NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Companies / Banking and finance

Your money: Learn to be savvy about finances

Tamsyn Parker
By Tamsyn Parker
Business Editor·NZ Herald·
12 Oct, 2014 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

If you are a risk-taking entrepreneur, Liz Koh suggests putting some money away so you are not risking everything. Photo / Getty Images

If you are a risk-taking entrepreneur, Liz Koh suggests putting some money away so you are not risking everything. Photo / Getty Images

If you listen to common beliefs, women are the big spenders and men are the earners who come home to find their wife has racked up a load of shoes and handbags on the credit card.

I don't know anyone who is like that and money coach Liz Koh says it can be quite the opposite.

"Men can go a bit berserk with spending," Koh says.

"There are men who feel like they can just go out and spend money without consulting their partner or sticking to a budget. It's not just a woman thing."

But Koh, who runs financial advice firm Moneymax in Wellington, admits there is a lot of evidence linking psychological issues and spending habits.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Self esteem and depression can lead to shop-a-holic syndrome. It's in those extreme cases where women seem to be dominantly affected.

But for the average person there's fitting into a money type.

Just like individual personalities a person's money personality is likely to fall into a spectrum.

Wealth and risk

In Koh's view there are two key factors affecting how you see money - your desire to create wealth and willingness to take risks.

"If you combine these together you get infinite possibilities." By being either low or high in these areas a person can fit into four different categories. But Koh says most people are a blend.

Discover more

Opinion

Tamsyn Parker: KiwiSaver election promises

14 Sep 08:42 PM
Employment

Your money: How to ask for a pay rise

28 Sep 04:00 PM
Opinion

Anthony Healy: Get smart about home ownership

07 Oct 04:00 PM
Lifestyle

Struggling under the breadline

10 Oct 04:00 PM

"What people need to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to think about money - just different ways. That can be hard to understand if you are in a relationship and have very different ideas about money."

She says what people need to understand is the consequences of their money personality.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That could mean if you are a thrill-seeker who spends all their money today you will end up in poverty in retirement.

But if you are on the frugal side you might never fully enjoy your money and die before you spend it.

If you are all about being an achiever you might have a lot of stress living pay day to pay day as you try to keep up the appearance of being wealthier than what you are.

Entrepreneurs may create a lot of wealth but may also lose it all at once, putting huge stress on partners and families.

"The important thing is to understand what drives you and whether your relationship with money makes you happy."

Changing your personality

It is possible to change your money personality.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There is often a trigger point for those who decide make a change - like getting to your 50s and realising retirement is not that far away, she says.

Or wanting to achieve a specific goal like saving for a house. Or maybe money is causing relationship problems.

Where money decisions are not good is where they are not consciously made, she says.

"Just doing things impulsively or by default and not thinking about the consequences. Not planning ahead."

Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell is urging women to be better at planning for their longer-term financial security but Koh says in her experience females are actually much more concerned about planning ahead. "They are often the ones that take the initiative and talk about the future." Men appear more likely to be risk-takers and have a "she'll be right" attitude.

So how do you figure out what sort of money personality you have?

Koh says a simple questionnaire can be the starting point.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There is one on the sorted website or her own Moneymaxcoach website.

It's then a matter of working out how to counter your personality should you wish to.

For instance, if you are a risk-taking entrepreneur, Koh suggests putting some money away so you are not risking everything.

If you are a status-symbol achiever it might pay to think about whether it is worth going through all the stress to have the illusion of a wealthy lifestyle.

If you are a hoarder maybe it's time you worked out how much money you need to feel secure and then loosen the purse strings to spend some of the excess.

Getting help to make the changes can be useful. Just like someone with psychological issues would see a counsellor, if you have money issues you may need to see a money coach, Koh says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What are the money personalities?
Thrill seeker: Spend all their money and could end up with nothing in retirement.
Hoarder: Might never fully enjoy their money and die before spending it.
Achiever: Can have a lot of stress trying to keep up the appearance of being wealthier than they are.
Entrepreneur: Can create a lot of wealth but can also lose it all at once.

Why are there different types?
Two key factors affect how you see money -- your desire to create wealth and willingness to take risks.

Can people change?
It is possible to change your money personality but you have to want to. A trigger point can lead people to make a change, such as reaching 50 and realising retirement is not far away.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Banking and finance

Premium
Opinion

Opinion: Nicola Willis should challenge the RBNZ on prudential rules

13 May 12:00 AM
Business|personal finance

‘Rip-off’: App developer and Consumer say fees will stifle open banking

08 May 11:00 PM
Premium
Business|companies

ANZ NZ's first-half profit edges up to $1.16 billion

07 May 11:39 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Banking and finance

Premium
Opinion: Nicola Willis should challenge the RBNZ on prudential rules

Opinion: Nicola Willis should challenge the RBNZ on prudential rules

13 May 12:00 AM

The minister should interfere in RBNZ regulation, say Simon Jensen and Andrew Body.

‘Rip-off’: App developer and Consumer say fees will stifle open banking

‘Rip-off’: App developer and Consumer say fees will stifle open banking

08 May 11:00 PM
Premium
ANZ NZ's first-half profit edges up to $1.16 billion

ANZ NZ's first-half profit edges up to $1.16 billion

07 May 11:39 PM
Premium
NZ banks face repaying $9.2b in cheap Covid loans in coming months

NZ banks face repaying $9.2b in cheap Covid loans in coming months

07 May 09:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP