April 2026 update

Hi everyone, I hope you’ve had a great month so far, and for those of you with kids, I hope the school holidays, and the juggling act that comes with them, have gone well.

Obviously it’s been a pretty uncertain time in the world, and it’s impacting all of our wallets – the ongoing situation in the Middle East and its impact on fuel prices and our broader economy. The last month or so has felt extremely volatile, hanging off the overnight news cycle. While the last couple of weeks have felt relatively “stable” in comparison, with a ceasefire and some negotiation starting to happen, there is potentially still a fair bit to wash through.

I want to focus on what we can actually control in our financial lives.

Yes, we’re all feeling it at the fuel pump. All vehicles, but especially diesels, have seen the cost surge. But here’s the thing – while we can’t control what happens in global markets or geopolitical situations, we absolutely can take control of our own financial lives.

Let me start with something that might sound boring but is absolutely critical right now – holding emergency funds. I know it’s hard when costs are rising everywhere, but having cash set aside is your financial lifeline. Here’s why:

They allow you to absorb additional costs in the short term without derailing your entire financial plan. They’re always good for covering unexpected expenses (otherwise known as “life”), but in an uncertain world, I think they are more important than ever.

If you don’t have emergency savings yet, here are some options to explore:

Talk to your bank about refinancing and setting up a revolving credit facility as a backstop, especially if you have a mortgage. Look around your house and garage – sell items you’re not using. While they might not be worth much individually, every dollar adds up to build that crucial financial buffer.

Mortgage interest rates have been under pressure this past month. This isn’t driven by Reserve Bank decisions, but by rising costs of funds overseas, which increases banks’ costs and gets passed on to you. Fixed rates across the board have gone up, particularly in the medium to longer terms.

My advice? Use your bank’s rate lock window when you can. Most banks allow you to lock in rates 30 to 60 days before your fixed rate expires.

Something I have been reminding myself of in the last month, as I get sucked into reading too much news, is simply to “focus on what I can control”.

Don’t forget to download our CIC Financial app using access code CIC. You’ll find benefits, discounts, and content that can help stretch your dollar further across a number of areas.

Chat soon.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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January 2026 update

Hey guys, welcome to 2026!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a great holiday break with your loved ones, or if yours is still coming up, that it’s a good one.

There’s no denying 2025 was a year, and I think we all needed that downtime. I managed to get some lovely family time, a bit of peace and quiet, and a family wedding with some great catch-ups. As January rolls on, things tend to pick up pace pretty quickly. Last month, I mentioned a few key themes that I believe will continue to matter this year:

• Interest rates dominated conversations last year and will likely stay important throughout 2026. The Reserve Bank has indicated the OCR is unlikely to drop any further, and the banks responded with longer-term rates increasing last month. If you have a home loan, you’ll want to factor this into your financial planning.

• Medical insurance is becoming increasingly necessary but also more difficult to manage with ongoing premium increases.

What this really comes down to is having a proper financial plan. Now’s a good time to think about your direction, the lifestyle you want, and what will help you achieve it. Think about what this means for your work, everyday cash flow, investment options, and how everything works together for your future. While you can plan your finances any time of year, the first few months of the year often work well because we’ve had time to reflect on the past year and consider what’s ahead. I’d encourage you to use this opportunity rather than putting it off.

Enjoy the rest of January, and I look forward to catching up with you soon.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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November 2025 update

Hey guys,

Hope you have had a great month. We’re in that time of year now where things seem to go on fast-forward and all of a sudden we’re in the run-up to Christmas.

Something we talked about recently at our WNOW Group on a Wednesday was making sure that you don’t just let the next couple of months slide by, but actually still make some intentional decisions. We had people ranging from sorting their sleep patterns out, their eating habits, getting into some exercise, or even just making sure there was some specific quality family time in there.

Just a reminder: if you’re a man that lives in Chch, check out WNOW here, or just get in touch with me. The website gives off some different vibes with it being budget smugglers on Bondi Beach… fair to say we’re not doing that when we meet at 6am on a Wednesday morning in Hagley Park.

Website: www.wnow.org

Sign up (adds you to a WhatsApp group chat for our Christchurch group): www.wnow.org/signup

The other thing we have seen this month is medical insurer NIB making some significant changes to some of their medical insurance products. We have been reaching out individually to people to talk through options, but if you have any concerns, please get in touch. While I don’t think it has been delivered well, unfortunately this is a sign of the times we are in with medical insurance. With claims being exceptionally high, plus medical inflation, it is simply costing more to deliver medical insurance.

For us, we’ve got two weddings coming up in January/February, so we’ve had social events in the lead-up, which has been a great chance to catch up with some people and meet some new people as well.

Catch you soon,

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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September 2025 update

Hey everyone, hope you’re doing well!

We’re now into spring, which is brilliant. I’m definitely enjoying the slightly longer days compared to what we’ve had recently.

Like I’m sure is the case for plenty of you, we had a challenging month on the home front with illness. Our daughter was home twice for a week each time with what felt like the same flu virus. I’ve spoken with many clients who’ve either had it themselves or had family members catch it. Hopefully you’ve managed to dodge it. With warmer days and more sunshine arriving, it feels like we’re coming to the end of that cycle.

As mentioned previously, we’ve seen the OCR fall and banks’ interest rates have dropped accordingly. We’re now looking at close to 4.7% for a one-year fixed rate. The interesting part is the commentary around future movements:

∙ Another OCR cut is expected on 8 October

∙ Possibly another cut before the end of 2025

∙ Fixed rates might drop to around 4.5%

∙ Bank competition could drive rates even lower

Last month I mentioned I was heading to the Sydney Marathon, and I’m pleased to report it was an excellent weekend. Despite feeling run-down and unwell in the lead-up (thanks to the bugs going around), I woke up on race day feeling surprisingly good. I ended up setting a personal best by about two minutes, which I’m pretty stoked about at age 40 – especially considering my previous best was set 12 years ago!

