How much you need is directly linked to what you expect to spend. The best starting point is to run your current budget and map out which expenses will stay, which will reduce (such as children’s costs or insurance premiums), and which will increase (such as travel or hobbies).

Once you have a realistic annual spending figure for retirement, divide that number by 25. This aligns with the 4% rule - a widely used guideline that suggests a diversified investment portfolio can sustainably support around 4% withdrawals per year over a long retirement.

For example, if you expect to spend $60,000 per year (on top of NZ Super $28,000 individual, $43,000 couple), you would target roughly $1.5m invested.

A financial planner builds and manages your overall financial strategy. Think of us as the GP for your financial life. We coordinate all the major elements including investing, retirement planning, insurance, budgeting, estate planning, tax considerations, and long term wealth strategy - so each part works together.

Our role is to understand your dreams and desires, model your future, guide your decision making, and help you avoid costly mistakes while staying on track to make those priorities come to fruition.

KiwiSaver advice is offered with no upfront fee. There is an ongoing fee of 0.25%-0.50% per year of your KiwiSaver balance. For a $50,000 balance, that’s around $125-$250 per year.

A comprehensive financial plan ranges from $1,500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. This includes a full review of your financial situation, personalised projections, investment recommendations, insurance review, retirement modelling, and estate planning guidance.

Most DIY investors believe the market rewards skill. In reality, markets reward discipline, patience, and diversification. Up to a point, more investing knowledge is often correlated with worse results because it increases confidence in trying to time markets, pick stocks, or chase trends.

Successful investing is less about being clever and more about following probability, statistics, and consistent long term behaviour.

A fiduciary is a professional who must put your interests ahead of all other considerations. In New Zealand, most advisers operate under a suitability standard, meaning advice and solutions only need to be generally suitable.

At Page Wealth, I take a fiduciary approach. That means I evaluate the full market and choose the best possible solution for you - not just a suitable one. Your interests come first at every step.

A customised financial plan typically takes around 8-12 hours to build, including meetings, modelling, documentation, and refinement. The timeline depends on how many elements we are addressing and how involved you’d like to be.

Clients who engage actively - making decisions as we build the projections and providing information promptly - usually see the fastest turnaround.