http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.vive.co.nz en-us Sat, 14 Mar 2026 05:30:55 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/146000/budget-2025-the-balancing-act/ The New Zealand Government's 2025 Budget, presented by Finance Minister Nicola Willis on 22 May, emphasises fiscal prudence amid global economic uncertainties. With a reduced operating allowance of NZ$1.3 billion—the lowest in a decade—the budget aims to navigate slowed economic growth and external challenges, such as global trade shocks.This budget lands in a time of economic tightrope-walking—high living costs, subdued GDP growth, and increasing global uncertainty. Touted as a “no-fril... Tue, 27 May 2025 09:49:25 +1200 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post146000 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/145612/the-truth-about-early-autism-and-ocd-diagnosis-in-children/ How This Can Shape Their Financial and Emotional Future – And How Private Health Insurance Can Help Cover It.... Mon, 26 May 2025 17:07:48 +1200 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post145612 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/142185/the-trap-materialism-vs-true-wealth/ In a world where luxury cars, designer labels, and Instagram-worthy lifestyles often define success, financial authenticity has become more important than ever. But what does it mean to be truly financially successful? For first home buyers, property investors, and developers navigating New Zealand’s property market, the answer lies in making decisions that align with long-term wealth-building rather than short-term gratification.... Sat, 22 Feb 2025 23:50:30 +1300 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post142185 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/141530/romance-101/ Happy Valentine’s Day! While celebrating love with some flowers and chocolates is nice - there are fundamental things that need to be managed in our kiwi households - one of them is, recognising the role of financial harmony in maintaining a healthy relationship. Today, in most households, both partners contribute to household income and share financial responsibilities.This partnership benefits everyone in the relationship by reducing financial stress, promoting balanced decision-making, and ... Sat, 08 Feb 2025 15:20:16 +1300 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post141530 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/141517/the-bank-of--our-first-valentines/ Parents are often our first valentine—offering love, support, and guidance throughout our lives. As more young people seek help from the ‘bank of parents’ to secure their first home, the financial impact on their parents is becoming increasingly significant. While this support can ease the burden of homeownership, it’s important to consider the long-term consequences on their retirement savings. It’s crucial to strike a balance between helping the next generation and ensuring financial... Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:27:05 +1300 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post141517 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/141340/2-money-blocks-that-could-get-in-the-way-for-2025/ As we step into 2025, two major financial roadblocks are increasingly making it harder for Kiwis—especially young professionals and growing families—to get ahead: lifestyle creep and weaponised incompetence. These habits can quietly stifle your household income, slow down wealth-building, and add stress to yourself and your financial future. Let’s break down why these are big problems this year and, more importantly, how to overcome them.... Sun, 02 Feb 2025 13:01:13 +1300 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post141340 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/140362/2025-housing-market-predictions-and-outlook/ Happy New Year! We have finally got through two difficult years (2023 and 2024). What does 2025 have in store for us?2024 saw headline CPI (Inflation) decrease down from 7.2% to 2.2%. This allowed RBNZ to decrease OCR with more confidence. OCR dropped from 5.5% to 4.25% and home loan rates saw sub-6% for the first time in two-years.However, reductions in home loan rates from the banks did not heat up the property market as expected. In fact, house prices across the country remained more or less ... Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post140362 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/133516/what-is-an-offset-mortgage/ An ‘offset mortgage’ is a home loan account that gets linked to your savings and everyday transactional accounts. This enables the total balance in your savings and transactional bank accounts to reduce the amount of interest you pay towards your home loan.... Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:02:30 +1200 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post133516 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/132555/ongoing-costs-of-owning-an-investment-property-in-new-zealand/ Property investing has been the 'investment class' of choice in New Zealand for the last three or so decades where many kiwis have gained substantial wealth through capital gains. However, what people don’t talk about enough is the ongoing costs of owning an investment property. These costs need to be carefully considered as the rental income may not cover all these expenses and therefore you will need to fork-out the shortfall from your pocket.Here's a breakdown of the main expenses you could... Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:30:20 +1200 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post132555 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/post/132283/three-common-mistakes-home-owners-are-making-with-their-mortgage/ There are three mistakes we commonly see that you are likely making with your mortgage, causing you to pay thousands of dollars more than you need to and ultimately slowing down your progress.... Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:42:20 +1200 http://www.vive.co.nz/blog/#post132283