Financial Seminars by Mary Holm

See upcoming talks by Mary here

Mary is available to present lively and informative seminars on financial topics for the general public, conference participants, employees, or the clients or potential clients of financial or professional firms. Audiences appreciate her independence – she is not selling any products, services or government messages!

Popular seminar topics include:

  • Making the MO$T of Your Money
  • Preparing for Retirement – for People 50+
  • Getting the Best out of KiwiSaver (can be pitched at different levels)
  • Happiness – is Money the Way to Get There?
  • The 6 Biggest Investment Mistakes
  • Money and Gender – How Men and Women Invest Differently
  • OR a topic of your choice

Contact Mary to discuss or arrange a seminar now.

Watch Mary’s seminar for the Sharesies Share Club in November 2018:

Feedback on seminars (survey results further down)

“Mary was a great hit at the festival! She has such a calm reassuring manner and answers questions with clarity…just what you want when dealing with money. She was also charming and delightful.”
Anna Locker-Lampson, Organizing team, Central Hawke’s Bay Readers and Writers Festival, 2021

“I had many positive remarks and great verbal feedback on the sessions. Many people wanted more information, and all sessions went over time, due to the wealth of questions from the audience. … The audience comments received were that Mary’s answers were practical, helpful and thoughtful.”
Trish Knight, Manager Staff Wellness, Victoria University of Wellington

“We are all still talking about your seminars and I’ve had so much good feedback — it hasn’t stopped! So many said the talks were interesting, informative and entertaining. You’re right, the audience was very engaged — but the way you deliver information is engaging.”
Sarah Marriott, Wellbeing Manager, Weta Digital

“Thank you so much for presenting to our staff. I have had some great feedback from those who attended. They really enjoyed it and found the information very beneficial. I wish I had a talk like this when I was in my 20’s!”
Jane Riddell, Wellbeing Champion, Avanti Finance

“You were superb today. Your wisdom combined with ability to talk to people at differing levels of financial literacy is wonderful.”
Dr Tim Collins, General Manager – Services Provision, Christian Education Trust, Tauranga

“Thanks again for coming along to Share Club. We loved having you, and our audience did too. They left a ton of positive feedback in the feedback form we sent out afterwards. :)”
Kanna Yamasaki, Customer Success Manager, Sharesies

“We received great feedback on the seminars last year and I’m sure there would be interest in another round.”
Adrienne Cleland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations) and Registrar, University of Auckland

“The feedback from people has been fantastic. We look forward to working with you again next year.”
Ruth Smillie, Learning and Development Manager, Skycity, on four employee seminars for MoneyWeek

“Your seminar was so successful we were wondering if you could do one more? Everyone is raving about it.”
Mark Edwards, Human Resources, Contact Energy, which ended up running nine KiwiSaver employee seminars

“Many, many thanks for coming so far yesterday and presenting your valuable information to our girls. Today, I asked the girls to write down what they could remember and I have been pleasantly surprised. They seemed to have hooked into the idea that money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness, so that was an important message not lost on them.”
Vivienne Hicks, Lead Teacher, Taonga Teen Parent Unit, Manurewa, on a discussion on financial basics

“I wanted to again say how much we appreciated your seminars at Air NZ. You were so relaxed/easy to work alongside and I learnt some key points. You can see by yesterday’s evaluations so did the audience. (See survey results below)”
Judith Young, Wellbeing Manager, Air New Zealand, on employee seminars on Upside Downside

“Mary gave us some great guidance to better consider how to plan financially for our retirement.”
Denise Bovaird and David Worth, Convenors of the Focus on Management Special Interest Group, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

“Please know that we are delighted with the feedback that we have received from those present at your workshop – and even from those who were not able to attend, who thought it great that we had asked you to assist us with our KiwiSaver message. Your personal brand is very strong!”
Peter Merry, Executive General Manager Human Resources, Fletcher Building, on an employee seminar on KiwiSaver

“Thank you very much for entertaining and educating our members. The feedback has all been very positive.”
Phillip Bunn, Welfare Coordinator, NZ Airline Pilots Association, on a series of KiwiSaver seminars for members and their partners

