Money Made Simple

Welcome to Money Made Simple, a family of NZ-based financial literacy podcasts from Simplicity which keep it simple and get straight to the point. We want ALL Kiwis to have dignity, and a dignified life is one with choices. What can help with more choices? More money. So we're here to make Kiwis richer and smarter with money. MONEY MADE SIMPLE WITH JENNIE AND LIV: Join co-hosts Liv Lewis-Long and Jennie O'Donovan on a fortnightly basis to help you understand the basics around money, finances, investing, KiwiSaver, and planning for a better future. We aim to provide information in a bite-sized, easy-to-listen way that simplifies the jargon. 'Cos who's got time for that! We want you to feel empowered and confident when thinking about money and investing - whether that be via KiwiSaver, investment funds, the share market, property, or your general finances. THE ECONOMY MADE SIMPLE WITH SHAMUBEEL EAQUB: Join Shamubeel Eaqub, Simplicity's

Money Made Simple is a business podcast hosted by Simplicity, with 103 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Simplicity hosts Money Made Simple, a business show with 103 episodes published.

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  Episode #81

  MMS #81 | Shares, managed funds, ETFs - what do they all mean?

  Sep 27, 202619 minS2

  In this episode of Money Made Simple , Jennie and Liv go back to basics on two of the most common ways to invest: buying shares in individual companies, or putting your money into a managed fund. They unpack what you actually own in each case, the pros and trade-offs of both, and the different types of funds you've probably heard about (but maybe thought WTF?), from share funds and diversified funds to ETFs, index funds and active vs passive managed funds. This episode covers: What you actually own when you buy a share, compared with buying into a fund Why a share can be risky, but a managed fund isn't automatically diversified The costs to check beyond the headline fee for different investments Liv's honest look back at her own share picking days Why "managed fund" is an umbrella term, not one type of investment What really separates different types of funds when it comes to risk ETFs explained, with a little help from a poem Why it doesn't have to be one or the other, when it comes to single shares vs. managed funds This episode will give you a clear sense of the difference between choosing a company and buying into a portfolio, and why what's inside an investment matters more than what it's called. ---------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF As promised in the episode, here are a few questions worth thinking about before you choose how to invest: *How much time and interest do I have to research and keep an eye on individual companies? *How would I feel if one company I own dropped 40% in a bad year? How long am I investing for, and could I ride out the ups and downs? *What's actually inside this fund? *Is it broadly diversified or focused on one area? What will it cost me in total, including brokerage, currency, platform and fund fees? *Do I want my values reflected in how my money is invested? *How does this fit with what I already have, like my KiwiSaver? Just an editorial note on ETFs from our Chief Compliance & Risk Officer: Managed funds have what we call a NAV (Net Asset Value) which is how units of the fund are valued; while ETFs will have a NAV for the underlying fund that is being transacted, ETF units trade on-market at prices set by buyers and sellers throughout the day. That market price will generally be close to the NAV, but can trade at a small premium or discount to it. --- Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful! Find us: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

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  Money Made Simple

  MMS #80 | Retirement around the world: Is NZ getting it right?

  Sep 13, 202617 min

  In this episode of Money Made Simple , Jennie and Liv take a trip around the world to see how different countries tackle the very large question of retirement. New Zealand has NZ Super and KiwiSaver, but elsewhere the mix of government support, compulsory saving and personal choice can look quite different. From Australia's compulsory super contributions to Singapore's all-purpose CPF, the Netherlands' three-pillar model and America's 401(k), Jennie and Liv compare who pays, who carries the risk and who might miss out. This episode covers: The important differences between a government pension and a funded retirement savings scheme Where New Zealand's mix of NZ Super and KiwiSaver sits within the global picture Why Australia's Age Pension is means tested, and how it compares to NZ Super What Australia's 12% (in 2026) employer contributions buy, and what they cost you today The Singapore fund that pays for housing, healthcare and retirement How one country has tackled the problem of outliving your savings Why the Netherlands keeps topping the global retirement rankings What America's 401(k) system gets right, and who it leaves behind The retirement ages around the world that might surprise you (and make you want to move abroad!) The important balancing act behind every system: security, flexibility, fairness and cost Resources referred to in this episode: - Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index - annual global ranking of retirement systems: https://www.mercer.com/insights/investments/market-outlook-and-trends/mercer-cfa-global-pension-index/ You won't come away from this episode with a verdict on which country has retirement 'sorted', but a clearer way to think about the questions NZ keeps needing to ask, and eventually answer. Every system is really a set of choices about who contributes, who carries the risk and who might get left behind. * Please note, this episode discusses retirement rules, contribution rates and eligibility settings which can change at any time, and are accurate as at the date of publishing. It does not account for your own circumstances which may differ from what is discussed.* --- Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful! Find us: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

