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Credit Simple

Parents behaving badly: How parents’ money habits can rub off on the next generation

The concept of ‘monkey see, monkey do’ is alive and well in Kiwi families, and that includes when it comes to our parents’ habits with money. When parents behave badly with money, guess what their children do? As a parent, your role modelling is one of the most powerful indicators of how well your children will survive financially. Whether your children are two or 20 you can set them a better example. Don’t see money and spend it Do you see…

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Young girl standing in front of blackboard with dollar signs
BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander reckons we need to harden up. We check out his spending tips to see if they stack up

BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander has always been a bit of a loose cannon on the bank’s deck (and we say that with love and admiration). He’s known for being able to create a media-friendly headline and say what he really thinks. No surprises then, when he provoked a small storm last week after shooting from the hip in his weekly newsletter, telling young people to harden up and cut their expenses if they wanted to get on the property…

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Man contemplating his furniture
Unjunk your life, save money, and save your sanity

About 10 years ago, Pead PR owner Deborah Pead sent me an invitation to a media lunch. This is exciting partly because it’s Deborah Pead inviting you to lunch, but it’s memorable to me because the invitation came tucked inside a beautiful box with a single, stunning silver fork. This fork, I still have it. I hate accumulating possessions, so I don’t actually own many utensils at all – just enough for one or two friends to come to mine…

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Bill past due
How to deal with debt collectors – including your rights and privacy

There’s nothing like owning a ferocious guard dog for dealing with debt collectors. Chomp, chomp, chomp. There goes the arm of that dastardly fella. No, no, no. Stop there. Kiwis consider debt collectors to be a lower form of life. Regardless, setting the dog on them isn’t going to solve your problems – it’ll just make them worse. Debt collectors don’t even taste that nice. We know it’s common behaviour to stick your head in the sand when you can’t…

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A block of modern apartments
My apartment, my castle. Is an apartment a smart way to get your foot on the property ladder?

Is an apartment your way to get a foot on the property ladder? We’ve been talking to author Maria Slade about her new book on the New Zealand property market, Buyer Beware, A New Zealand Home Buyer’s Guide. It was an interview with John Key about the housing crisis that got Maria Slade started on a book about our boiling property market. Our then-PM was saying young people should move into apartments if they couldn’t afford a standalone home as our parents…

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Do you know your partners credit score
Do you know your partner’s credit score? Our research shows that 18% of people have money or finances their partner doesn’t know about

Our research shows that 18% of people have money or finances their partner doesn’t know about. I know two couples who are total opposites when it comes to how they manage their joint finances. One couple – first names James and Jenny, surnames omitted to protect the innocent – pools their finances in full and takes a generous approach, with one exception: they each have a ‘fun account’, into which an equal sum of money is fed each month, and the…

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Young, single, and on a budget? Skip the mistakes that others make

You’re young, single and on a budget. It’s hard being a ‘yadult’ sometimes. But life’s a lot more fun if you’re not stressing about the power being cut off. Take some tips from others’ mistakes and skip the ‘shoulda known better’ stage of your financial future. Here’s how: Have a spending plan. That’s a budget, but if you think of it as spending plan it doesn’t feel like a torture device. The idea is that you get a pen and…

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When is the right time to buy a house? Is there a magical time to act? Are we asking too many questions?

What with Auckland houses selling for more than 10 times the average income and interest rates about to rise and who knows – maybe a crash ahead? – we thought we should ask: Is this this a good time to be getting into the property market? Do you grab the moment while you can? Do you wait for things to settle down? What’s the magic moment to act? Actually, there is no right time, says Maria Slade, who’s just written…

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Lady in square holding shopping bags
Are you a victim of lifestyle inflation? Our 10 (very honest) principles will help you beat the disease

Once upon a time I used to head to the nearest bakery or fruit shop for cheap lunch. A 50c bread roll or banana was sustenance enough to keep me going until I got home to have a decent balanced meal. Bit by bit over the years my bun and fruit habit evolved into buying $10 packs of sushi when I’m caught short without a packed lunch. Why? Because like virtually every person alive I can fall into ‘lifestyle inflation’.…

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It’s in the stars: Credit Simple’s financial horoscopes (February)

Aries That pain in your shoulder? It’s just your body’s way of telling you that carrying your savings around as coins so the CIA can’t hack your bank account details isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had. Instead, the stars suggest you consider a cheque or savings account with a major bank plus a low interest credit card with low or no annual card fees. Lucky number: anything under 10%. Taurus Your coffee order says more about you than you…

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