We also had quite a few people download our app last month, which is fantastic. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d love for you to download it and provide any feedback. We’re making a couple of tweaks to improve the experience.

As mentioned last month, we’re planning to start onboarding more member benefits and discounts. We’ll profile these in our monthly newsletter so you can see what’s available to you, your friends and whānau.

Looking forward to catching up with you soon.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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August 2025 update

Hey everyone,

Hope you’ve had a great month. I’ve got some exciting news to share that we’ve been working on for a while – we’ve launched the CIC Financial app!

You can download it from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Simply use the code “CIC” to access the app.

Beyond links to our website and content, the app offers something really valuable – access to a range of discounts with major retailers:

• PB Tech

• PlaceMakers

• Car rental companies

• Warehouse Stationery

• And a whole bunch more

As our client, you can use these discounts when shopping by simply showing the code on your phone. Feel free to share it with friends and family if you find it valuable too – the more people that use it the better.

We’re also planning to add benefits from many of our fantastic clients who run great businesses. Keep an eye out as we roll these out through the rest of the year. If you’d like to offer a benefit from your own business, please get in touch – we’d be happy to discuss this opportunity.

The Reserve Bank released its OCR announcement on 20 August. As expected, we saw a cut to floating rates, with some small reductions beginning to flow through to fixed rates as well. The move came in response to higher-than-anticipated inflation and weaker employment data.

It’s been a wonderful month personally. We managed to take Pia up to the snow, getting her on skis for the first time. Hearing her giggle and having an absolute blast was definitely a highlight.

To round out the month, I’m heading to Sydney for two days to run the marathon. I received a ballot entry at Christmas and the opportunity to run it was too good to turn down. It’ll definitely be the last marathon for this year!

Also looking forward to the end of winter, with the first day of spring just around the corner.

Keep well.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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July 2025 update

Hi guys,

Hope you have had a great few weeks. I just wanted to chat briefly about medical insurance, and specifically premiums. We have seen these under massive pressure for the last 18 months, with increases in the 20% range. I almost choked on my coffee last week when an email from a provider had a 40%, yes, 40%, increase on premiums.

So what’s causing it?
There are a heap of contributing factors, but put simply, it is due to a massive increase in claims over the last 2 years. Depending on the company and the data you believe, claims were up 25% last year and on track to be similar again this year. Now I don’t want to oversimplify something I don’t fully grasp, but this is as a result of pressures in the public health system, and more being referred into the private system.

So what can you do about rising premiums?
Please get in touch if you want to chat through or look at options. A couple of things to look at:

• Having an excess, or adding a larger excess (i.e. having a $1,000 excess vs $0 can reduce premiums by around 35%).

• Reviewing any optional add-ons and working out what they cost, what they are covering, and if they are still worthwhile for your situation.

• Making sure your health insurance cover includes sufficient cover for non-government-funded drug treatments.

On a personal front, we had our first set of school holidays with Pia. We had the classic juggling act that many of you roll with in the first week, making sure what needs to happen does, while also trying to enjoy some family time. The second week we headed to Nelson for some wider family time, and ended up leaving early on the Friday morning before the rain and floods really set in.

Until next month, stay safe and chat soon.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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June 2025 update

Hey guys, Kieran here.

Winter has well and truly arrived. We’ve got freezing temperatures and snow-capped mountains all around us down here in the South.

May was a bit rough in our house – we all caught viruses one after another. Any parents watching will know exactly how hard it is to keep normal routines going when you’re feeling terrible, especially with little ones at home.

I wanted to share some important financial updates from the recent Budget:

• KiwiSaver changes start 1 July – the government contribution is being cut in half. You’ll still need to put in your $1,043 annually, but instead of getting $521 back, you’ll only receive about $260.
• If you earn over $180,000 a year, you’ll lose the government contribution entirely. So if you’re in that bucket and self-employed, there’s almost zero extra incentive to contribute to KiwiSaver.
• Next year, contribution rates will increase from the current 3% employee / 3% employer minimum to 4% for both. This means your total KiwiSaver contributions will jump from 6% to 8%, aiming to boost retirement savings faster.

We’ve seen a small drop in the OCR this month, with banks adjusting their rates accordingly. What’s interesting is that the 1-, 2-, and 3-year rates are practically identical now – all sitting below 5%. This creates a good opportunity to split your loan across different terms, giving you both security and potential benefits if rates continue to fall.

If you’re coming up to a refix date or thinking about buying property, please get in touch. We now have three advisers available for mortgage advice, working with all major banks – from the Australian institutions through to Kiwibank and smaller New Zealand lenders.

We’ve recently added a new KiwiSaver provider called GoalsGetter. They offer something different – you can mix and match between six fund managers, including Milford, Pathfinder, Harbour, and Salt. This lets you diversify your KiwiSaver investments while keeping costs in line with other providers.

In the last couple of months, I’ve done a couple of episodes for a friend’s podcast. One was about our When No-One’s Watching initiative we’ve started in Christchurch, and the other around the work we do at CIC Financial.

Here are the links if you’re interested in having a listen:

• Kieran and Seán discuss finances, money and wellbeing

• Kieran and Seán present WNOW: When No One’s Watching

We had a shorter month with Matariki. I recently enjoyed a child-free weekend in Blenheim thanks to my sister and brother-in-law – it was brilliant to catch up with friends and enjoy some grown-up time!

Stay warm everyone, and I’ll see you next month.

Kieran Sutherland

Financial and Business Adviser

p. 03 377 3693

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