There’s something mothers and fathers need to share with their daughters. Learn about money.
That’s everything about money – from interest rates to credit scores.
In New Zealand, it was little more than a generation ago that single women were unable to get a mortgage to buy a home without sign-off from a male family member.
Read More‘Tis the season for temptation – to blow out the credit card, to overindulge and to live like there is no tomorrow.
Fair enough, everyone deserves some Christmas spirit so Debtfix has put together some joy giving ideas that will inspire your festivities without crashing your credit score. Christmas can be difficult for many reasons, but this Covid-Christmas will be tough for many more whānau and we hope people will bravely consider alternatives to a big spend up.
Read MoreYears of working in financial services presented an opportunity for our new Navigator to change course and set her sail into fair winds.
Bev Giles left her 25-year banking career a few years ago with the vision of guiding people to achieve their life, career and business goals. For three days a week, she brings an extensive knowledge of mortgages, personal loans, overdrafts, business loans, debt consolidation loans, and interest rates and fees to the Debtfix crew.
Read MoreIt’s official – the Debtfix Navigators are making a difference to the well-being of New Zealanders.
Recently, we surveyed people Debtfix has had some contact with – either big or small – and asked how things are going.
Significantly, when respondents first contacted Debtfix more than 43 per cent indicated their overall well-being was bad and now, only 16.3 per cent of respondents feel the same way.
Read MoreThere is a lot of job satisfaction when you see exactly how much money is paid off people’s debt each month. Our youngest crew member, Gianni Thapliyal is responsible for making monthly payments on behalf of Debtfix clients to the organisations they owe money to.
He gets a genuine sense of achievement – helping reduce problem debt for everyday New Zealanders and thrives with the responsibility of keeping the creditors happy.
Read MoreA spend up on your credit card or with a buy now pay later company can feel like a blissfully free shopping experience.
Those cute clothes for the kids, the dinner out with friends and the stylish new toaster can all be bought with easy credit but if you are not careful – they could cost you big time.
Read MoreWhen you have a tsunami of debt with multiple creditors it can be difficult to know where to start and which debt you should pay off first.
The core principle is to pay off debt that costs the most, often it has the highest interest rate but sometimes the answer isn’t so black or white.
Read MoreWhen the piggy bank is empty and it feels like everyone around you is living the dream – it can feel impossible to say “no” when family and friends invite you to do something you can’t afford.
The Debtfix crew is shouting out to everyone in this crazy year and asking people to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on others to spend money they don’t have.
Read MoreThe law change means any practitioner dealing in New Zealand insolvency cases must comply with the Act and be licensed, which includes debt specialists, and accountants or lawyers working in insolvency.
Debtfix co-founders Shaun Adams and Christine Liggins are both licensed insolvency practitioners.
Read MoreJoining the Debtfix crew a week before Aotearoa went into lockdown for Covid-19 has not prevented Freda Boyd from throwing a lifebuoy to people who need a hand with sorting out their debt.
She is naturally inclined to help others and has always guided people who need someone else to advocate for them.
Read MoreRight now, it feels a lot like the only holiday on the itinerary in Aotearoa is a mortgage holiday.
However, before you book into hotel deferred payment, such a lovely place you may never leave – is there an alternative destination that could be more rewarding in the long-term.
The first principle of dealing with debt is to pay it off as quickly as possible, while still achieving a lifestyle that works for you and your family.
Read MoreWhen there is a forceful knock at the door and your first reaction is to hide behind the couch – you probably know someone, somewhere wants that money you owe them.
The repo man has some legal rights if people miss payments on that monster-size TV screen but the person watching it also is protected by New Zealand’s repossession rules.
Read MoreExperience with supporting whānau helps debt navigator, Alisja Skelling relate to the people she works with at Debtfix in many ways.
Before becoming a debt navigator, Alisja tutored parents with the Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY), a home-based early education programme for Kiwi families.
She knew a thing or two about money as well, having worked in a payroll job and managing figures before she had children.
Read MoreIf you have concerns about money you owe or money others owe your business – you need to be at this breakfast.
It's time to talk about debt openly and find solutions.
Read MoreAt last Pretty Penny has met its judicial fate and been sent packing from New Zealand.
Far from ‘helping everyday people’ as their tagline states, Pretty Penny was a thorn in the side of those of us who deal with the fall out of financially desperate Kiwis trapped in debt blow outs.
Small loans with extortionate interest rates clearly target New Zealanders who struggle to make ends meet and often they borrowed money with little knowledge of the true cost of their loan.
Read MoreBankruptcy is often the solution New Zealanders default to in their mind when they think there is no way out of debt, but we should think about it as a last resort rather than the first port of call.
In her 15 years of helping New Zealanders deal with financial problems, Christine Liggins can count the number of times she has advised a client to go bankrupt on one hand.
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