Keep The Change

How much money do you want in your hand each month? That’s your goal. Next, get clear on your starting point…How much do you actually have after tax in your hand each month right now? The difference between the two is your gap. Let's close it and get closer to your goal before 2027 gets here. Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, bec...

Luke & Mikey reflects on the year that changed everything for them at Keep The Change Unplugged, including the business lessons that came from years of grinding and how success changes your perspective on risk and relationships. Building something meaningful takes time, and most people never see the struggle behind the success. Luke & Mikey share the vulnerable moments, the breakthrough de...

Most people's minds are a complete mess. They're worried about Bitcoin, day trading, Trump's 50-year loans, and whether they should invest or pay down debt. Meanwhile, they haven't finished chapter one of getting their finances sorted. Luke and Mikey break down why messy thinking kills progress: you're trying to get from chapter one to five without reading two, three, and four. If you can figure o...

Out of interest, I asked the KTC audience how their year was via Instagram. Let's go through some replies. Some raw ones there! And interestingly, 66% said that 2025 was better than expected. For all of us, let’s have a moment to reflect. Ask yourself, was 2025 better than you expected? Next, ask yourself this ripper… ‘What would I need to do in 2026 to have a GREAT year?’. Hey thanks for listenin...

Blake Evans is 21 years old and generated $1.7million in revenue last month (November 2025). He's running a global e-commerce empire from his bedroom. Blake breaks down the reality of making serious money online, selling his car to fund his business, losing most of his friends, and the journey from working at Wendy's to earning more in a month than the top 1% of Kiwis make in a year. We cover the...

Earlier this year a statistic from a Censuswide survey said Kiwis are checking their devices up to 50 times an hour. Another report said people get around 146 notifications daily. Recently, Gmail rolled out a new feature: you can now see all the email lists you’re subscribed to in one place. One glance, and you’ll probably realise you are subscribed to way more junk than you thought. I am! Hey tha...

Half the stuff you buy, you can't actually afford. But debt dealers have found a way to break down payments so your future self can pay for today's bad decisions. Luke and Mikey explore what would happen if all consumer debt was banned tomorrow: new car sales would drop 80%, white wear would last 15-20 years instead of 7-10, and people would focus on skills and experiences instead of stuff they ca...

I headed into BDO to talk with their interns about what uni doesn’t teach you: - How not to get stuck in survival & status mode - How most people don’t like their jobs (and how to avoid that) - Using your interests outside work as your advantage - Money traps: debt, status spending & trying to look successful - What freedom really is and how to start aiming for it now If you’re a student o...

Thanks to everyone who came along to KTC Unplugged 2025. Here's some thoughts from behind the scenes and some insights from the night. Hope to see you at the next one! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If everything you do is safe and predictable, then the outcome will be safe and predictable too. This was a tough life lesson for me to accept. But it seems to be very common nowadays that a lot of people expect extraordinary outcomes with zero actual risk. There’s nothing wrong with these choices, but they’re safe choices. You can’t reasonably expect unsafe rewards from safe behaviour. Our lack o...

Ryan breaks down his journey from employee to business owner: 12 years working for others, multiple failed attempts at partnerships, and finally finding a seller in Ashburton. We cover the 8-year vendor finance deal that made it possible, why his house losing $45K in value didn't stop him, and how he's now building the practice he always dreamed of. The reality? Most optometrists stay employees fo...

Most first home buyers think they need 20% deposit and will take 8-16 years to save it. Meanwhile, house prices keep rising faster than their wages. Jared from Tamaki Regeneration breaks down shared home ownership. We cover how it works with banks, why it's not a scam, and how families are getting keys to new homes in 2-3 years instead of waiting decades. There is hope. You just need to know where...

Most employees think their boss is “making a killing.” In this episode, I break down the hidden costs of running a business, the real risks owners carry, and why comparing your hourly rate to what the client pays is a massive misunderstanding. Strap yourself in. Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’r...

