Hi friends,
Today I’m reviewing three 2026 books on money & parenting, and sharing notes on what I enjoyed about each one.
Parent Like a Millionaire (US & Canada-based)
This motivated me to start investing in property - ethically. In the chapter ‘Passivizing Your Income’, the author Kristy Shen describes what makes an investment truly passive: it has to be low effort, liquid, cash-flow positive, low fee, and diversified. She then goes through different types of investments, examining each one. Crytocurrency? No. Investment properties? No. Gold? No. However, there is a clear winner: real estate investment trusts, or REITs, which got a ‘yes’ for every factor. After doing a little research, I started investing in the Pathfinder Global Property Fund, which invests in REITs and is run by an ethical investing manager. Given that I already invest in Pathfinder Global Responsibility Fund with great results (up 30% at the moment!), I had no hesitation about adding the Pathfinder Global Property Fund as well.
Looked into fees-free tertiary education options for my children. My children are under 4, so tertiary education is a long way away. But this book got me thinking about options that wouldn’t leave them with any student debt, using fees-free study options. I found some incredible degrees available at the Southern Institute of Technology, including useful degrees in business, marketing, IT, education, health science, and much more. If these fees-free study options are still around when my children leave high school (fingers crossed), I’ll definitely encourage them to pursue one instead of borrowing $30,000 from the government.
Gave me options to consider if mortgage interest rates rise. My mortgage is on a relatively low rate at the moment (4.77%), but with interest rates rising, I’m cautious about what we will have to pay when we refix next year. This book gave me the following options to consider: extend the loan term, refinance, deleverage, or sell the house (very unlikely). Interestingly, the authors Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung opted not to buy a house and are instead travelling the world and investing. What a unique approach!
How to Raise Rich Kids (Australian-based)
Gave me ideas on helping my young children (two under 4) learn responsibility and gain confidence first, such as by helping out with chores.
Gave me plenty to think about regarding whether to invest in your own name or in your children’s names. I have chosen to keep my children’s investments in their own names, as their shares and ETFs will automatically transfer over to them at age 25.
Explored different ways to help my children into their first home, whether I invest for them using other assets to build a property deposit for them or use my equity to buy property on their behalf. Helping my children into homeownership is a big dream of mine, so I found lots of food for thought in this chapter!
Mindful with Money 3rd edition, ‘Children + Your Money’ chapter (NZ-based)
I can’t give an unbiased review of this one, but I’d love to share some tips from my book! You can grab a copy here or request ‘Mindful with Money 3rd edition’ from your local library. If they don’t have it, you can ask them to buy it.
Check your eligibility for NZ government support: Paid Parental Leave, Working for Families (including Best Start), FamilyBoost under IRD, and the Childcare Subsidy under WINZ. PPL is now up to $811.05 per week for 26 weeks, and FamilyBoost is up to $1560 per quarter for families with children in ECE.
Save money on toys. Use toy libraries instead, or simply household items that are safe for babies to play with. Plastic kitchen utensils, supplement bottles, and silicone baby bowls & plates are all great.
Start investing now to gift your child their first home deposit at 25. Even $20 per week for 25 years at 10% p.a. is $107,216; double that to $40 per week and you’ll have $214,431! You can invest for your children by opening them a KiwiSaver or investment account (e.g. Sharesies) from birth.
Aaand I’m doing a giveaway! Win these three books PLUS a brand new children’s Christmas book, Peppa’s Family Christmas. Enter the giveaway here.
Sophia
