Spending that makes you happy
Research tends to find the following spending brings the most happiness:
– Getting rid of money worries — paying off debt, getting insurance etc
– Experiences — events, travel ….
– Changes that give you more time — hiring others to do tasks etc
– Beautiful things — art, plants etc
– Spending on others — charity, shouting a friend, gifts
Q&As:
– How solo mother can survive mortgage rate rise
– Check out all of a bank’s offerings
– Okay to raise your risk in falling market — and it’s not falling anyway
– KiwiSaver fund not doing as badly as reader thinks
– Help offered from a robot…
– … But it’s too late!
Listeners tell us who they think needs financial help
Entries into our Christmas book giveaway on who you would give my two latest books to, and why
– Themes running through the entries, examples and comments
– The winners
Q&As:
– Off the boat and on to a degree at 50
– Best place for 11-year-old’s inheritance
– Term deposits or cash funds for money to spend soon?
– Reader caught out by falling markets
Plus:
– Winners of Gift Book Giveaway
Q&As:
– Small savings safe in KiwiSaver — as long as …
– How to withdraw retirement savings set up in three tiers
– An example for a fairly risk-averse retiree
– What to use instead of a cheque in the Christmas card
– No, I haven’t been ripped off!
Plus:
– Enter the giveaway of my books for Christmas
Q&As:
– Tips for student soon to start university — including “have fun!”
– Should granddaughter stop KiwiSaver while on leave?
– Banks “cavalier to consumers”
– Will you lose money permanently higher-risk KiwiSaver funds?
– Why moving funds is like moving houses
Q&As:
– How to invest while living a gypsy life — for saving for anything else
– Oops! Growth funds don’t work for short-term saving
– When your money really is goneburger
– How to pick which share platform to use
– Why 4 “good” shares are not performing well
– Worries over whisky
Q&As:
– A classic too-good-to-be-true offer
– KiwiSaver government contributions to some over 65s? No — let’s make it beneficiaries
– Mortgage paydown probably better than buying shares
– Let’s get this widow mortgage-free before retirement
– Reader unhappy with te reo in last week’s column
Animal investors — what we can learn from them
These creatures have been picking investments, and mostly doing well:
– Orlando the cat
– Adam Monk the Brazilian monkey
– Lusha the chimpanzee
– A small herd of cows
– Mr Goxx the hamster
How do they do well?
What’s happening here?
Cutting back your spending
Some more unusual ideas on ways to spend less:
– Wait for a week
– Stay away from shops
– Separate bank accounts
– Ideas from FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)
– Wear the same clothes repeatedly
– Fish and chip dinner parties
– Many other great ideas from listeners