"Survive to 25" was bullshit. We're halfway through 2025 and it still feels brutal. But the data is starting to tell a different story. Luke and Mikey break down what's really happening and why 2025 might be looked back on as the economic bottom. We cover the fatigue everyone's feeling, why people are leaving at record levels, and the regional differences across the country. The reality? Some are...

We hit pause on the day-to-day noise and take a step back to ask ourselves the big questions. Where do we want to be in 12 months? What about in 5 years? What needs to happen this quarter to get us moving? We talk openly about what’s working, what isn’t, what work we want to do, and where we want to push ourselves. Summer and the end of a year is great time to do this. Take it seriously too! You d...

Someone once told me to focus on my strengths. I said how. They showed me the Gallup’s StrengthsFinder to figure out what I’m actually good at, and what to stop wasting time on. Then the maximiser in me wanted to go deeper on this so I linked up with an incredible human. In this episode, I’ve convinced my secret strengths coach, Suze Oh, to join me for a deep dive into how understanding your natur...

Every week in NZ, people turn down overtime, stop pushing for bonuses, or refuse side work because they think it’s not worth it. Is that right? Some are even convinced they received less, for working more. The old accountant in me couldn’t help but step in and ask a few questions to try to help. Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer,...

For 12 months, 70,000 New Zealand citizens have left to live overseas. 60% went to Australia. That's the highest we've ever seen. Our most popular guest yet, Professor Paul Spoonley is back to break down what's really happening: we're losing young graduates, skilled workers, and even 30-somethings who've been in our workforce for years. Meanwhile, net migration has dropped to just 10,000, we've "e...

Only 21% of people globally are engaged in their work. That means almost 4 out of 5 people are turning up each day to something that doesn’t really light them up. Crazy, right? Well, probably bloody normal based on the stats. But for me, that’s hard to relate to. So I asked the Keep The Change audience: “Why stay in work you’re not actually engaged in?" Hey thanks for listening! Please take some f...

Most Kiwi families have no idea what's coming when their parents age. Then they get hit with legal bills, family fights, and financial shocks they never saw coming. Emily Silby breaks down the legal reality every family will face: enduring power of attorney, wills, retirement village contracts, and rest home subsidies. We cover the 30% deferred management fee, why you don't actually own anything i...

Labour’s Chris Hipkins has put his chips on the table with a Capital Gains Tax. Yep the one that’s always been political poison in New Zealand. Will Labour win an election on this? Don’t know but credit to them getting this out in the public a year before the election so that people can sit with it and have epic Xmas arguments with their family. Let's explore a quick summary of how it would work....

Every November, we see the moustaches pop up but what’s really behind the movement? In this episode, we sit down with Robert Dunne, Movember’s New Zealand Manager, to dig into the story behind the mo. We talk about how the campaign started, his involvement, what’s changed in Kiwi men’s health, and why it’s still so hard for blokes to open up. We also cover some tough conversations, and how small a...

Stats NZ dropped some new household wealth data recently. And apparently…we’re richer. The median Kiwi household is now worth $529,000. Remember 'worth' is assets minus liabilities. That median Kiwi household figure is up from $399,000 in 2021. What can we learn from the wealtheir households? Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, bec...

Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword for Rita, it’s become a core driver of long-term business success. In this episode, Luke sits down with Rita Hammond, founder of Sustaina Grow NZ, to explore how Kiwi businesses can embrace sustainable practices without sacrificing profitability. Rita shares how Sustaina Grow started while juggling three children under three, relief teaching, and an obsession w...

Retirement planning isn’t just for you it’s for your whole family. In this candid conversation, I ask Amy to explore the tough but necessary questions about whether your parents (or you) are truly on track.  Using insights from Amy’s step-by-step guide, we cover how to assess spending, assets, and retirement gaps; why compounding and smart debt repayment do the heavy lifting; and the practica...