By Kerry Boielle, Chief Executive, TSB
When was the last time you had a conversation about money? Not with your bank - but with a friend, family, a neighbour, a colleague?
For many of us, that's a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
We talk about our health, our careers, our relationships, and the challenges we're facing in life. But money is different. We often keep our worries, mistakes and uncertainties to ourselves.
2025 research from the Financial Markets Authority found 42% of New Zealanders feel uncomfortable discussing their finances with others, despite 67% being open to receiving financial guidance and 66% actively looking for ways to improve their financial situation.
In other words, many of us want help with money, but we're not always comfortable starting the conversation.
At TSB, we recently invited our people to anonymously share their "money confessions" as part of Money Month.
Some admitted they treat cash purchases as though they don't count. Others confessed to spending an extra $50 to qualify for free shipping, convincing themselves they were saving money.
One person said their adult kids are better at managing money than they are. Another confessed to having a carefully structured set of savings accounts, only to regularly borrow from their dog's account to buy activewear or a new pair of shoes.
There were stories about credit cards, crypto investments, delayed KiwiSaver decisions and retirement plans left sitting on the to-do list. One person even admitted they check their account balance every day hoping to find a surprise Lotto win.
They were funny. Honest. And many were familiar.
The interesting part is that these confessions came from people who work at a bank and are excellent at helping customers with their finances.
People who understand home loans, savings, investments and interest rates still wrestle with the same habits, emotions and uncertainties as everyone else.
Because money isn't just about numbers, it’s also about behaviour.
It's influenced by our goals, experiences, hopes, and fears. We tell ourselves we'll start saving next month. That the purchase was justified. That we'll get around to reviewing our KiwiSaver soon.
And because money feels personal, many of us don't feel comfortable talking about the savings goals we've fallen behind on, or the investment mistakes we'd rather forget. We quietly assume we're the only ones who don’t have it figured out.
That's why conversations matter.
If we talked about money more often, we'd probably discover our questions and concerns are far more common than we think. And at a time when many households are feeling financial pressure, we don't need to pretend we've got it all figured out.
Financial confidence can come from having an honest conversation with your partner about spending habits. Comparing notes with a friend who has navigated a similar challenge. Seeking advice before a problem becomes overwhelming. Asking about KiwiSaver, debt, investing or budgeting without worrying that it's a silly question.
Over the past decade, we've become much better at talking openly about many aspects of wellbeing. Financial wellbeing deserves the same shift.
No one is born knowing how to budget, invest, navigate a home loan or plan for retirement - and it’s not taught in all schools either. Most of us learn through experience, through mistakes and through conversations with others.
So, if there's one habit worth changing this Money Month, it doesn't have to be giving up your daily coffee or cancelling a subscription service.
It's starting honest conversations about money.
Because better financial wellbeing starts with better financial conversations.