Frances Cook

Well, I think certainly at this point when they flagged that unemployment is likely to peak at the end of this year, and that's a little bit of a best case scenario.

First of all, one of your biggest investments is your job.

People always ask me what's the first investment and they're expecting things like shares.

It's actually usually your earning power.

So if you've still got a job at the moment, then really looking after that, making sure you make yourself useful at work, maybe looking for some free courses to upskill.

That can be a really good investment at a time like this to really keep that earning power as safe as you can.

And then I think it's things like they've pointed out house prices are probably going to stay pretty flat.

Inflation going up, that means interest rates going up.

So get rid of any debt that you can right now before it gets more expensive because it quite likely will.

And don't be expecting things like house prices to boom up and give you a bit of that sugar rush financially.

And I think hope fatigue is also a real danger at this point, because when you hit that point where you've been going for a long time, as we said, you know, you've been trudging through and being told just around the corner.

And it's like chasing the rainbow just keeps getting further away.

So there is that real danger of you just say stuff it and you stop trying or you make mistakes.

rushed decisions to try and feel in control.

That can be almost as bad as the rest of what's happening around you.

So I think it is really about making sure before you make any financial decisions at a time like this, money and emotion are like oil and water.

They should not mix.

Anytime you're feeling extra excited or sad or angry, that's a warning sign not to make financial decisions based on that.

So maybe put in a two week pause before you make any big decisions like with your KiwiSaver.

Get in touch with your KiwiSaver provider if it gets a bit rough.