All in Retirement
I’m particularly excited about today’s podcast because it is a revisit episode with Bradie and Paul. The elevator pitch for them is that they felt they were drowning in debt just seven short years ago, and now they have just completed their first year of early retirement! Today, I’m really happy to give you an update on a story that keeps getting better over time.
I chatted with Isobel and Sam for almost three hours on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Straight out of the gate, we were into the nuts and bolts of the financial lives of this 56 and 57-year-old deeply-in-love couple who are parents to three adult tamariki. Very handily, Sam had sent me a four page Vision Board, of their financial and life journey. To sum it up I’d say they are creative planners who work as a tight team towards their goal of creating a really strong financial footing by the age of 60.
Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the story behind how Tony and his wife Karen came to create a net worth of $2.8 million and retire aged 49 and 54, respectively. They own one home and have a large retirement fund which they built from always investing a portion of their take-home pay from their 20+ year careers in the New Zealand Police. There are still many unknowns as they try to work out how to structure their money to support them during their long and adventurous retirement.
Zoe emailed me a question, which I answered, but what got me interested was how financially assured this recently retired woman from Christchurch was as she actually begins to live off New Zealand superannuation plus the investments she has built up. The thing was, she only really started to pay attention to her pūtea (money) when she was in her late 50s, proving that it’s never too late to take control of your finances.
This week I’m sharing the story of early retiree Brendan. We’ve met in person many times now, even more so since he moved to Central Otago in late 2021 and I have always found him a relatively quiet and contemplative kind of guy. So I was delighted when he took the time (because let’s face it he has heaps) to share with me just how, at the young age of 39, you manage to have enough money that you never need to work again.
Jen freaked out at 49! She considered herself to be halfway through her life and had big concerns about what the other half might look like. A divorce halved her net worth and becoming a single mother introduced a whole heap of new challenges. She is now fast tracking to an early retirement at the age of 55 and is a wonderful example of showing just what a woman on a mission is capable of!
If you want the good oil on how to invest well, track down a retired English and History teacher! If anyone is going to remember key points and dates about their life it is them.
I had a catch up with two people that I spoke to in the first podcast series and our catch ups did not disappoint. Both of them have in the last six months made some fantastic progress towards their own unique goals.
Rachel and David have reached that nirvana that so many Kiwi’s are striving for. They draw their income from owning, debt free, several residential rental properties. An impossible dream for many but this couple share how they did it.
With no idea about what to do with money Lisa set about teaching herself and now, at the young age of 44 she has reached financial independence and is about to retire!