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  Episode #79

  MMS #79 | Reddit's best NZ money tips and tricks from r/PersonalFinanceNZ

  Aug 30, 202617 minS2

  In this episode of Money Made Simple , Jennie and Liv take the show to Reddit, asking the often wise, very debate-happy r/PersonalFinanceNZ community for their very best money tips and tricks. More than 40 people came to the party, and the ones that made the cut are the ones the community upvoted most, so this is a genuinely crowd-sourced list from everyday Kiwis who think hard about their money. Jennie and Liv work through the top ten, from the deceptively simple to the slightly technical. *Please note, these tips and tricks do not constitute financial advice, and are personal opinions collected from Reddit and shared by the Simplicity team.* This episode covers: The one-week pause that stops a want turning into a regrettable purchase, and the savings trick that turns leftovers into investments Why "buy assets, not crap" might be the most useful money slogan we've heard The payday order of operations that makes budgeting boring but effective How compounding works against you on debt, and what to do about it Giving money or investments instead of stuff, and why the kids will come round (eventually) The risk question most people have never honestly understood, or put into practice* Why and how playing it TOO safe carries a risk of its own Dollar cost averaging on the way in, and the part most people miss on the way out How sinking funds work, why they're handy, and why Jennie wants to rename them Offset and revolving credit mortgages, explained in a nutshell The perspective check that showed one Redditor they were $300 a week better off than they thought Liv and Jennie's own additions: the fee question nobody asks, and why you do not need to be an expert to start * Editor's note: there is a subtle difference between risk aversion and loss aversion, although the two are often closely related - often people in higher risk investments are comfortable with risk, until it plays out via a market crash. And this is where loss aversion can kick in, where people switch to more conservative funds upon seeing a drop in their balance. Resources mentioned in this episode: - r/PersonalFinanceNZ - the Reddit community that supplied the tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceNZ/ - A longer explainer on everything mortgages, discussed in MMS episode #9: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YZXRdwRNeQcUjYuHZv0Y8 - Simplicity First Home Loans: https://simplicity.kiwi/first-home-loans - Sorted's Money Month: https://sorted.org.nz/money-month-2026-sorted/ This episode will deliver you ten tips that real people actually use and agree on, plus a nudge to check a couple of super important things most of us either avoid or don't know to consider. And a huge shout out to r/PersonalFinanceNZ, for the collective help! If you hear your own tip in there, please feel free to get in touch (via whatever channel suits you), and we'll be happy to send out some goodies for the privilege. --- Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful! Find us: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

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  Episode #20

  Economy Made Simple #20 | Why do New Zealanders work so hard for so little?

  Aug 25, 202619 minS1

  In this episode of Economy Made Simple , Shamubeel invites Liv over to the green side, to unpack one of the most used and least understood words in New Zealand economics: productivity. Not how hard we work, but what we get back for the effort. New Zealanders work roughly two weeks more a year than Australians, yet our wages and business profits are about a third lower. Shamubeel explains why, and where the real levers sit. This episode covers: What productivity actually measures, and why "we're poor because we're poor" explains nothing Why Kiwis work longer hours than Australians but earn around a third less The three building blocks of any economy, and the bit of magic that separates strong businesses from average ones How geography, institutions, culture and politics shape productivity far more than effort ever will Why NZ's cultural dislike of management is quietly holding businesses back What it costs a country when 40% of the workforce started their job in the past year Where individuals, businesses and govt each sit on the scale of real influence The education, health and immigration settings Shamubeel would change - first How policy chop and change cost a town like Tokoroa more than it ever saved Wellington By the end of this episode you should have a much clearer sense of why productivity is not a measure of effort, and why there is no single fix for it. You'll also understand which levers actually move the productivity scale - at home, at work, and at the ballot box with an election coming. --- Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful! Find us: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

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  Episode #78

  MMS #78 | Dark patterns: the tricks websites use to make you spend more

  Aug 16, 202620 minS2

  Ever felt pressured to hit BUY NOW by a countdown clock, struggled to cancel a subscription, or been told there is “only one left” while shopping online? You may have encountered a dark pattern. In this episode of Money Made Simple, Jennie is joined by Chandni Gupta from the Consumer Policy Research Centre in Australia and John Duffy from Consumer NZ to unpack the design tricks businesses use to steer your purchases online, often pushing you to spend more, stay subscribed longer, or hand over more personal data than you meant to. They explore where marketing ends and manipulation begins, why these tricks work even when you can see them coming, and whether NZ and Australian consumer law is keeping up. From fake urgency and hard-to-cancel subscriptions to drip pricing and personalised prices, Chandni and John explain why dark patterns are so hard to resist, and how to spot and avoid them. This episode covers: What dark patterns are and how they shape your decisions online Where persuasion tips into coercion Countdown clocks, scarcity cues and other urgency tricks Why cancelling subscriptions is often deliberately hard How drip pricing hides the real cost Why businesses want your data, and what they do with it Personalised pricing, and why you and a friend might see different prices for the same thing Why knowing the tricks doesn't make you immune to them What Australia's doing on consumer protection, and where NZ sits Simple ways to dodge unwanted subscription renewals and other traps Resources mentioned in this episode: Consumer NZ – consumer advice, research and a report on dark patterns: Invisible influence: Dark patterns and digital deception in Aotearoa New Zealand Consumer Policy Research Centre – Australian consumer research, including Duped by Design and Let Me Out Office of the Privacy Commissioner – for concerns about how your personal information has been collected or used Commerce Commission – for complaints about potentially misleading or deceptive conduct You'll come away sharper to the subtle ways websites and apps nudge your behaviour, with simple strategies for slowing down and keeping control of your money and data. --- Please help us share the good word (and make Kiwis richer and smarter with money) - the more we grow, the more good we can do %) Don't forget to follow, subscribe and rate the podcast if you found it useful! Find us: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast contains personal opinions and is intended to provide educational information only. It doesn't relate to your particular financial situation or goals and is not financial advice or recommendations. Simplicity New Zealand Limited is the issuer of the Simplicity KiwiSaver scheme and investment funds. For product disclosure statements please visit Simplicity's website simplicity. kiwi.

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