All tagged US 500 ETF

Everything Broke at Once - Why We’re Financially Hunkering Down

Everything Broke at Once - Why We’re Financially Hunkering Down

Ruth
Budgeting, Emergency Fund, ETFs, Index Funds

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.

I quit my job!

I quit my job!

Ruth
ETFs, Hnry, Investment, KiwiSaver, PocketSmith, SmartShares, Smart Invest, Smart, Budgeting, Net Worth

In a recent blog post, I rebalanced our investment portfolio; this time, I’m rebalancing my life. I resigned from my PAYE job. I’m another step closer to early retirement, and I’m VERY excited about it! I always looked forward to working on Wednesday and Thursday each week, and deciding to leave a job I enjoy, plus giving up $20,000 a year, has been challenging. 

We Invest Using the Share Market, Not Property

We Invest Using the Share Market, Not Property

Ruth
ETF, Index Funds, Investment, KiwiSaver, Sharesies, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares

This week, I wanted to show how our US 500 ETF investment is tracking, especially now that this is our only one. And explain how we will use it to provide income for retirement. I also have a quick update on our KiwiSaver. I mainly wanted to share this because investing in KiwiSaver and an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) provides an alternative to investing in rental property, something we have never wanted to do. This blog explains how Jonny and I invest, that investing this way grows our wealth, and how we see our investments providing us with long-term, easily accessible income.

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Ruth
ETFs, Investment, Sharesight, SmartShares, Simplicity

In August, I made a significant change to our investment mix. I sold all $103,000 of our Smartshares NZ Top 50 ETF (FNZ). This change ties in with all the other tweaks I’ve made over the years, where I have been progressively refining how we invest and setting ourselves up for future growth. Year after year, our mix changed as I learned and understood more, so this recent change is part of this evolution. If I were to use investment speak, I’d say I have ‘rebalanced my portfolio’.