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Six ways to save money while on holiday

Living life large while on holiday doesn’t mean blowing your budget. It’s possible to enjoy every minute of your well-deserved break and possibly come home with cash to spare. Here are our tips to travelling well while spending less: 1. Package it up There was a time when the phrase ‘package deal’ made us think of budget airlines, cramped hotel rooms and noisy, sunburnt tourists. Now, thanks to companies like Luxury Escapes, it’s easy to nab a great deal to…

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Surprised businessman
Eight things about your credit history that may surprise you

Borrowing can actually help your credit score, as unintuitive as that might sound. Potential credit providers want to see that you’ve got a history of responsibly paying your bills, so borrowing a small amount and paying in full and on time will help to boost your credit score. Your credit file will also include publicly available information such as court judgements and bankruptcies. So anything out there online or in court databases about you will most likely also appear on…

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Making the most of your OneSmart card (and also, what the hell is a OneSmart card?)

Here at the last bus stop on the planet we love our travelling. But you can’t leave without a good pocketful of money and there’s no avoiding it: you’ll have to change your Kiwi dollars into some other currency. That’s where the irritation starts. They love to clip the ticket, those money changers. And every time they do, you brace yourself. How much are they going to sock me for this? Who’s going to take a big fat cut out…

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Lending and borrowing the Kiwi way

Us Kiwi’s have made the most of peer-to-peer as a way of life for some time now, adopting services such as UBER, Airbnb and Airtasker and enjoying better value all round. Neil Roberts Joint CEO of Harmoney says it has been very rewarding watching Kiwis embrace the Harmoney peer-to-peer lending marketplace. “The growth has been fantastic, but the passion that comes from our community and their continued support for Harmoney is perhaps the most rewarding of all.” Thanks half a…

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Tips to save everyday on technology

Technology has become a crucial part of our everyday lives. Whether it’s talking, texting, catching up with family on social media or searching for the latest recipe to cook for dinner. However technology is increasingly becoming more expensive. Here are some tips to save money. 1. Understand your bills Understand the plan you are currently on. What are the fees and charges? Go through your bills and make sure you understand what the items are you are being charged for. If you…

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Confused female looking at her phone
How to overcome bad credit and get a home loan

So you’ve got a big bad black mark on your credit record and you want a mortgage? Don’t worry, all is not lost. Banks like to lend to people who they believe have the disposable income and the will to pay them back. If your credit score is bad and there are a few sneaky black marks on it they might think that you’re not such a good bet. Banks have to be responsible What’s more, our banks are also…

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Young woman looking astonished at her growing nose
Are your finances suffering from ‘excusitis’? Beat it, now

Liar, liar, pants on fire. We Kiwis are masters at coming up with excuses for our spending and debt. I’ve heard it called “excusitis”. We convince ourselves that “we’re different” or that “we need it”, or “everyone else does it”. It’s that six inches of grey stuff between your ears that’s at fault. And it’s getting worse. According to Payments New Zealand the average Kiwi made 58 credit card transactions in 2014, 86 in 2015 and 103 in 2016. Ouch.…

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Cyber Security
Fighting fraud: How biometrics and artificial intelligence are helping to keep you safe online

Once upon a time bank robbers needed guns and balaclavas. Today a mouse and keyboard can be more dangerous. Every year Kiwis are defrauded by cyber criminals and some lose their life savings. In the case of phishing the victim clicks on what looks like a genuine email from their bank, Trade Me or another organisation. Except that it’s not their bank and their keystrokes are captured revealing their username and password. The phisher then logs into the genuine bank…

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Avocado toast
Forget avocados, smash the big stuff first

Avocados have gotten a bad rap lately. The real reason millennials can’t afford to buy their own homes, commentators said, was not sky-high prices or the banks requiring 20 per cent deposits, it was young people’s insatiable hunger for the creamy green goodness of smashed avocado on toast. And even if you don’t like avocado, the finger-pointers would point out (with their fingers) that while our parents got by with a cup of Choysa made from a tea bag that…

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Ninja creeping
Nine ways to sabotage your own credit score

I’m working hard to improve my credit score these days. In the past I was a bit of a bad boy when it came to paying bills – so I’ve been looking into what will kill your credit score, and fast. Real fast. But just so you know: a good credit score is 500 or more on the scale of 0 to 1,000. Most of us Kiwis sit between 400 to 600. Over 800 is skuxx as. Anything less than…

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