I found this image today here and I thought some of the community might find it interesting.

It shows the real return on investment in the s&p 500 based on what year you invested and how long you held. It basically converges on about 4% (not the 6% or 7% which seems to be bandied around).

I really liked the chart submitted earlier showing long-term returns based on when you began and when you withdrew - https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceNZ/comments/1x689ic/chart_showing_returns_when_you_invested_vs_when/ .

In the comments I saw someone vibe coded the 'rest' of it - i.e. to get it up to date with today. I decided to do something similar, reproducing the original but with NZ house prices.

Hi everyone,

I am a 17-year-old (nearly 18, and I am looking for some advice for my portfolio. I have been investing since I was 15; however, I feel I may have outgrown my current setup.)

I used to consistently put $200 a month into the global auto-invest, but have been unable to recently. I do have some extra cash I am willing to put in over the next couple of months (not 100% sure how much, maybe $1000), so I wanted to hear any advice about what I should do to continue growing my portfolio.

Should I consider investing in other managed funds, or branch out into individual companies ect?

Just wanting to feel what most people are saying on moving to a more high-pace, max velocity culture company with significantly more money VS staying at a slow-pace work life balance but steady income.

I've been approached by their team lead and given a salary band and based on what he saw my experience would be 40-60% (180-220k) more than my current income (130k) which would be massive jump.

The interview pack that they gave me seemed to suggest "high-velocity", "work hard", "do whatever it takes" culture. I do see the potential of growing my career there but given that culture, I'm expecting high-pace, stressed, high pressure environment. Probably not exaggerating saying that 40% jump comes with 50-60 hours/week workload.

Interview process seemed to be overly exhausting and complicated. Mentioned 4-stage interview including interview with executive at the last stage.

The dilemma is that my current workplace is a sweet gig. Low pressure, close to commute with highly flexible with great team. Can see the business growing further with current climate, however, have been in the company for 14 years.
The downside is that the income barely move and generally get around 5k increase every year.

Situation is early 40s, still early/mid in my career but with young family of school aged kids and aging parents overseas and sandwich generation. Given the situation, we feel like flexibility matter the most, however the additional income would be a great addition as would alleviate so many issues.

Gut feel is this could be the wrong move, however understand that this may be what I needed to grow professionally.

What are your thoughts? Thanks

EDIT: adding figure to give more context

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand how the Labour Party’s proposed 28% Capital Gains Tax (slated for July 2027 if they win) would actually work for a normal "home and income" situation. I’ve been reading through the policy details, but tax rules for mixed-use properties get confusing quickly, so I’d love to know if I'm understanding this right.

To keep the math simple, I’ll use some round, hypothetical numbers to explain my plan:

Context: Let’s say I bought a property right at the COVID peak for $1,200,000, but with a 30% market drop, it's currently valued lower (around $840,000).

Extention Plan: For simplicity purpose, let's assume I do a home extension down the track (costing say, $300,000) to build a small flat attached to the house. It will likely be finished after the July 2027 rollout date.

- The new flat will take up about 25% of the total property area. It won't have separate council utility meters, and the plan is just to get long-term flatmates or boarders to help cover expenses. We live in the other 75% as their main home.

- We also want to save up for solar panels and a battery setup (say, $25,000) to keep power bills down for everyone.

From what I can gather, here is how the CGT would handle this if they ever sold the property years from now:

1. The Peak-COVID Rule: Because the original purchase price ($1.2M) was higher than the July 2027 market value ($840k), the tax baseline automatically locks in at the higher $1,200,000 mark so the owner isn't penalized for buying at the absolute peak.

2. Adding Renovations: Even though the extension and solar happen after 2027, the cash spent on them ($300k + $25k) counts as capital improvements. This gets added to the baseline, pushing the total tax-free threshold to $1,525,000.

