personal finances Archives - Page 6 of 7

Puppies are for life, not for Christmas, and that’s how you should look at all your Christmas spending

7 December 2016

Christmas is coming and by now you’ll be inundated with tinsel music, shops full of tat you don’t really want to buy, neighbours telling you to put up more decorations or take down more decorations and of course, The List. We all have a The List. Who we have to buy presents for. If you’re organised, The List will be a spreadsheet with last year’s gifts both to and from said recipients and estimated value of same. There might even…

Five financial things I learned while getting a degree I never used

By: Credit Simple

17 November 2016

You’ll often hear people say that you shouldn’t go to university unless you know what you want to study and how you’ll use it in a job later on. I disagree; I think all university study is useful in one way or another. It’s not just a degree – it’s a formative experience – and I personally don’t think it’s ever a waste of money, time or effort. But I’m speaking from the point of view of having got my…

How to milk those rewards points

By: Credit Simple

27 October 2016

We Kiwis are suckers for rewards points. We’ll go out of our way to get a few extra points. But you’ve got to be careful to get the most out of the rewards points in the best way. It’s not just rewards points credit cards to be careful with. We have wallets full of little plastic and cardboard cards for everything from coffee to Fly Buys. But customer loyalty doesn’t always add up. Here’s the rub: rewards points do work is…

Idiot tax: Eight ways to waste your money

By: Credit Simple

26 October 2016

We all throw money down the gurgler. But some Kiwis have far higher chances of getting a Darwin Award for stupidity by paying too much idiot tax than others. Technically ‘idiot tax’ is spending on Lotto. Your odds of winning Powerball in New Zealand are 1 in 38 million per line. Yet the same money invested in a KiwiSaver growth fund from the age of 25 to 65 would add up to $128,000 after tax. Stop wasting your hard-earned money…

Complete cheapskate: How to conjure up money from nothing

By: Credit Simple

25 October 2016

Do you want to conjure money up from nowhere? It can be done. Cheapskates spend almost NOTHING. They pop to the toilet when it’s their round to buy the drinks and trawl local free sites for unwanted pet bunnies to eat. Well perhaps not bunnies, even though it’s been done. But here are some cheapskate ideas to ratchet down your spending big time before your debts affect your credit score: Become a Freegan. It’s amazing how much free food you…

Boost your savings with the Three Ts (track, trim, and target)

By: Credit Simple

19 October 2016

Saving is the worst. I cannot save money. I just can’t. I look at my payslip each month and take out the rent, the food, the car, the power, the water, the gas and there’s barely enough left to pay for the odd drink after work let alone save up for a deposit on a house or anything stupid like that. I know I was supposed to pay myself first but somehow that just never worked out. By the time…

The pros and cons of going guarantor

By: Credit Simple

14 October 2016

‘Going guarantor’ are two dangerous little words. “Nan, will you go guarantor on my car? You don’t have to pay any money.” Stop right there. Going guarantor can be a great way to help others out. But it’s way more risky than most people think. Read this article before you say yes or no. The worst-case scenario is that the lender comes after you for the money. Parents have lost their homes from going guarantor and families have been torn…

What you need to know about balance transfer credit cards

By: Credit Simple

13 October 2016

A friend called me the other day in a panic because he suddenly realised he owed more than $2,000 on his credit card and had no way of paying it off in a reasonable fashion. “You work in finance,” he said, “what am I supposed to do now?” First I made him do the calculations to see how much interest he would pay on that $2,000. He’d blown it on dinners, drinks, and a new smartphone he didn’t need, and…

Are you YOLOing your finances?

By: Credit Simple

13 September 2016

Before we had the Kardashians to keep up with (yes, there was life before the Kardashians), we kept up with the Joneses. The Joneses were more figurative than literal and didn’t have their own TV show; they represented the people next door who owned more (and better) gadgets than you. The Joneses and the Kardashians – along with social media, celebrity culture and reality TV – are responsible for creating the #YOLO attitude: You Only Live Once. It’s a lifestyle…

Funding your first set of wheels – what you need to know before getting a car loan

By: Credit Simple

13 September 2016

Buying yourself a set of wheels is expensive. If you’ve saved the cash to buy the car, that’s great. But realistically, most young people have to borrow money to buy a car. If that’s you, brush up on a few things before you sign on the dotted line. Save Saving up and paying cash is the cheapest way to buy a car. Ask around and you’ll find friends who have done it. Surprising, huh? Downgrade your expectations We know you…