Sushmita Nanda: Financial Adviser

12/10/2026

Personal debt is quietly the biggest thing between a lot of people and a mortgage. Not because the balance is large because of how banks assess it.

A credit card is assessed on its limit, not what you owe. A $15,000 limit you never use still eats your borrowing power. Buy-now-pay-later shows up on your statements and lenders look for it. Car finance at $600 a month can cost you a very large chunk of borrowing capacity.

What can actually be done:
• Close unused credit cards and cut the limits on the ones you keep. Fastest win available, and it costs nothing.
• Consolidate high-interest debt into one lower-rate facility, so it's one assessable payment instead of five.
• Restructure or clear car finance, where the numbers support it.
• Sequence it. Doing this six months before you apply is far more effective than the week before.

We arrange personal and vehicle lending as well as mortgages, so we can look at the whole picture rather than just the part that's in the way.

If you've been told no on debt servicing, that's usually a timing problem, not a permanent one.


Told no on servicing? Let's look at the whole picture → innovest.co.nz

22/09/2026

21/09/2026

Quick one, because we get asked.

You don't need to live near us.

We have advisers in Auckland, Hamilton, Te Awamutu and Christchurch, and clients in Wellington, Queenstown and plenty of places in between. Most of our meetings happen online.

Here's the bit that matters: your postcode doesn't change your lender options. Wherever you are, we're comparing the same twenty-plus lenders for you. Your local branch can only offer you theirs.

Same conversation. No drive.



Book a video call → innovest.co.nz

14/09/2026

Buying property with a partner, a friend, or a family member is becoming more common, especially as prices remain high. But most co-buyers never have the conversations that could protect everyone involved. 👇

Here's what you need to agree on before you sign anything:

✅ How is ownership structured? Joint tenancy means if one person dies the other automatically inherits their share. Tenants in common means each person owns a defined portion that can be left to whoever they choose in their Will. The difference matters enormously.

✅ What happens if one person wants to sell and the other doesn't?

✅ How are mortgage payments, maintenance costs, and rates split, and what happens if one person can't pay?

✅ What happens if one person's financial situation changes significantly, job loss, relationship breakdown, or health issues?

✅ Is there a property sharing agreement in place? A co-ownership agreement sets out the rules for all of the above in writing. Without one, disputes go to court.

Buying with someone else can be a great strategy for getting into the market. Getting the legal and financial structure right from the start is what makes it sustainable.

Don't let an avoidable disagreement unravel a good property decision. 💬



👉 Get the right structure in place, book your free consultation at www.innovest.co.nz

14/09/2026

Do you need a lawyer to make a Will? Technically, no. You can write your own Will without a lawyer, as long as it's in writing, signed by you, and witnessed by two people who are not beneficiaries.

But here's the reality: DIY Wills can carry significant risks, and problems may only come to light when it's too late to fix them. 👇

Here's what can go wrong:

⚠️ Ambiguous wording. Unclear instructions can lead to disputes between family members.

⚠️ Invalid witnesses. If a beneficiary or their spouse witnesses your Will, that gift may be affected.

⚠️ Missing provisions. A DIY Will may not cover beneficiaries who die before you, jointly owned property, superannuation, or digital assets.

⚠️ Marriage revocation rule. In NZ, getting married can automatically revoke an existing Will.

⚠️ Testamentary capacity. If your mental capacity is questioned, a poorly documented Will can be easier to challenge.

A properly prepared Will with professional guidance can help protect your family and reduce the risk of costly estate disputes. 💬



👉 Get your affairs in order. Book a free consultation at Do you need a lawyer to make a Will? www.innovest.co.nz

14/08/2026

Most people know KiwiSaver can help you buy your first home. Fewer know the rules around using it for a new build, and the differences can be significant. 👇

The good news: Yes! You can use your KiwiSaver withdrawal to purchase land and build a new home, but there are some important conditions to understand first.

✅ The land purchase and the build must be part of the same transaction or a connected process. You generally can't use KiwiSaver to buy a bare section with no build planned.

✅ The property must be your principal place of residence, you must intend to live in it, not rent it out.

✅ The standard three-year contribution requirement still applies. You need to have been contributing for at least three years to be eligible.

✅ New builds are also exempt from Debt-to-Income lending restrictions, which can make a significant difference to how much you're able to borrow compared to buying an existing home.

✅ Timeframes matter. KiwiSaver withdrawals for new builds can be more complex to time correctly around the build process. Getting advice early prevents delays.

If you're considering building your first home, the rules work in your favour in several ways. But the details matter and they vary depending on your situation. 💬



👉 Find out what you're eligible for, book your free consultation at www.innovest.co.nz

14/08/2026

There are dozens of KiwiSaver providers and hundreds of fund options in New Zealand. Most people pick their bank's default fund when they start work and never look at it again. 👇

That default choice may be costing you more than you realise, in fees, in returns, or both.

Here's what to actually compare when choosing a provider:

✅ Fund performance over the long term, not just the last year. Short-term returns can be misleading. Look at how a fund has performed across multiple years and across different market conditions.

✅ Fees, and what you're paying for. Some providers charge significantly more than others. Over decades, fee differences compound into meaningful amounts.

✅ Fund type and risk level, your fund should match your timeline. If you're years from needing the money, a conservative fund may be the wrong choice regardless of how comfortable it feels.

✅ The provider's investment approach and values, some Kiwis prefer ethical or socially responsible investing options. Many providers now offer these.

✅ Ease of use and transparency, can you easily check your balance, change your contribution rate, and understand how your money is invested?

Switching providers is free and takes only a few minutes. The right fund at the right fee could make a real difference to your balance over time. 💬



👉 Get advice on your KiwiSaver setup, book a free consultation at www.innovest.co.nz

11/08/2026

If you've ever had to refix your entire mortgage at once and wondered whether you chose the right timing, mortgage laddering is the strategy that removes that pressure. 👇

Mortgage laddering means splitting your home loan into multiple portions, each fixed for a different term. Instead of refixing everything at once, one portion comes up for review each year.

Here's why some advisers are recommending it in 2026:

✅ You never have your entire mortgage exposed to one rate decision at one point in time.

✅ Each year, one portion comes off its fixed term, giving you a regular opportunity to reassess the market, compare rates, and make smart decisions.

✅ If rates move up or down, you're only partially affected at any one time, not all at once.

✅ It creates predictability. You always know when your next review is coming and can plan accordingly.

In a market where rate hikes are back on the table and no one knows exactly when or how fast they'll move, spreading your risk across multiple terms is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do.

It's not complicated to set up, but it does require a conversation with someone who understands your full financial picture. 💬



👉 Get a free mortgage review today at www.innovest.co.nz