Not a week goes buy where I don’t hear of the difficulties associated with buying digital assets like Bitcoin, from regulated institutions – all in the name of safety, they gate keep, ticket clip, dilute, surveil, ration, throttle, censor, inflate, tax, sequester, audit, and potentially even confiscate wealth that belongs to the people. The last
The US government’s officially reported debt stands at about $37 trillion, but legendary investor Rick Rule boldly asserts the real figure, including all off-balance sheet liabilities, is closer to $150 trillion. This captures not just the national debt, but also the net present value of unfunded obligations like Social Security, Medicare, and various pensions. Yes,
In my 22 years as a financial adviser, I’ve noticed something about the rhythm of life, business, and even investing: we all move through cycles. Roughly seven years at a time. Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher and social reformer who developed the idea of seven-year cycles as fundamental stages of human development, each marked
The Official Cash Rate (OCR), which influences the floating mortgage rate, and short term fixed-rates, dropped last week. Everyone has a view around what SHOULD happen, but no one's talking about what WILL happen. Most economists predict the Reserve Bank will deliver perhaps one more 0.25% cut, with Kiwibank being the outlier forecasting a 2.0%
Last week, a seemingly routine visit to my local dentist, Dr Hau, after chipping a tooth, turned out to be unexpectedly insightful. He recognised me from my podcast, and our conversation shifted from dental repairs to the idea of using a gold filling for my tooth. As the gloved fingers of the dental assistant gently
Spoiler alert: The best, short-term investments are actually savings strategies: a simple savings accounts for money needed soon, term deposits for medium-range goals, and offset or revolving credit mortgages for homeowners. Each option protects your money, while optimising the returns for the timeframes you have to work within. Does Timeframe Really Matter? Every dollar held
It’s a question that every DIY investor must confront at some stage. Fresh research from the Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission shows more than half of New Zealanders feel uncomfortable heading into retirement. Most regret not having planned sooner. Many discover, and this is true with people I talk with also, that managing an
[Originally published in the Herald - August 2025] Is Your Investment Strategy 'Age Appropriate'? The younger we start, the faster a little bit of money can grow. To take a little and make it greater, we need to understand the double-edged sword of ‘risk’. ‘Riskier’ investments or strategies can give you the edge, to avoid
When The Bell Rings, A Meal's Not Far Off. Call it good timing, luck, or good fortune, but I was able to understand and exploit how property must increase in price, relatively early on. When I could, I took advantage of what could be called a bug, or a feature, of a broken system. For
Wealth-Building in an Age of Feedback Loops. Among all the insanity of the world, we’re also on the edge of an exponential age of wealth fueled by the explosive growth in how fast information moves. Fortunes can rise or fall on the back of a monkey-jpg, a narrative, or a viral shift in perception. As
