How Much Do You Really Need to Retire in NZ?

Do you really need $1 million to retire? Scary headlines say so, and that falling short means facing cold, miserable years ahead. But for most people, that massive benchmark is unhelpful, daunting, and causes people to give up before they even start. Katie Wesney, Head Strategic Coach at EnableMe, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to dismantle the $1 million retirement myth and help you find your actual number. In this episode: The $1 million retirement myth: why one-size-fits-all numbers cause people to freeze Finding your baseline: how to audit three months of bank statements and strip out temporary costs The cost of kids and mortgages in retirement: why paying down debt early unlocks your plan Cash flow leaks: how cutting $10,000 of yearly waste saves you $250,000 across retirement Savings vs investing: why KiwiSaver and growth assets are essential to bridge the gap Why 65 isn't a financial cliff: using investment buckets to keep your money growing Follow me everywhere! Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals