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Credit Simple

Tinker with your mortgage and you could save enough for a holiday to Fiji. Don’t believe us? Read this

Banks rely on us being lazy. In fact they make millions out of Kiwis who through inertia fail to shop around for a better deal. Customer loyalty doesn’t always pay. Shopping around on your mortgage can really pay off. Imagine telling your friends that you paid for a flash foreign holiday to Fiji just by remortgaging? It happens. Sure, you got the best rate when you first took your mortgage out. But is it still the best rate? Get a…

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Got a Christmas debt hangover? We’ve got five tips to sober up your bank balance

The post-Christmas season can be a tough one, and our data shows Kiwis are more likely to let their credit bills languish unpaid at this time of the year compared to any other. If you’re anything like the average New Zealander, you’re probably feeling the effects of spending up large in the lead-up to the festive season and in the wake of Boxing Day sales. Usually around 6.4% of credit card accounts go past due without being paid, but in the January…

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Does your rental property make you money or just look pretty?

Rental properties are a licence to make money, aren’t they? All you need to do is buy, and watch the price go up, up, and up. The answer to that is yes and no. Property investors don’t all become squillionaires overnight. It’s not a licence to make money. And long-term investors say capital gain is by no means the number one number they consider when buying. Sadly the world is littered with failed residential property investors who thought it would…

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Regrets, I have a few – mostly related to my holiday spending

Do you find yourself wallowing in post-holiday financial regret each January? Wonder how you managed to spend so much money yet have so little to show for it? Maybe you’ve gone so far as to regret buying gifts for family members you don’t even like. Excellent! Me too. Let’s fix it. Fear not, I’m not going to tell you to just set a budget in 11 months and stick to it. I know that’s not how the festive season works.…

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So many credit card rewards, so little time to choose (we’ll help you with that)

Are you good at asking yourself tough questions? Try this one: are you prepared to pay your credit card bill in full and on time every single month? If you can’t (or won’t) do that, then a rewards card really isn’t worth it. And you know what? Most people don’t keep to the straight and narrow. What proportion of people don’t pay their card in full each month, would you say? Care to take a guess? How about 30%? Or…

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Beat your brain
Beat your brain (and better your bank balance) by understanding how your mind works

Is everything you do with your money logical? Don’t fool yourself. Human brains were designed for fight or flight. There’s emerging research showing that even the smartest humans make stupid financial mistakes thanks to our prehistoric brains. Neuro-economists have found longs lists of “cognitive biases” behind why our financial decisions are so flawed. They’ve found that both amateur and professional investors alike are tripped up by inadequate evolution. So when you next fall into the needs versus wants trap, borrow…

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

Aries New Year, new you, right Aries? Well, sort of. This is New Zealand, so the best thing you could possibly to do support our grass-based economy is to start 2017 with a new ewe. Depending on where you live, Trade Me has them for under $100 and unlike a puppy, when you get bored with it you can just eat it. Taurus If 2016 has gotten you down, Taurus, well you’re not alone. Trump! Brexit! Toblerone increasing the size…

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In the market for a credit card? Check out our credit card matrix before you decide

What’s the best credit card for you? Chances are it’s not the one (or ones) in your wallet. We Kiwis are terrible at trying to justify our credit card choices. We come up with all sorts of ‘facts’ to confirm our poor decision. If you have an open mind, however, and navigate the complex matrix that is credit card choice, you are the one who will reap the rewards. When it comes to the matrix of credit card choice, the…

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Man behind trolley in supermarket
600,000 Kiwis are taking advantage of this money hack – are you one of them?

Recently I heard a story about a turkey who fills up his car with $40 worth of petrol, hangs up the pump, pays for it inside, then immediately fills up with another $40 and goes back in and pays for that too. He reckons he’s getting a better deal by hacking the AA Smartfuel system. There was much eye rolling and sighing at this seemingly silly caper. But it turns out this turkey is one of 600,000 Kiwis (not turkeys)…

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Homebrand can save you
How much Pams is in your pantry? Homebrand can save you heaps

When I was young, we saw home brands such as Pams and No Frills as the killjoy of the supermarket. Lurking on the shelves, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the trolley and ruin your meal, if not your day. Pams – yucky! No Frills – disgusting! “Muuuu-uuuum! Why would you do this to us?!” My aversion to home brands started with a bad can of baked beans (it tasted like liquid detergent), and that’s a tough thing to…

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