Money Maverick NZ

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Money Maverick NZ Empowering you with the knowledge and tools to understand your situation and your options, so you can make your own informed choices.

No products, no commissions. Fully funded through many EAP providers. Honest guidance, your best interests at heart.

08/10/2026

I just hit 100 Google reviews, which I'm pretty stoked about because my goal was 100 by the end of the calendar year and there's still almost three months to go. To be fair it's 95 five stars and 5 four stars, so a 5.0 average if you round it... close enough.

But mostly I'm just really grateful. Talking about money with a stranger is a big thing to do, and every one of these people sat down with me and told me what was going on for them, which I don't take lightly. And then they took time out of their day to write about it. So thank you, seriously, to every single one of you.

A lot of them came from people who had never left a Google review for anything in their life. And they wrote paragraphs, really specific stuff about what was going on for them and what changed after we talked, which means a lot to me, it really does.

Money Maverick is somewhere you can sit down and talk about your money with someone who has nothing to sell you, and you don't have to sit through an enormous financial plan either. Most people I see have something short term going on, and they want that sorted so they can get on with their life.

A lot of the people I see come through their work, and I think heaps of people don't realise their EAP covers money stuff at all. So if your workplace has an EAP, it's worth asking whether they offer financial wellbeing sessions, because you might be able to talk to me, or someone like me, without paying anything.

28/09/2026

If your partner shuts down every time money comes up, you're not alone. Most couples I work with have been there at some point.

Start by booking a time. Talk about how it feels for you. Say what you want to come out of it. Go back to how money was handled when you were both kids. Then set the next chat before you get up from the table.

It'll feel awkward the first time. By the third one, it starts to feel normal.

Save this for when you're ready. Or send it to someone who needs it.

27/09/2026

Most people I work with are trying to do everything at once, the money, the fitness, the kids, the side project, the house, and then they wonder why they feel like they're failing at all of it. I think you've got energy for about three things at any given time, and most people never get to pick their three... life picks for them.

So try this. Write down the three things that need your energy in this season, and let yourself off the hook for everything else, just for now. Once one of them turns into routine it drops off the list and you've got room for the next one. One out, one in.

I wrote the whole thing up on the blog, link in bio.

27/09/2026

Meaning changes require intentional, hard actions every day.

We made an offer. Then it turned into a multi-offer situation. Blind auction. No idea what the other side offered. They ...
29/01/2026

We made an offer. Then it turned into a multi-offer situation. Blind auction. No idea what the other side offered. They could have gone fifty thousand dollars less and we would never know.

Before we made the offer, we went to our lawyer and mortgage broker to get the right conditions in place. Finance, builder's report, LIM, and valuation. Ten working days to meet them.

The seller accepted. We were conditional.
Here is what that cost up front.

$713 for a builder's report.
$953 for a valuation.
$310 for a LIM.
$1,850for the lawyer.

Nearly three thousand dollars cash up front, even though we get five thousand back once it settles.

Get your lawyer and mortgage broker sorted before you start making offers. Not after you find the house. Before. When you are in a multi-offer situation, you have got twenty-four to forty-eight hours to decide. If you are scrambling to find help, you are already behind.

These conversations cost you nothing. Not having them can cost you thousands.

Part four next week when we're hopefully unconditional!

We went conditional on a house this week. It took four years longer than we had originally planned.Back in 2021, we had ...
27/01/2026

We went conditional on a house this week. It took four years longer than we had originally planned.

Back in 2021, we had a choice. We could buy at peak prices and lock ourselves into safe jobs to service the debt. Or we could take a risk on self-employment and wait at least three years before we could even qualify for a mortgage.

We chose to wait.

It felt like watching everyone else get ahead while we stood still.

But by the time we made our offer this year, my income alone was larger than both of us combined back in 2021.

Here is the lesson. Stop overestimating what you can do in one year. Stop underestimating what you can do in five.
One year is nothing. Five years can completely change your life.

If you are feeling behind on the property ladder right now, zoom out. What decision could you make today that would not pay off for three years, but would completely change your position in five?

This week I am sharing the full story of how we bought (are buying?) our first home.

Part two drops tomorrow.

16/01/2026

Someone asked: "How did you and your wife make the mental switch to living on one income?"

$32k. $63k. $97k. This year I'm looking to crack six figures for the first time. It's been a fight for three to four years. My wife worked the first two. We've only been on one income for the last two.

As a dad, we often don't know how to help. Society tells us to provide. So when the baby is crying for Mum and we can't figure out why, we turn to what we know. Fixing stuff. Cleaning. Working more.

Communication is hard. You might not talk properly for five days. Then it all blows up. Like a shaken bottle. Had one on Sunday. Not great at the time. But things have been easier since.

I can't control the mess around the house. A mess means the family is having fun. I can only control how I respond to it.

15/01/2026

Two years ago I was drinking, playing video games, and following ice hockey. Classic Canadian.

I don't do any of that anymore.

Not because those things are bad. But because we chose to have three kids under five and build a business. Something had to give.

Life is always hard. But you get to choose your hard. I chose this. And I'd choose it again.

14/01/2026

I'm a financial coach and I don't own a house.

Not because I can't afford one. Renting gave us options a mortgage never could.

In 2021 we were ready to buy. Height of the market. Three week old baby. Everything lined up. But I wanted to start a business. So we lived off our savings instead of using them for a deposit.

First year in business I earned $32k. If we had a mortgage, that would have been a disaster. I would have been handcuffed to a salaried job.

Renting gave us breathing room. You might have options right now that disappear the moment you sign.

13/01/2026

Money is a really good distraction from what you know you need to do.

I used to work 60 to 70 hours a week. A second job. Went back to study. Always too tired to deal with what was really going on.

The debt became the excuse for everything.

Is debt controlling your life in ways you haven't admitted yet?

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