“Many thanks for your wonderful seminar. You certainly proved to be a very popular speaker. We are receiving great feedback on the session. I know at least two women in our department went home that night and checked out their KiwiSaver options.”
Dr Candice Harris, Faculty of Business and Law, AUT University, on a seminar for women faculty and administrative employees

“A BIG thank you for your presentation to our membership. The feedback has been excellent! Mary, we not only appreciated the content of your address, but also your professionalism and the note of humour and warmth that you injected into it. We will recommend you to others.”
Dee Dent, Executive Officer, Office Products Suppliers Association, commenting on KiwiSaver seminar

“We have had really good feedback from your presentation today, so many thanks again.”
Sheena Thomas, Z Energy, on a seminar on shares and shareholding

“The seminar was informative and accessible – I have joined KiwiSaver as a result. And it was so good that Scion let us bring our partners. It made decision making so much easier.”
Alyson Howell, Learning and Development Manager, SCION

“I attended your seminar at the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants yesterday evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it :-). Thank you for a well thought out, refreshing presentation.”
Ric Smith, Finsoft Management

“I am a huge fan of your work and have been to a seminar recently in Wellington which was just excellent. I’m pretty sure I was the youngest in the room.”
Andre Heller, industrial designer

“I would like to say how much I enjoyed and appreciated your presentation at my workplace, AgResearch Wallaceville, last year. I found it very informative and lots of fun. It was a privilege. I joined up with KiwiSaver shortly after, in November.”
Maree Joyce, Microbiology technician

“I saw you at the TUANZ conference at Sky City last month and thought you gave a very articulate and informative talk which reinforced what I thought and cleared up some mistruths around KiwiSaver. I know some of my colleagues were also impressed and you helped them to ‘come off the fence’.”
Mark Williams, workforce co-ordinator

“I have to say how much I enjoyed the seminar at the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants. As you said to us at one point, we should all pick up something irrespective of our prior KiwiSaver knowledge. I certainly did and, as I’m in the financial planning industry, I thought I already knew enough to help clients. How wrong I was!”
Financial planner of many years

“Best presenter and seminar I have ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot!)”
Lawyer who attended a “Get Rich Slow” seminar

Survey Results

Survey of participants at two seminars for Air New Zealand employees on the Upside Downside of Money
Below AverageAverageAbove AverageExcellent
031246
Comments included:
  • Excellent reassurance. Talk about scams was interesting.
  • Very down to earth speaker who related very well to the audience.
  • Good basic language.
  • Great and easy to understand.
  • Overall a great presentation, relevant content for all kinds of investors.
  • Great.
  • Brilliant.
Survey of participants at a seminar on KiwiSaver run by the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants (mostly accountants)
 1
(poor)
2345
(excellent)
Presenter's knowledge of subject
--53467
Presenter's presentation style
--73861
How well prepared was the presenter?
--33866
Comments included:
  • Very knowledgeable, had a nice style, easy to listen to.
  • Good knowledge, showed government doesn’t provide all the answers.
  • Very clear.
  • Lively, interesting.
  • Inspirational and easy to listen to.
  • Very charismatic.
  • Great loud voice.
  • Best ever.
Survey of participants at a seminar for clients and potential clients of a financial advisory firm
Of little interestInterestingVery interesting
0820
Comments included:
  • Very clear, easy to follow.
  • Very worthwhile, and interesting questions.
  • Love Mary’s Saturday Herald Q&A
  • Seen our children lose heaps in shares, reluctant to invest in shares, though interested in Mary’s comments. Mary presents well.
  • Excellent insights.
  • Good to have our beliefs reinforced.
  • Great to get regular quality speakers like this!
  • Interesting presentation, very accessible information.
  • Mary is very “down to earth”, concentrates on good, solid, basic advice and is flexible and willing to answer all types of questions.
  • Covered lots in a short time – great.
  • It was good to hear down-to-earth comments, not peppered with financial jargon, which can be confusing for ordinary people who are overwhelmed by the complexities the terms involved.
  • Great speaker. Simple offer. Entertaining.

For further information about seminars, contact Mary Holm.