Money makes money
There’s a conundrum facing a lot of younger people. How do you save for a house deposit while also saving for your far-off retirement? Saving for one can also be saving for the other. The key is starting early and being consistent. For example, building up your KiwiSaver savings early means you could put some towards your first home purchase.
But first things first, check where you’re at.
Crunch your numbers
KiwiSaver is an easy way to help you save for your future with a range of benefits that make it even more worthwhile. If you’re eligible, you could get contributions from the Government and from your employer that go straight into your KiwiSaver account, plus it could also help you buy your first home.
Choosing the fund that best suits your needs is also important, as making the right choices now could make a big difference to your future. Our tools and calculators can help.
Get clued-up on your KiwiSaver account
Landed your first job? Congrats! Before you start spending, hear us out. The sooner you look into your KiwiSaver account, the fund you're in and how much you’re contributing, the better off you could be. We’ve already mentioned how you can use it to get onto the property ladder. But it’s also about saving for your future, you’ll thank yourself later!
Set up a savings account or two or three
A dedicated savings account makes it much easier to stick to your savings plan. You might even want several. For example, name one account ‘Emergency fund’ and set up an automatic payment to coincide with your pay cycle. If there’s any remaining money, transfer that into another savings account named after something else you want to save towards.
Take advantage of other products
If you’ve saved up a chunk of money (well done) and you don’t plan on touching it for a while (we’re impressed), then you could consider investing it in a term deposit, investment fund, or even your KiwiSaver account.
With term deposits, you’ll earn a higher rate of interest than in a standard savings account, coupled with the assurance that the interest rate’s agreed upfront and locked in for the time your money's invested.
Investing in KiwiSaver or an investment fund generally has higher risks than term deposits. The value of your investment can go up and down depending on market performance, but the potential for bigger returns on your money over the long term is higher too.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by stuff like saving for a home, or a retirement that seems a lifetime away. But slow and steady wins the race.
Steps to financial wellbeing
Our financial wellbeing programme can help. Try one step or two, or work through the programme's six steps in any order.
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Important information
This material is for information purposes only. Please talk to us if you need financial advice about your situation and goals or about our products and services. See our financial advice provider disclosure (PDF 39.9KB).