Author page: moneymadmin

Following on from the "we're having a baby" conversation is the realisation that means we, (or I) are going to be a grandparent!!! There are potentially as many thoughts racing round in your head as the one who is going to have the baby, and depending on whether it's your first or tenth, those thoughts…

We're having a baby! For some families, this has the ring of joy and excitement to it. For others, it might not. The stress of not only caring for a baby but also the financial aspect of it can be overwhelming and daunting. When you start thinking about having a baby, money is probably not the…

I love it when a client asks me something that really makes me think, I had one of those questions last week and it's been sitting with me ever since. Joanne (not her real name) wanted to know how to talk to her parents about their spending. How do you even start that conversation with…

It seems that mum and I have become part of a trend.  Intergenerational living.  We didn't know that was what we were doing, we just wanted to live closer to each other. So that's what we did. A year after my dad died, mum and I had pooled our resources and were on the move to…

I love a girls' weekend away. It's amazing what a change of scenery can do for our health and wellbeing. Something magical happens when a group of girlfriends get together. Maybe it's because we have more time, and not so much on the to-do list, but a conversation that starts somewhere ordinary can somehow end…

One of the questions I like to ask clients in my financial mentoring work is, "What would be enough?" I'm interested in their answer as it's also a question I often ask myself, and I seem to give myself a different answer depending on what else is going on in my life. Not enough to survive.…

Have you ever bought something and later wondered, "What on earth was I thinking?" As an accountant in Motueka, I like to think I've got a handle on sensible money decisions, but this is very top of mind for me right now, as I have just purchased a GPS tracker for Jett, and I'm now trying…

Most people think paying off debt is all about the numbers, interest rates, balances, and spreadsheets. Coming from a background as an accountant in Motueka, that was certainly what I believed and told my clients (and myself) as well. Pay off the high interest debt first, was my mantra. And yes, that stuff matters. It…

We previously explored how growing up in scarcity can leave lasting money habits, some of them helpful, others more limiting. This week, I want to look at one of the most common habits I see in my Motueka accounting practice: the deep belief that saving is the key to financial success. Saving is important, of course.…