3. The Pro-Rata Split: The 75% main home part stays completely tax-free. The 28% CGT only applies to the 25% rental portion of the profit made above that $1,525,000 milestone. So if the house eventually sells for $1,700,000, the overall difference above the baseline is $175,000. The tax would only apply to 25% of that difference ($43,750), making the final tax bill around $12,250.

4. Day-to-Day Taxes: Because we are doing long-term flatmates with a single meter, can just claim 25% of the shared power/rates bills against the rent?

Does this logic sound right to those who have been following the policy closely? Am I missing any hidden traps or missing details about how pro-rata splits work when a renovation happens after the tax comes into effect?

We may rent the space on and off basis. May be one year we may give space on rent but next year we may not. How would it work?

Really appreciate any guidance or corrections if I've misread the policy!

My fiancee and I are currently earning $215,000 a year (before tax, roughly even split).

We are planning to have three kids. We want to be able to afford decent holidays, nothing amazing but a couple of NZ holidays each year, and the odd trip to Aus or the islands every second year.

What do you think would be a reasonable size mortgage to take on to achieve this lifestyle, assuming we have more than a 20 percent deposit.

I’m keen to hear from others with similar income and kids.

100% debt free as of today! Credit card shut down and... *breath* NZD$10,000 paid off; debt pay-off journey started on June 2026.

I'm very happy I've achieved this milestone, and now I can start some serious saving and investing.

Kia ora y'all,

So I'm looking at buying a home cheap for 250k from someone I know and trust with a 5% deposit. The home is valued by the council at 355k. Would that mean if I got it properly valued and it was worth that I would have ~100k odd equity in the home that I can then utilize, for example for a Reno loan or to get out of the low deposit higher interest rates? Like would that for example bring my 5% stake in the home up to 167.5k/47% of the home if it did get valued at 355k?

Would I be able to refinance my mortgage utilizing that extra equity to alleviate the low equity margins and reno the place?

Apologies if that sounds dumb new to this.

One larger safe DCA and a smaller one hitting higher growth stocks. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone! I should have said I have no intention of spending the full 500k. I'll keep a vague eye out for something closer to 400 and keep saving for now.

And can I actually afford to buy my own place and still live?

I'm single in my late 30's, and earn 75k a year (before tax).

I have 100k saved up, including kiwisaver.

I don't have any debt, and no kids.

Looking to buy a small place in Christchurch.

A mortgage broker has gotten me pre-approved for 500k, based on needing to get a housemate to pay $250 a week. Looking at what is in my price range i'll be in the cheaper areas, which is not a problem for me, but can I realistically expect to ask $250 rent plus bills on top for Linwood?

My rent with bills included is $200 where I currently live, and i'm starting to wonder if I'd be better to stay put and keep saving. With the way the cost of living is going i'm worried i'll never be able to afford to leave the house again if I buy a place.

Kia ora,

I have a sizeable deposit already, so I do not need to dip into my kiwsaver to purchase a home. Im weighing up whether to top up the initial deposit a bit more, or keep that money invested, as generally speaking, it seems like ill get higher returns in most index funds or kiwisaver high growth funds compared to paying down the mortgage.

But, ive got some cash to spare. I could bump up the deposit by say, 20-30k, and still have an emergency fund leftover, and some cash in investments. Im just not sure if I should make my life easier in terms of mortgage repayments... or .... squirrel it all away for future gains via compounding interest.

Please help!

EDIT - i have compared rate of return for both, but this time including after tax returns on kiwisaver / index funds... it seems like, post tax, that brings the returns down to somewhere around 8% depending on the fund. Not that much higher than the interest rate on a mortgage. thoughts?

I wish I didn't appear so dumb but I have a full xro subscription, and an accountant. I also have a rental property under a business. I'm clueless and very time poor when it comes to managing the finances.

can anyone share what tips and tricks you have used in xero (or tools outside of xero) to make things easier?

things like this are what I'm struggling with

- pdf invoices from my property management company that has their fee, the income from rent on there that needs to be split out into different categories (I honestly don't even know what at this point lol)

- this might include maintenance charges fixing a roof or lock or whatever

- these vary often

- pdf invoices from contractors for work done

- pdf invoices for a new fridge or whatever

- again, pdfs for rates invoices I need to match up to direct debits

are folks automating this classification of transactions? does xero do it somehow automatically?

