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19 September 2023

Rodney's Ravings: Beware politically biased business confidence surveys

The results of ANZ's business confidence survey have been tracking upwards in recent months — but does that have more to do with what we're expecting from election day, than it does with the actual state of our economy? Rodney Dickens explains in his latest article.

07 August 2023

Rodney's Ravings: The wage-price spiral means we’re in for a more painful inflation battle

The RBNZ's hard-line approach to rate hikes seems to have inflation (slowly but surely) tracking in the right direction. But according to Squirrel guest blogger, Rodney Dickens, there's one factor in particular which is going to make it a long, tough road to get us back where we need to be.

01 July 2023

Listen to the latest episode of our podcast: Live at the Nut Bar

Welcome to Live at the Nut Bar where Squirrel Founder John Bolton (better known as JB) and Chief David Cunningham sit down weekly to chew the fat about things like finance, the economy, investing and what's happening with mortgage interest rates. Knowing these two, there are plenty of laughs along the way as well as the odd debate, of course.

31 January 2023

North Island floods and cyclone: What you need to know about accessing support

If you’re a Squirrel mortgage customer, a Squirrel investor who needs to access funds, or you’ve previously arranged insurance via our team, here’s what you need to know about accessing support.

07 July 2021

How to save the most money when selling a property

When selling a house one thing for sure is that every seller has one thing in common. They want to get the best price for their property. But what many sellers don’t realise is that it isn’t just the sale price that affects the profit you make on a property.

14 September 2020

How to spot cyber crime in real time

Having come from decades in banking Dave’s seen his fair share of cyber-crime and how it’s evolved alongside financial technology. He took the time to write down his recent experiences and tips on how to avoid becoming victim to cyber fraud.

14 April 2020

Does going on a Mortgage Holiday affect your credit score?

In response to Covid-19 and the financial stress that many Kiwis are suddenly facing, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is allowing banks to offer 6-month ‘mortgage holidays’. Although we prefer the term Mortgage Repayment Deferral because it’s not really a holiday.

26 March 2020

COVID-19 - How to apply for a mortgage repayment deferral or switch to interest-only

Among all of the current madness you may have heard about the banks offering mortgage holidays, or repayment deferrals. Here's how the process works with each of the main banks.

26 March 2020

Financial anxiety in a crisis

I’ve been in a few crises. The first was launching Squirrel at the height of the GFC, with a crashing housing market. Then my head contractor went bankrupt part way through my big property development. Now? We're faced with Coronavirus. But this one is different. We're all in it together and it's out of our control.

25 March 2020

Why you don’t need a mortgage broker near you

In this ever-changing crazy quagmire of a world, there has never been a greater need for seamless online services. Fortunately, Squirrel is well set up to provide the same service for all our clients, whether you're stuck at home, or at the beach.

23 March 2020

How to manage your mortgage through the coronavirus crisis

The adage 'cash is king' is never truer than in a crisis. Cash gives you the flexibility and freedom to respond to changes. Now is a good time to have a small cash buffer in your mortgage. The thing to remember is banks don’t want you to default on your mortgage, and they have temporary options in place which are designed to support those who find themselves in financial hardship.

09 March 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) clickbait

In our evolving interconnected world, coronavirus has become the perfect tabloid media clickbait. It plays straight into our anxieties and fears. We are lemmings with an inherent magnetism towards mass hysteria. Let's get some perspective.