Where’s My Money? Season 7, Episode 2
Where’s My Money? is back for Season 7 with a fresh new look and more money content to help Kiwis work through their finances and make considered moves towards financial freedom.
enable.me partners with rova to bring this podcast to life and stimulate the conversation about finances with everyday Kiwis. Where’s My Money? follows the story of Reagan – a man chasing the Kiwi Dream but feeling stuck living month-to-month – and his discussions with the experts about what he may be doing wrong and how to fix it.
One man. One million dollars of debt. One podcast to find a way out.
In this episode, Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick joins Where’s My Money? host Reagan White on the podcast couch to talk about her experience with money while she was growing up, her thoughts on the current cost of living, and explanations of how policy moves through parliament. Later, enable.me financial coach Shelley Palman returns to the hot seat to answer this week’s listener question in the Hotline segment.
Chlöe Swarbrick discusses the cost of living and financial policy
First up in the episode, Chlöe joined Reagan to talk about her financial story, and how financial policy is created and moves through New Zealand Parliament.
In their conversation, they covered:
- The impact of a General Election on public perception and financial policies
- New Zealand’s cost of living (including debt, and government aid)
- A politician’s daily schedule
- Chlöe’s background and story of how money impacted her upbringing, and her early work life
- The property landscape: renting, landlords, homeownership, investment
- How financial policy is created
- What New Zealand – and the world – feels like for young people in 2026
Where’s My Money? Hotline with enable.me financial coach Shelley Palman
Each week in Season 7 of the podcast, Shelley answers a listener’s question as part of the Where’s My Money? Hotline segment.
Reagan reflects on when he and his now-wife Laura first began to combine their finances. He says they took “baby steps,” like “one shared account… for the shared expenses,” and then shared responsibility (and accounts) grew as the relationship progressed.
Shelley adds that finances and legal aspects like relationship agreements can feel like an “icky conversation to have,” but that it’s important for protecting each person in the partnership, and also to create a stronger relationship.
The earlier you have these conversations, the better. Shelley says, “actually, you should be having those conversations early because if you don’t and you realise that you have totally competing money personalities, you’re going to end up in strife later on.”
At enable.me, we often talk about money personalities and the natural tendencies that people have towards spending and saving, taking on financial risk, and willpower. Everyone is different and it’s rarely just about numbers, but about behaviour as well.
Shelley talks about how she has clients come to her because of their “competing money personalities,” and that she works on being the “objective party in the room,” to help mediate these conflicting approaches to finances.
There are different ways joint finances can be set up, depending on the comfort levels and needs of each partner, so it can be worthwhile to seek an expert third party that can help you through it.
If you’re in a similar position to this listener, whether you’re just starting to share finances, or learning how to combine your finances to achieve shared goals, getting on the same page is the best place to start. If you’re curious about your money personality and how it can interact with your partner’s own behaviour, download our eBook.
If you’ve already taken the first step in combining finances and are looking to strategise your next steps, consider booking a consultation with an enable.me coach (costs apply). They’ll help you diagnose your starting point, create goals you’ll feel motivated to work towards, and a strategic financial plan that can help you achieve them.
Watch Chlöe’s interview and the full listener Hotline segment below:
Disclaimer: The Where’s My Money? podcast and the information shared by host Reagan White and his guests does not constitute individual financial advice. If you’re interested in receiving financial advice, you can book a consultation with an enable.me coach. Costs apply.