I feel like everything is a PDF which makes processing any of this super clunky.

I googled for a training course but haven't found anything that seems relevant yet

hello :) i am a 23 year old using sharesies for kiwisaver. i heard that kernel is better for fees but my portfolio is doing pretty well. what u stick to sharesies or move to kernel?

Hi everyone. Aucklander here born, bred and lived here my entire life. I’m contemplating whether or not to pursue moving to Sydney aka. The great pilgrimage of 90% of young kiwis even tho I’m in my late 20’s now.

Keen for some outside perspective from people who've made (or decided against) this move, as it has sat in my mind for a few years now (maybe like 10 years because all my mates have left NZ)

My situation: - Late 20s, DINKs, own my home in Auckland - HHI of around $300k (I’m on about $130k + 20k bonus and my partner is on $140k + 10k after added overtime/ weekend work) - planning to start a family in about 3 years with my parents and siblings both in Auckland

If we stay in NZ: - we’re on track to pay down about $150k off the mortgage by the time we plan to have kids (give or take 2-3 years from now) which would make it serviceable on my income alone and give my partner some breathing room to take at least a year off from work - we also travel 1x internationally even whilst being able to top the mortgage up each year - I'm up for a promotion as soon as next year: +$20k onto my base and eligibility for a bonus of around $80k - My family lives close by, so we'd have support once kids come along - I already travel to Sydney 1–2 times a year for work - most of our friends have moved to Sydney with about 2 friends left in Auckland vs about 20 in Sydney. So our social life in Auckland is unfulfilling

If we move to Sydney: - I'd likely move to just the same role I’m in now and forego my career advancement for another few years - Package would be about $120k AUD base + $40k AUD bonus (less guaranteed). On paper that's a bit more than I'm on now, but less than the promoted role here, and I can appreciate Sydney costs are higher - I'd probably lose the mortgage paydown plan (we want to keep our NZ home while we move there) - No family support nearby when we have kids, so we'd be leaning on paid childcare a lot more. From what I can find, Sydney daycare runs roughly $140–220 AUD a day before subsidy, but I'm not sure what people actually end up paying out of pocket. Any Kiwis with kids in Sydney able to share real numbers?

The main reason I'm considering it is that pretty much all my friends are in Sydney now and for myself, I’d like to move to a different place with a breath of fresh air.

Do I just continue to suppress my long term yearn for moving to Sydney?

I currently use a spreadsheet and categorise all my transactions each month. It works fine for tracking spending, but I'm looking for something that goes further and identifies where I could potentially cut costs to reach financial goals faster (house deposit, holiday, emergency fund etc).

Most apps seem to just show where money was spent rather than what changes would make the biggest difference.

Has anyone come across an app that does this well?

Probably a million posts like this on here, but I've just been offered a job in Australia out of nowhere, and I've accepted it.

I have 4 weeks before I leave NZ to sort out my life. What do I need to get set up for, financially speaking only?

Shares: All mine are in Sharesies. Are they easy to convert?

KiwiSaver: Which providers should I look into? It's also in Sharesies. Does Aus Sharesies have a super fund?

Bank: Is it easy to set up an Aussie account from NZ? Will ANZ let me open one?

Tax number: How long does it take to get a TFN?
Is there anything else I should know?

Any help is much appreciated.

