Become Wealth's Blog

Real financial guidance for New Zealanders, from professionals advising on over $1 billion in client funds. Independently ranked a top 50 worldwide finance and investing blog.

The Proven Way to Become Wealthy in NZ (2026)

The Proven Way to Become Wealthy in NZ (2026)

No lotto, no inheritance, no get rich quick scheme. Invest in a diversified way, control your behaviour, and let compounding do the heavy lifting.
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Negative Real Rate of Return on Term Deposits

Negative Real Rate of Return on Term Deposits

After inflation and tax, most NZ term deposits deliver a negative real return. Current data, worked examples, and what to consider instead.
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How to Start Investing in Shares

How to Start Investing in Shares

Seven steps to start investing in shares in NZ, from financial readiness and risk profiles to tax, diversification, and common mistakes.
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Separation and Divorce in NZ: Your Financial Roadmap

Separation and Divorce in NZ: Your Financial Roadmap

A step-by-step financial roadmap for separation and divorce in NZ, from immediate triage to long-term rebuild.
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When to Sell a Share: Know the Right Time to Exit

When to Sell a Share: Know the Right Time to Exit

A disciplined framework for knowing when to hold, when to exit, and how to avoid the traps most investors fall into.
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What Happens to Your KiwiSaver When You Separate?

What Happens to Your KiwiSaver When You Separate?

How KiwiSaver is treated in a NZ divorce or separation, the three settlement options, and rebuilding your retirement savings after you split.
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Why You Shouldn’t Diversify Your Investments

Why You Shouldn’t Diversify Your Investments

Over-diversification dilutes returns. When concentration works, when it doesn’t, and what NZ investors should consider before spreading too thin.
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The Best Investments in a Recession

The Best Investments in a Recession

What to invest in during a recession in NZ. From managed funds and shares to property, bonds, and your career.
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Don't Let Supporting Adult Children Derail Your Retirement

Don't Let Supporting Adult Children Derail Your Retirement

How to support adult children without jeopardising your retirement savings, with practical steps for setting boundaries.
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Why the Rich Get Richer (and What You Can Do About It)

Why the Rich Get Richer (and What You Can Do About It)

The wealthiest 20% of NZ households hold two-thirds of all wealth. What drives the divide, and what you can do to close it.
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How Often Should I Check My Portfolio?

How Often Should I Check My Portfolio?

Why checking your portfolio too often hurts returns, and how to find the right review frequency.
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How to Pass On Wealth and Protect Your Legacy

How to Pass On Wealth and Protect Your Legacy

How NZ families can transfer wealth across generations without the pitfalls most people never see coming.
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How to Retire Early in New Zealand

How to Retire Early in New Zealand

A practical guide to early retirement in NZ. How to fund the bridge years before KiwiSaver and NZ Super kick in, and build a life beyond work.
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Shares vs Property: Which Is the Better Investment in New Zealand?

Shares vs Property: Which Is the Better Investment in New Zealand?

NZ return data, tax rules, costs, and practical advice on shares vs property to help you build the right investment mix.
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How to Kick Your Grown-up Child Out of the Home

How to Kick Your Grown-up Child Out of the Home

Adult children still at home? The financial cost to parents, the NZ Super trap, and practical steps to help them move out without breaking the family.
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What Is Market Timing? Why It Rarely Works for Investors

What Is Market Timing? Why It Rarely Works for Investors

Decades of research confirm market timing costs the average investor dearly. Here’s what the evidence says and what works instead.
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Self-Insurance: When It Makes Sense and When It Doesn’t

Self-Insurance: When It Makes Sense and When It Doesn’t

When does self-insurance work, and when is it a costly gamble? A guide for New Zealanders.
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Do not give your children an allowance

Do not give your children an allowance

Handing kids a weekly allowance may do more harm than good. Here's what the research says and what builds lasting money habits.
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Early Retirement Risks in New Zealand, and How to Avoid Them

Early Retirement Risks in New Zealand, and How to Avoid Them

Retiring early in NZ? The financial, social, and emotional risks, and practical steps to plan around each one.
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Financial Liabilities Explained: What They Are and Why They Matter

