Keep The Change

Most first home buyers are back with low deposits and record-high debt, often borrowing with less than 20% deposit.Luke and Mikey break down the reality: people are stretching themselves thin with low equity loans that cost more in interest. We cover why you need to understand the true cost (not just the mortgage payment), the risks of buying with minimal deposit, and what happens when house prices drop while you're over leveraged.Don't let FOMO drive the biggest financial decision of your life. Understand what you're signing up for first.Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

Today marks 300 episodes of KTC Money Mail. 300 editions ago I was sitting in my one-bedroom apartment during lockdown, getting started. Hitting send on edition one. Today this will go to tens of thousands of people across various platforms. So how to we summarise the 300 editions? Let's try!Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

Amy breaks down why most people feel confused about money... They know what to do but don't do it, they can't articulate what they actually want, and they're stuck thinking "we want to create wealth" without knowing what for. 80% of people know what's good for them but don't follow through. They want passive income but can't explain why. They want to build wealth but haven't defined what success looks like.Money is just the tool. It's the vehicle that gets you from A to B. Nothing more, nothing less.We cover why intention and planning gives you permission to spend, how to map out what your future actually looks like, and why every decision becomes easier when you're clear on your goals. Plus the budget items most people forget: new tires, unexpected repairs, and the stuff that always comes up.Money isn't everything. But having a plan for it means you can focus on what is.Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

These words stood out to me and should for you too. “It’s been a slog, and I've made many mistakes, but I have grown so much I feel like I'm a completely different person’’. That’s the real win. Becoming the version of yourself that you know that you could be! So HOW did they do it?Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

2026 is going to be wild. AI will start eating jobs, currencies might collapse, and New Zealand has an election that could get divisive. The question is: are you ready?Luke and Mikey break down how to dominate 2026: take action now while others wait, build psychotic belief in yourself, and use AI as your unfair advantage instead of fearing it. We cover why the people who prepared in 2024-2025 will get rewarded big time, the AI arbitrage opportunity most people can't see, and why complacent people are screwed.The winners of 2026 will be the independent, critical thinkers who are deliberate in their actions. Everyone else gets left behind.We cover election predictions, why young people might finally get angry enough to demand change, and the importance of helping each other through what's coming. Plus the mindset shifts that separate those who thrive from those who just survive.It's time to get to work on 2026, baby.Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

As we close in on Week 300, I want to share with you an email I received recently and some of the key principles. ‘’For a long time, I let my lack of education and some really destructive self-talk become my narrative. I spiralled into a lot of debt - managed to rack up over $100k worth of the stuff and I have no one to blame but myself. I was spending money recklessly and committing my future wealth on stupid things like motorbikes, overseas trips, and nights out. Nothing useful, I was simply trying to fill the then ever growing hole of not meeting my potential’’. Fast-forward three years and they are now on track to be completely debt-free by August 2026, with a $20,000 emergency fund!Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

2025 was a strange year for investors, but 2026 could be even stranger. Generate's Greg Smith breaks down what every Kiwi needs to know.We cover the investment trends shaping 2026: why diversification matters more than ever, emerging markets and the political chaos that's coming with Trump's new policies. Plus the New Zealand outlook, why our market hit record highs but still disappointed compared to global returns.Greg shares his predictions for interest rates, the Fed chair drama unfolding in the US, and why Kiwisaver changes mean you need to pay attention. We also discuss the baby boomer wealth transfer, why term deposit money is finally moving into investments, and the sectors to watch.Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.Please note: No part of this podcast is intended as financial advice; it is intended as general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider seeking expert advice before making any decisions. The views expressed by individual speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect Generate’s opinions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. To see a copy of Generate's Product Disclosure For more information about Generate's Schemes see their Product Disclosure Statements at http://generatekiwisaver.co.nz/disclosures. The issuer is Generate Investment Management Limited.Find Greg Smith:Email: greg.smith@generatewealth.co.nzAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nz

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Labour recently announced a 28% capital gains tax on rentals, batches and commercial properties. Politicians say it'll make housing affordable, but the data says otherwise.Luke and Mikey break down why this won't work: no country has ever lowered house prices with property taxes, wealthy people will just borrow against assets instead of selling, and the revenue projections are fantasy. To get $965 million in year three, they need $3.4 billion in property gains - in this economy?New Zealand is taxed up to your eyeballs. Everything you touch has a tax, levy, or fee. We cover why Australia's CGT didn't stop their property ponzi, how governments get addicted to property tax revenue, and why this policy is 20-30 years too late. Plus the harsh reality: if you want to disincentivize property investment, you needed this before we financialised housing.Capital gains tax won't save New Zealand. It's just another way to extract money from people who actually build wealth.Find Mikey:https://guardiansmith.co.nz/https://instagram.com/officialmikeysmithAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGenerate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.