All in PocketSmith

How have YOU improved your financial situation?

How have YOU improved your financial situation?

Ruth
Index Funds, KiwiSaver, Money Education, Retirement, PocketSmith, Sharesies, ETFs, Budgeting

In my last blog post, where I was giving away a bunch of books on personal finance, I gave you two ways to enter. You could either just click enter and get on with your day, or you could take a moment to answer my wide-open question, “Tell me in 100 words or less how you have improved your financial situation”. I honestly thought most people would just enter to win the books without taking the time to write a response. Gosh, was I wrong! My inbox quickly filled up with over 260 fantastic responses, and I’m sharing all of them below. Yep, all of them.

Paying in advance is a far more relaxing way to travel!

Paying in advance is a far more relaxing way to travel!

Ruth
Budgeting, PocketSmith, Saving

I wanted to share the exact costs of a holiday we took in January of this year when we went to Australia and took our first-ever cruise. I went in hugely sceptical of cruising, but I absolutely loved it. We holiday differently from some: Our holiday is fully paid for before we leave. Paying in advance is a far more relaxing way to travel, indeed, the ONLY way to travel, in my opinion.

The Power of an Emergency Fund in a Crisis

The Power of an Emergency Fund in a Crisis

Ruth
Emergency Fund, PocketSmith, Budgeting

As I became aware of the weather event slowly unfolding in the upper North Island and, over the days that followed, the scale and breadth of the carnage it caused, it took me right back to the Canterbury Earthquakes and our experiences of coping with a natural disaster. Since the beginning of The Happy Saver, I’ve talked about Emergency Funds, and I’m not letting up. Although they are fantastic for solving minor money problems, they are even better for giving you strength when the absolute worst happens. An emergency fund comes into its own in a real crisis.

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

Ruth
ETFs, PocketSmith, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares

I’m about to share my 2022 numbers with you. The primary reason is so that you have someone to benchmark against. Because of my blog, I’m lucky that I’m regularly conversing with people interested in discussing personal finances. Those conversations also helped me learn what Jonny and I could improve. Chances are that very few of you have friends and family willing to share their experiences with money to help you learn. Therefore, I’m happy to share ours. Please don’t judge me and my financial position; it’s just information. Use it how you will.

How to Take a Year Off and Not Starve

How to Take a Year Off and Not Starve

Ruth
Investment, Personal Finance, PocketSmith, Retirement, Saving

This week, there is intense talk about Jonny's career in our home. It has been a topic of discussion for some time now, but things are hotting up! I am encouraging him to make 2023 a “work optional” year. This blog post is not just about Jonny, though, I have a close friend contemplating the same thing, and I’ve spoken with many people of various ages and stages of life on my Phone A Friend calls who are considering a grown-up gap year too.

Pan(dem)ic Investing!

Pan(dem)ic Investing!

Ruth
ETFs, PocketSmith, Sharesight, SmartShares

Do you like my dramatic title? Does it make you nervous? Don’t be. This week I was given the ultimate compliment. Someone said, “I like hearing what you have to say, Ruth. You have common sense”. It seems to me that every investment provider is telling me not to panic at the moment. Common sense tells me there is no need to; volatile times come and go, but hearing it so often repeated gives my common-sense approach a run for its money and makes me wonder if I should be concerned?

What is my saving and investing rate?

What is my saving and investing rate?

Ruth
PocketSmith, Saving, Investment

Recently, a question came in via email asking, “how do you calculate your savings rate, please, Ruth?”. I thought it was a question worth elaborating on with a blog post. First up, why even take the time to work out how much you are saving? Put simply, the higher your savings rate, the faster you will have saved up enough money to retire or make going to work entirely optional.

Following Mr. Money Mustache’s Simple Strategy to Financial Freedom

Following Mr. Money Mustache’s Simple Strategy to Financial Freedom

Ruth
Index Funds, ETFs, PocketSmith

Back in January 2012, blogger Pete Adeney, aka Mr. Money Mustache, wrote a blog post that changed my life when I eventually discovered it in about 2016-2017. I don’t think I would not be sitting here today, in our position, had I not stumbled upon it. Then his following article explaining the 4% Rule, which he wrote in May of 2012, set our wheels in motion. And these two powerful blog posts have just turned 10.

What does my home cost to run each week?

What does my home cost to run each week?

Ruth
Mortgage, Insurance, PocketSmith, Saving, Index Funds, ETFs

Today’s blog post is a follow on for all the non-homeowners who told me that they were curious about the expenses I incur for my own home, which you are missing out on by renting. There are a lot more expenses than just paying your mortgage. Knowing what owning a house costs ME might help you plan your future house purchase or make you even happier renting than you already were.

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