Introducing Elizabeth Kerr

Personal Finance

New columnist Elizabeth Kerr outlines how and why she will be writing about money and how to accumulate it

21st Oct 14, 9:39am by Elizabeth Kerr

Elizabeth Kerr.

By Elizabeth Kerr

Hello and welcome.

I’m the new kid and I think I have a few useful things to say about money and how you may be using it.

Over the coming weeks you may grow to love or loathe me but before we start this relationship together let’s sit down and lay out a few ground rules.

1. You will likely be offended by something I write at some point. Money is an emotional and often controversial topic. Not everyone likes what I have to say. I use bad language where I think it deserves it. Sometimes you will love my ideas and other times you may feel like I’m personally outing you in public. Either way, if you change your mindset on your own thoughts about money then it will all be worth it.

2. I write about the big stuff. No, not the lotto winnings, CEO payouts or winning investment trends. I mean the really big stuff ... how you think about money. Your financial freedom starts with you and I’m intending to influence how that works for your greatest good.

3. I am not going to be writing about clipping coupons, saving on your grocery bills or getting bargain party favours for your kids birthdays. I’m interested in all that stuff too but there are already thousands of happy housewives on the net documenting their world domination by saving on the small stuff. Please see number 2 above.

4. The intended audience for my columns are aspiring middle class kiwis – also known as the Middle Squeeze. It’s for you who earn enough to meet your expenses but still can’t seem to get it together. You’re still wondering where the money goes and why you aren’t getting ahead.

5. I do not intend to change or make comment on NZ’s inequality between the rich and poor, or the impacts of poverty. I acknowledge both of these things exist in NZ but this isn’t a forum for focusing on that. This limited scope may or may not change in the future. If this offends you please read point #1

6. Discussion and feedback is cool but I’m not a fan of trolls or abuse. That sort of thing is called cyber bullying and it is a crime. Criminal behaviour may ruin your chance to be wealthy and proves that you don’t get me at all. Just click on the red box with an X in it to the top right of your screen and we all will be just fine without each other.

So who do I think I am just bowling on up on here and declaring a potential to impact you?

I live in Wellington and consistently curse the weather here. My two young boys think I’m a super hero and my Better Half knows I’m working hard to make sure they don’t figure out otherwise for as long as possible.

From a very young age I have had an interest in money, specifically the choices we make about how to use it. I am a company director for a multimillion dollar property portfolio; and when no one is looking I fantasise about running away to the country and just reading all day. I’m not going to advocate that property is the only way to make you financially independent – in fact I think that would be offensive.

So not withstanding that I can shoot fire from my fingers and breathe underwater; I’m a huge fan of money and I hate to see people slaving for it unnecessarily.

I think I have collected a few useful things to share from my experiences and I’m sick and tired of seeing people being financially sucked in by their own feelings of entitlement or FOMO.

See you next week.

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30 Comments

by Simon | 21st Oct 14, 9:55am 1413838552

Welcome! Nice intro, looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Looks like your appoach may be 'these are the rules of the game, deal with it, and win by doing this...' rather than the more commonly blogged about approach of 'the rules aren't fair (rant rant rant), lets change them....' which is more often then not a cope out and an excuse to be lazy and place the blame outside oneself. Good to see, I like you already

by Happy123 | 22nd Oct 14, 12:22pm 1413933721

"Looks like your appoach may be 'these are the rules of the game, deal with it, and win by doing this...' rather than the more commonly blogged about approach of 'the rules aren't fair (rant rant rant), lets change them....' which is more often then not a cope out and an excuse to be lazy and place the blame outside oneself."

Very well said Simon; whether you like the rules or not it is important not to become a victim.

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:04pm 1414109066

Thanks Simon. You've got me in one :)

by Zoltuger | 21st Oct 14, 10:20am 1413840056

Great, I look forward to being challenged on the way I look at my finances.

by Finance Gal | 21st Oct 14, 10:39am 1413841177

Welcome!!

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:05pm 1414109113

Thank you :)

by ngakonui gold | 21st Oct 14, 11:01am 1413842460

Ialso love money however after being laid off at the age of 56 i now find that the Govt will not pay me a benifit because i have in their words got to much cash.Now if i had piddled my money against the wall i am sure i would get something.So in the meantime i have to spend my money to live while others with assetts in trusts etc can claim a benefit and those who wasted theirs can also claim.Maybe i should have invested in property.

by Anarkist | 21st Oct 14, 11:34am 1413844442

Good luck Ngakonui Gold in finding employment. Hopefully there's a job out there for ya to find before too long. Chin up mate

by Basel Brush III | 21st Oct 14, 11:07am 1413842838

#5 is a cop out. Be offended if you must.

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:07pm 1414109243

Im not offended. I just dont want to write about that right now. This may change....

by scarfie | 22nd Oct 14, 12:13pm 1413933180

Well since you are into ground rules then let I will lay down mine. I don't believe in those exploiting others to generate wealth. The term is unearned income Elizabeth, I suggest if you wish to write informed articles you familiarise yourself with it.

