Reaching a net worth of $1,000,000 is no small feat, it takes time, discipline, and a whole lot of intentional decision-making. I’ve been lucky enough to hear from over 220 Kiwis who’ve done just that, and they generously shared how they got there by filling out my Net Worth Millionaire Questionnaire. In this blog post, I used AI to analyse all of the responses, giving me a summary and highlighting the repeated themes across all submissions for each questionnaire question. The result? A fascinating look at how everyday New Zealanders are quietly building wealth. The beauty of becoming a millionaire is that, as you will see, there are many paths that lead to it. So, pick your own path, and enjoy the journey. Whether you’re just getting started or already on your way, I reckon you’ll find a few golden nuggets in what they had to say.

Every June, I check in with our KiwiSaver accounts to make sure we’re on track to receive the annual government contribution. If you put in at least $1,042 by the 30th of June 2025, the government will deposit $521 into your KiwiSaver account; a welcome little bonus for those of us thinking ahead to retirement. But from 1 July 2025, that bonus will be cut in half, dropping to just $260 a year. With the government’s contribution shrinking, yet again, it’s time for me to rethink my strategy. In my recent fortnightly email, I mentioned that I was considering ceasing payments into my KiwiSaver. My friend Wayne questioned that move, so I wanted to explain a bit more about what I’m planning on doing with my KiwiSaver, and what Jonny and I are planning as a couple, especially given we will be retiring in our fifties.

Andrea asked me this question, “Mortgage vs investments... One or the other, or both?”  With two young kids, a $240,000 mortgage, and an eye on the share market, she’s wondering if delaying investing to get rid of the mortgage is the best move, or if she’s missing out on valuable time in the market. As our KiwiSaver balances grow as a nation, plus people become aware of share market investing as a successful way to make money outside of housing, more people question whether putting additional payments towards their mortgage is the ‘right’ thing to do. Would they become wealthier if they reduced their mortgage payments and invested that money instead? The fear of missing out is real.

I receive daily emails from people asking me for resources and information to help them answer their money questions. I frequently share the same handy tools and resources. Today I wanted to share them all in one place. I firmly believe in sending helpful information your way and letting you explore and learn about it yourself because that way, you absorb it better and apply it directly to your situation. I know that when you educate yourself about your finances, instead of outsourcing the task to someone else, whether that be a financial advisor or a spouse, it puts you in charge, or makes you part of a team.

Managing our money is never ‘done’. I am constantly tweaking and adjusting. Whether for the little things like an increase in our weekly rates bill, or preparing for a bigger expense. Our income and costs are constantly in flux, and we need to keep monitoring and evolving with those changes. The time has come to tweak our investments. Which is why, once I was up and running with our new KiwiSaver provider, I turned my attention to our US 500 ETF and began researching whether we should also slightly adjust our direction with this investment.

There’s been a bit of drama this month—our household needs to reduce its spending. We’ve got a few things going on, and I think we’d be foolish not to mind our dollars right now. As of April 2025, with storm clouds brewing, we’re financially hunkering down. Before you start to think that The Happy Saver has gone into a tailspin because the share market is particularly volatile at the moment, well, that’s not our problem at all. We haven’t reduced the amount we invest each month. While the cost of everything else is rising, at least shares are on sale right now! You’ve got to find the positives.