Hi ya'll, I currently have 100% allocation in Kernel high growth kiwi saver fund. I have another 20 years before needing it. I am not sure whether to keep it at high growth or customise like other people to S&P 500/ World ex-US/ emerging market split. I am quite scared as I've always gone with the pre-made kiwi saver fund but the 20% home bias is making me think twice in staying with high growth. I am worried I screw up my own fund. Any thoughts? Should I stay with high growth or switch and customise? thanks

Hi there, trying to see what other people would do in my situation. I have done a sorted budget and listed basically everything I could think of (transport and gifting is also taken care of outside of the budget, just couldn't fit into the picture if I added those categories). I am not sure on exact prices for everything so was just an estimation of things if I did end up buying a home. Also set 8% interest rate in the budget to see it when it is strained, along with the $50/week emergency fund as a safety net. Also live in blenheim and apparently there is going to be water rates added so who knows how that will change things.

Savings: $95k / kiwisaver: $10k
income: $1050 / fortnight (this budget would be getting another person renting a room for $250/week - so $1550)

Outside of this budget, whether I rent or buy, I will basically never spend money, and any money would just be going to savings.

Do you think it would be realistic to try for a home like this / a good decision to do so? or just rent for now and invest the money instead?

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice, currently 23 studying and starting my full time post graduation job next year. I invest $200 a week into Sharesies with 90% allocated to Etfs (Smartshares US 500, Europe and Asia Pacific) and 10% in Individual stocks with 14k in my portfolio. I have 2k in my cheque account, 10 k in KiwiSaver and around 10 k in emergency funds and around 20k just sitting in my savings account.

I’ve been looking at moving from Sharesies because of the fees as once I start my full time job I’ll be aggressive with investing while I’m living rent free at home. Looking at Kernel as this is what most people have been recommending in this thread.

I also don’t know what I should do with my the remaining 20k. I’ve been just consistent with $200 a week in Sharesies instead. How should allocate my money at the moment and things to consider once I start earning more?

Hope this topic is acceptable in this forum.

I'm thinking about leaving my job. I will have to give 30 days' notice.

I still have about a week of accrued holiday left.

How is this usually done? Or rather, what are the possible outcomes here?

1. They will want me to work the 30-day notice period and will pay me for my accrued holiday (and won't let me take those days off).
2. They don't want to see me anymore and will pay me for the 30 days, but won't pay extra for the accrued holidays because they claim that the holidays are part of the 30 days they have given me off.
3. They make me work for 3 weeks and then make me take the last week off as paid holiday.

I don't know what to expect. Is this somehow regulated, or is it totally up to the employer to set or for us to negotiate?

Thank you for any insights.

My partner and I are hoping to buy our first home in Christchurch sometime in the next year or so, and I’m curious to hear what other people in a similar position would consider a realistic weekly mortgage payment.

Between us, we have a deposit of around $180k and a combined income of approximately $180k before tax. We both have student loans, which I imagine will affect our borrowing capacity a little. We’re looking at buying somewhere in Christchurch, ideally with a bit of outdoor space and close enough to the city that we can still walk or cycle to things as we share a car between us (fully owned).

For anyone who’s bought recently, what sort of mortgage repayments would you consider reasonably comfortable on that income, rather than just what the bank is willing to lend us? I’m interested in what people would aim for weekly, particularly once you factor in rates, insurance, maintenance and all the other costs of owning a house. Also, apologies if this part is better for a property subreddit but what is insurance like in Chch given earthquakes and everything?

Any financial advice for buying?

Bank offered the below rates for mortgage refix. Are the below competitive?

6m 4.79%
1yr 4.99%
2yr 5.35%
3yr 5.59%

https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/cdn/shop/files/9._TCF_-_Monthly_Snapshot_-_September_2026.pdf?v=10056767202936619218

🙄👀

Started working recently, and have roughly 2k in my normal Kiwibank chequing account, am I supposed to put it in a savings account instead?

I have some questions:

If I put it in savings account, can I still access the money instantly?
Should I invest the money in stocks, but can I withdraw it from stocks immediately too?

Thank you for helping a new person understand

Can someone please explain it all to me and how I should go about it. I’m 20years old with two babies and we need a car and my only option is finance from a dealership I think. Please any advice would be helpful I’m trying not to stress out about this but it is quite stressful and intimidating to think about.