's note: there is a subtle difference between risk aversion and loss aversion, although the two are often closely related - often people in higher risk investments are comfortable with risk, until it plays out via a market crash. And this is where loss aversion can kick in, where people switch to more conservative funds upon seeing a drop in their balance.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- r/PersonalFinanceNZ - the Reddit community that supplied the tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceNZ/

- A longer explainer on everything mortgages, discussed in MMS episode #9:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YZXRdwRNeQcUjYuHZv0Y8

- Simplicity First Home Loans: https://simplicity.kiwi/first-home-loans

- Sorted's Money Month: https://sorted.org.nz/money-month-2026-sorted/

This episode will deliver you ten tips that real people actually use and agree on, plus a nudge to check a couple of super important things most of us either avoid or don't know to consider. And a huge shout out to r/PersonalFinanceNZ, for the collective help! If you hear your own tip in there, please feel free to get in touch (via whatever channel suits you), and we'll be happy to send out some goodies for the privilege.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Economy Made Simple, Shamubeel invites Liv over to the green side, to unpack one of the most used and least understood words in New Zealand economics: productivity. Not how hard we work, but what we get back for the effort.

New Zealanders work roughly two weeks more a year than Australians, yet our wages and business profits are about a third lower. Shamubeel explains why, and where the real levers sit.

This episode covers:

• What productivity actually measures, and why "we're poor because we're poor" explains nothing
• Why Kiwis work longer hours than Australians but earn around a third less
• The three building blocks of any economy, and the bit of magic that separates strong businesses from average ones
• How geography, institutions, culture and politics shape productivity far more than effort ever will
• Why NZ's cultural dislike of management is quietly holding businesses back
• What it costs a country when 40% of the workforce started their job in the past year
• Where individuals, businesses and govt each sit on the scale of real influence
• The education, health and immigration settings Shamubeel would change - first
• How policy chop and change cost a town like Tokoroa more than it ever saved Wellington

By the end of this episode you should have a much clearer sense of why productivity is not a measure of effort, and why there is no single fix for it. You'll also understand which levers actually move the productivity scale - at home, at work, and at the ballot box with an election coming.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

Ever felt pressured to hit Buy now by a countdown clock, struggled to cancel a subscription, or been told there is “only one left” while shopping online? You may have encountered a dark pattern.

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie is joined by Chandni Gupta from the Consumer Policy Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia and Jon Duffy from Consumer NZ to unpack the design tricks businesses use to steer our choices online - often encouraging us to spend more, stay subscribed longer or hand over more personal information than we intended.

They look at where the line sits between legitimate marketing and manipulation, why these techniques are so effective even when we know they exist, and whether consumer protection laws in New Zealand and Australia are keeping up.

From fake urgency and hard-to-find cancellation buttons to "drip pricing", data collection and personalised prices, Chandni and Jon explain why dark patterns can be so difficult to resist - and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

This episode covers:

• What dark patterns are and how they influence our decisions online
• Where the line sits between persuasion, marketing and coercion
• Scarcity cues, countdown clocks and other tricks designed to create urgency
• Why cancelling subscriptions can be deliberately difficult
• How drip pricing can make something look cheaper than it really is
• Why businesses want so much of our personal data, and how it can be used
• The rise of personalised pricing and why two customers may not always see the same price
• Why dark patterns work even when we know what to look for
• What Australia is doing to strengthen consumer protection, and where New Zealand sits
• Practical ways to avoid unwanted subscription renewals and other online traps
• Why making it easy for customers to leave can actually help businesses build trust

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Consumer NZ – consumer advice, research and a report on dark patterns: Invisible influence: Dark patterns and digital deception in Aotearoa New Zealand

Consumer Policy Research Centre – Australian consumer research, including Duped by Design and Let Me Out

Office of the Privacy Commissioner – for concerns about how your personal information has been collected or used

Commerce Commission – for complaints about potentially misleading or deceptive conduct

You’ll come away from this episode much more aware of the subtle ways websites and apps can influence your behaviour,  and with some simple strategies for slowing down, questioning the urgency and keeping more control over your money and your data.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

It's officially Sorted's Money Month - and we have a special guest in to celebrate! In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv sits down with Kate Hannah from Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission - the team behind Sorted.org.nz, to unpack what financial resilience really means, and why it's about much more than just having enough money.

With cost-of-living pressures still biting, Kate explains why an emergency fund is the foundation for getting your finances sorted. She shares the research on how Kiwis are feeling, why young people are being hit hardest, and how small, achievable steps are the real key to building a buffer. They also talk through Sorted's brand new Buffer builder app, launching for August's Money Month - linked below!

