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
Why Focus and Effort Trump Easy Paths In a world mesmorised with the mirage of effortless wealth or returns without risk, it’s worth pausing to ask: can genuine, transformational wealth still come from work hard and focus? With record amounts of cash sitting idle in bank accounts and property markets showing signs of strain, many
Why Does It Feel Like We're Being Watched? If you’re a homeowner, or thinking about getting onto the property ladder, consider this theory: New Zealand is an experiment. The Reserve Bank of NZ hiked interest rates quicker/faster/farther than anyone thought possible, and now our economy is paying the price. It's too much. Yes, it was
Originally published in the Herald 29/06/25, by Darcy Ungaro If Not Property, Then What? Remember when a property was just a home? There was a time when a house wasn’t an “asset” but simply shelter for families. Fast forward, and now property is the investment of choice for most Kiwis, myself included, as a way
We can all do better, if we start investing according to our age. Like teaching your kids about money though, it's easier said than done. 1. Engaging Kids in Investing: Fun vs. Tax Efficiency Let’s be honest: the easiest way to get kids excited about investing is to let them buy a slice of something they
You don't have to be vegetarian to try the salad, and you don't have to be an extremist to listen to extreme views. There’s a certain discomfort that comes from peering over the edge—especially when the abyss you’re staring into is the global financial system. Entertaining “fringe” ideas like a debt collapse, fiat failure, or
Two Ways to Wealth for Everyday Investors A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Las Vegas, not for the slots or the shows, but to hear Michael Saylor—the guy who turned MicroStrategy from a respectable $1.6 billion company in 2020 into a $75 billion Bitcoin juggernaut—talk to over 30,000 fans about wealth. His