Financial Liabilities Explained: What They Are and Why They Matter

What counts as a financial liability, how liabilities affect net worth, and the hidden ones most people overlook.
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Financial Assets Explained: What Counts and Why

Financial Assets Explained: What Counts and Why

What counts as a financial asset, the main types, and why understanding assets is the first step to building wealth.
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Why Small Businesses Fail in New Zealand

Why Small Businesses Fail in New Zealand

About half of NZ businesses don’t survive five years. Here’s what the data says, and what owners can do to beat the odds.
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Liquid vs Illiquid Wealth: Why Net Worth Isn't Enough

Liquid vs Illiquid Wealth: Why Net Worth Isn't Enough

Same net worth, different realities. Why liquidity separates the truly wealthy from the merely asset-rich.
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Listed Property and REITs: A Guide for NZ Investors

Listed Property and REITs: A Guide for NZ Investors

A practical NZ guide to listed property and REITs: how they work, recent performance, and how they fit in your portfolio.
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What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging and How It Works

What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging and How It Works

How DCA works in practice for NZ investors, including KiwiSaver, managed funds, and lump sums. Honest pros, cons, and when to use it.
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Learn to Spend in Retirement Without Guilt

Learn to Spend in Retirement Without Guilt

Retirees often fear spending their nest egg. Learn how to enjoy retirement income without running out.
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Retirement Fears and How To Overcome Them

Retirement Fears and How To Overcome Them

Ten common retirement fears Kiwis face, from running out of money to losing purpose, with practical planning steps for each one.
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Retire on Your Terms with Smart Financial Planning

Retire on Your Terms with Smart Financial Planning

Raising the NZ retirement age to 70 is gaining attention, but relying on it is risky. How to plan for a retirement you control, not one forced on you.
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Can You Trust a Retirement Calculator?

Can You Trust a Retirement Calculator?

Can you trust retirement calculators? Learn what they get right, where they fall short and how to use them wisely for planning.
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Where to Retire in New Zealand

Where to Retire in New Zealand

A practical financial guide to choosing where to retire in New Zealand, covering the trade-offs of staying put, downsizing, relocating, and retirement village costs.
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Is Your Retirement Plan a House of Cards?

Is Your Retirement Plan a House of Cards?

Find out why many traditional retirement plans are broken, and how personalised retirement investment planning can better match your NZ lifestyle.
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Do I Still Need Life Insurance?

Do I Still Need Life Insurance?

When to keep life cover in retirement, when to drop it, and how to decide based on your actual financial position.
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Making Retirement Drawdown Work for You

Making Retirement Drawdown Work for You

Learn how to draw down your retirement savings with purpose, so your money lasts and supports your lifestyle throughout retirement.
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What To Do With Investment Property In Your Retirement

What To Do With Investment Property In Your Retirement

Low net yields, concentration risk and illiquidity can make rental property a poor fit for retirement. Why diversifying often works better.
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How Much Do You Need to Retire in New Zealand?

How Much Do You Need to Retire in New Zealand?

NZ Super, real spending data, the savings gap, and a worked example. What retirement actually costs and how to plan for it.
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NZ Superannuation: How Much You Get, Who Qualifies, and Why It Probably Won't Be Enough

NZ Superannuation: How Much You Get, Who Qualifies, and Why It Probably Won't Be Enough

NZ Super pays up to $28,870/yr. How it works, who qualifies, and why most retirees need more.
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High‑Income Skills That Boost Your Earning Power

High‑Income Skills That Boost Your Earning Power

Nearly 40% of job skills are expected to change by 2030. The highest-paying skills in New Zealand span technology, trades, and business.
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How to Save Money on Petrol and Fuel Costs

How to Save Money on Petrol and Fuel Costs

Where to buy, how to pay, and the driving habits that make the biggest difference to your fuel costs in NZ.
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How Much Should You Have in an Emergency Fund?

How Much Should You Have in an Emergency Fund?

Four scenarios showing how much to set aside, and why your emergency fund and insurance need to work together.
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How the Rich Spend Their Money (and What They Don’t)

How the Rich Spend Their Money (and What They Don’t)

Data reveals the wealthy save most, spend on time and experiences, and quietly avoid the things most people assume they buy.
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