You are not off to a good start with your career.

When you say you hate to see people slaving for money I suspect you really mean that you want others to slave for it so you don't have to. But you won't be alone here in that regard.

I hope to see some meaningful work from you. As a writer you are the recipient of unearned income so I hope you treat your role with the respect it deserves.

by Happy123 | 22nd Oct 14, 12:25pm 1413933958

Welcome Elizabeth, just the kind of writer a Financial website should have. I look forward to your articles. Re 6... you're dreaming.

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:09pm 1414109362

Thanks Happy123. I have liked your comments. Seems we share a similar point of view thus far. I will keep an eye out for your feedback over the coming weeks.

by Chairman Moa | 22nd Oct 14, 1:13pm 1413936804

Hello

#4 and then #6, please don't talk anything related to housing and/or property investment for the middle squeeze - hardly anyone ever got it right including the famous prediction of 30% drop in house price (and then revision to 15%).

If you can avoid this topic then you won't get much trolling!

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:11pm 1414109516

Thank you for the heads-up. :)

by Basel Brush III | 22nd Oct 14, 1:32pm 1413937972

Your aspiring middle class are in general ignorant about money. Hence they do things like investing in second properties (property prices always rise - yeah right) and their investment world goes about as far as the end of the street.

If you can inspire them to look to the wider world, good luck. Forgive me for thinking you are on a hiding to nothing.

by Value Added | 22nd Oct 14, 1:42pm 1413938564

Sounds like a lot of red tape to me...

by Sue Irons | 22nd Oct 14, 3:10pm 1413943825

I am lookng forward to seeing your articles and may this be the start of something exicting for you and your readers..

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:18pm 1414109908

Thanks Sue xo

by Andrewj | 22nd Oct 14, 3:34pm 1413945257

Warning, everybody else is crazy. I come here to keep an eye on them for my dissertation on blogging on the internet and how it destroys brain cells.

by scarfie | 22nd Oct 14, 6:26pm 1413955608

Your rare display of humour is appreciated. It is becoming of you :-)

by Andrewj | 23rd Oct 14, 7:35am 1414002907

They are coming for you,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lweuy1X9Tcg

by cowboy | 22nd Oct 14, 4:50pm 1413949817

#6 actually telling people they're cyber bullying because you disagree with them and you want them to shut up without comprehending the reasons why,,,, is cyberbullying.

As is playing the Passive Agreesive victim, calling bully on someone to get them to be shamed by the anti-bullying majority is bullying.

see #1 for why.

Trolling, the deliberate attempt to annoy people for the sake of annoying them or getting them emotionally invested...no reason for that.

#5 It's _always_ time to bring that up. Unless of course you think the servants should be hidden under the stairs where they can't disturb well-cultured guests.

by steven | 22nd Oct 14, 5:21pm 1413951689

#6, yep.

So it seems we'll get opinions from her and well she's sort of the big picture person maybe, as she doesnt do nickles and dimes, unless someone elses view is too big or too factual, in which case she will sulk and call it bullying.

Trolling, not so sure we see much of that, but lets see, if posting an article with the express intention of creating hits isnt trolling what is?

hmmm

regards

by meh | 22nd Oct 14, 5:21pm 1413951668

#1 Have you thought about changing your own mindset about money?

The world faces many issues today and the assumption always seems to be that more money will solve these issues. "The significant issues we face today can not be solved by the same thinking that created them" - Albert Einstein

Money was meant to be a means of exchange to simplify trade of products - it has now become the objective as well as the measurement of wealth and success. We are taught to compete against each for more money and the individual is deemed to be greater than the whole. The very fabric of society is tearing apart at the seams as humanity no longer has a collective objective - the wellbeing of the community we live in.

I've commenced my own article with the working title "Are We Blinded By Our Perception Of Wealth, Prosperity and Money?" Maybe I should finish it and flick it through to you for a read.

by cowboy | 22nd Oct 14, 5:24pm 1413951871

of course the individual is greater than the whole.

stand in the WINZ line when you've lost your job and you'll find out just how much you can trust "the whole"

by steven | 22nd Oct 14, 5:26pm 1413952005

Agree

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:20pm 1414110036

I don't entirely disagree with you. As for your working title... its a fair question!

by SVP | 23rd Oct 14, 10:53pm 1414058019

This is going to be great. Middle class NZ is in desperate need of some straight forward talking to wean them off mindless consumerism, hire purchase, long term personal debt and other madness that leaves them on the payment treadmill.

Saying this, I am guessing most of the readership here are fairly passionate about building wealth and living off its proceeds, but will take great interest in your column also.

I am looking forward to it, and take no notice of the tall poppy slayers. All the best!

by Elizabeth_Kerr | 24th Oct 14, 1:17pm 1414109851

Thanks SVP. I plan to address all of those middle-squeeze issues in the coming weeks and will keep an eye out for your thoughts. :) Keep in touch!