This episode covers:

• What financial resilience actually means, and how it's more than just having enough cash
• Why an emergency fund is the foundation everything else is built on
• The research on how Kiwis are really feeling about their finances right now
• Why young people are among the hardest hit, and how to start when money is already tight
• Whether the "$1,000 rule" is a good, genuine goal to start with
• The power of small, achievable steps and building a "saver" identity
• How Sorted's new Buffer builder app uses open banking to make saving almost automatic

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Sorted Buffer builder app – free emergency savings app to make saving automatic, available on Android and Apple

- Sorted – free, independent tools, guides and calculators from the Retirement Commission: https://sorted.org.nz

- Sorted Retirement Navigator – helps you plan how to draw down your savings in retirement: https://sorted.org.nz/tools/retirement-navigator/

- Sorted Mortgage Calculator – includes a first-home-buyer mode for planning your first mortgage: https://sorted.org.nz/tools/mortgage-calculator/

- Sorted Smart Investor – compare KiwiSaver and Managed Funds on fees, returns and more: https://smartinvestor.sorted.org.nz

- Money Matters 2025: The Power of Emergency Savings (Retirement Commission research paper)

You will come away from this episode armed with the small steps you can take to start building your financial safety net. Whether you are just starting out or topping up an existing buffer, there are free, independent tools to help you meet money where you are at.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Economy Made Simple, Chief Economist Shamubeel Eaqub unpacks why insurance has become one of the fastest-rising costs in NZ, and what that means for the assets we most need to protect.

Insuring everything you own would now swallow close to 15% of the average income, and with disasters growing more frequent, Shamubeel argues the days of leaning on a government bailout may be numbered. He explains how to keep meaningful cover as premiums climb.

This episode covers:

• Why insuring everything could now cost close to 15% of your income
• How and why home insurance has risen  over the last 20 years
• The disasters that made reinsurers decide NZ is riskier than they thought
• The rise in natural disaster costs as a percentage of total GDP
• Why the government backstop we've been seeing come into play after floods and cyclones may not last
• Which types of cover people tend to drop first when money is tight
• Three practical ways to keep insurance affordable without losing protection
• How auto-renewing your policy could be quietly costing you

By the end of this episode, you'll understand why insurance costs keep climbing, and three practical moves to keep the cover you actually need: knowing your sum insured, adjusting your excess, and shopping around every year.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

There’s no shortage of money info out there. Everyone seems to have something to say about budgeting, investing, mortgages, KiwiSaver and more.

But how do you know what’s helpful, what’s marketing, what’s just someone’s opinion, and when you might actually need personalised financial advice?

In this episode of Money Made Simple, Liv and Jennie unpack the surprisingly important question of who to trust when it comes to money. They look at the difference between general financial information, education, marketing, opinions and personalised advice - and why understanding the difference can help you make better financial decisions.

This episode covers:

• The difference between general education, marketing, opinions and personalised financial advice
• Why social media can be a great place to learn about money, but not always the best place to rely on for making big financial decisions
• The rise of “finfluencers” - and what to watch out for when it comes to social money content
• When it may be worth paying for financial advice rather than relying on general financial information
• How to find a financial adviser, including where to start and why it’s worth checking their credentials
• Why fee-based, independent advice can be very different from the “free” advice that dominates the NZ finance industry
• The red flags to watch for when it comes to financial information and advice (warning - it's getting easier and easier to get taken for a ride!)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Sorted – independent money guide with comparison tools and calculators: https://sorted.org.nz/
- Financial Advice New Zealand (FANZ) – adviser directory: https://financialadvice.nz/FANZ/FANZ/Consumers/Find-an-Adviser.aspx
- Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) – check if an advisor is licensed: https://fsp-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
- MoneyHub – list of independent, fee-based financial advisers: https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/advisers-list.html
- The Barefoot Investor (Scott Pape): https://www.barefootinvestor.com/

This episode is a reminder that good money decisions don’t usually come from one hot tip, one viral video, or one confident opinion. They come from taking your time, asking questions, understanding who or what is influencing you, and knowing when a decision matters enough to get proper advice.

Simplicity does not hold a financial advice provider licence, so this podcast provides educational information only.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

In this episode of Economy Made Simple, Shamubeel Eaqub takes a moment to unpack NZ's mid-2026 economic outlook, from the fallout of the war in Iran to signs of a tentative peace.

With inflation pressures building, interest rates trending up again, and an election year adding noise, Shamubeel separates the cyclical shocks from the structural challenges Aotearoa NZ still needs to face.

This episode covers:

• Why the tentative truce in Iran doesn't mean cost pressures disappear overnight
• How the war disrupted a recovery that was JUST starting to gain momentum
• The two-speed export story: a booming rural economy versus struggling old-school manufacturing
• How dairy returns are increasingly about farm management, not just rising export prices
• What rising immigration and steady job ads reveal about business confidence
• The cost of living squeeze and why it's hitting lower-income households hardest
• Why the Reserve Bank raising interest rates now could slow this fragile recovery - the warning signs
• Why this election year matters more for long-term choices than short-term cycles

By the end of this episode, you'll have a clearer picture of where NZ's economy sits in mid-2026: genuine signs of recovery emerging, but real risks still ahead from rising interest rates, inflation, and global uncertainty.

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Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful!

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Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.