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“Single mum at 46, how do I avoid poverty at 70?” Mailbag episode

“Single mum at 46, how do I avoid poverty at 70?” Mailbag episode

Making Cents · Frances Cook

November 26, 202519m 56s

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Show Notes

If you’ve pushed money aside for years, only to wake up in your mid-40s with a toddler, a tiny KiwiSaver balance, and a creeping fear about what life looks like at 70… where do you even begin?


That’s the heart of today’s Ask the Experts letter.


A single mum at 46 is saving just a few dollars a week, working part-time, and terrified that she’s already run out of time to build any kind of financial safety.


So what are the options when you’re starting late, starting small, or starting over?


  • How much is “enough” for retirement?
  • Does homeownership still make sense when you’re on the back foot?
  • What can you realistically focus on when your capacity is limited by childcare, low income, and years of unstable work?
  • And is it ever truly too late to turn things around?


Shelley Palman from EnableMe is in the hot seat to map out the options, the trade-offs, and the first practical steps to take when you’re overwhelmed but determined.


If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] and you might feature on our next episode!


Links

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This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne 

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock