The Private Office Blog
Why Couples Struggle to Talk About Money. By Nick Crawford, The Private Office.
Why do so many couples struggle to talk about money? Nick Crawford explores how our experiences and values shape our relationship with money, and why focusing on shared goals can help couples find common ground.
Uncertainty is how you grow wealth. By Dimensional.
Uncertainty is often viewed as a threat to investors, but it is actually a key reason why long-term investment returns exist. Rather than fearing market volatility, successful investors learn to embrace uncertainty as part of the journey to building wealth.
The case for a strategic allocation to New Zealand shares. By Consilium.
Recent underperformance hasn’t changed the long-term case for New Zealand shares. For local investors, they continue to offer valuable diversification, tax advantages, and alignment with future spending needs.
Investing like it’s 1996. By Consilium.
What if you knew in advance that the next 30 years would include financial crises, wars, pandemics, and extreme market volatility?
How might a thoughtful investor have incorporated that information into their 30-year investment strategy in 1996?
Zoom out, not in. By Consilium.
Periods of market volatility can feel uncomfortable, but history shows that short-term disruptions are a normal part of investing.
This article highlights the importance of taking a long-term view and remaining focused on disciplined, diversified investing through changing market conditions.
1970’s revisited? By Consilium.
Recent oil price increases have drawn comparisons to the 1970s oil shock, but the scale and impact are far less severe.
This article discusses that unlike the prolonged stagflation and deep market declines of that era, the current rise appears to be a shorter-term, cyclical disruption, with markets already showing signs of recovery.
Geopolitical Risk. By Dimensional.
Geopolitical conflict can be unsettling, but it rarely justifies changing a long-term investment strategy.
This article discusses how staying invested, rather than reacting to short-term events, is typically the better approach.
5 questions to ask financial advisors before hiring them. By Dimensional.
Choosing the right financial adviser starts with asking the right questions.
This article highlights five key questions to help you find a trusted partner aligned with your goals and long-term success.
The mistakes people make with a windfall. Podcast by Smart Money featuring Nick Crawford.
We've all found ourselves day dreaming about where we'd spend a big Lotto win at one point or another.
Realistically, many of us will come into a major windfall - but it's likely to come in the form of a bonus at work, or an inheritance.
Is it okay to buy a new car and go on holiday? Or should we invest it all?
A look back at when the world feared the worst. By Consilium.
Geopolitical conflicts often trigger sharp market reactions and alarming headlines, but history shows these shocks are usually temporary. From the Gulf War to more recent Middle East tensions, markets have consistently recovered and continued their long-term growth.
Is now the right time to invest? By Consilium.
While short-term movements are unpredictable, markets have tended to rise over time. And the real risk often isn’t investing at the “wrong” moment - it’s waiting for the perfect one and missing out altogether.
Do women make better investors?
It’s a bold question, but overseas research suggests the answer might surprise you.
As women increasingly control wealth and make major financial decisions, it’s worth unpacking what drives these results, the challenges women still face, and how the right advice can help close the wealth gap.
Money, Happiness & What 2026 Could Do Better.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “money can’t buy happiness.” But for most of us it achieves something almost as valuable: it buys peace of mind. What money doesn’t automatically provide though is fulfilment.
Find out the top 3 ways money probably didn't make you happy in 2025... and the 3 ways it might in 2026.
Does Gold Hedge Economic Downturns?
Some people buy gold thinking it will protect their portfolio in tough times, but the evidence doesn’t really support this. Gold is quite volatile, and it hasn’t consistently gone up when the economy slows. In many downturns, high-quality bonds have provided similar — or even better — protection.
So if your portfolio already includes good fixed income, adding gold doesn’t necessarily make it safer.
One Small Step for your Money, One Giant Leap for Retirement by David Booth
It’s easy to feel unsure about where to start when it comes to investing for your future. As David Booth from Dimensional reminds us, the most important thing is simply to begin — with one small, realistic step. Setting clear long-term goals and committing to achievable short-term actions, like saving a little more each year, can make a big difference over time. The power of compounding rewards consistency, not perfection. By reviewing your plan regularly and adapting as life changes, you’ll stay on track toward the comfortable, confident retirement you envision.
What Every Investor Should Know. By Dimensional.
Investing doesn’t need to be complicated. Research shows that only a small number of active funds consistently beat the market over the long term, and past performance is rarely a guide to the future. The real key is sticking with a simple, diversified approach — like holding the whole market — and staying invested over time.
It’s a reminder that patience and discipline often matter more than chasing the “next big thing.”
Where to Invest When Nothing Looks Cheap. By Sarah Hansen.
It’s easy to feel stuck when everything in the market looks overpriced. Morningstar suggests there are still opportunities if you know where to look. International shares and smaller companies may not be in the spotlight, but they could offer better value compared to the broader market.
How to invest better and live better. By David Booth.
In a recent piece, David Booth (Dimensional Fund Advisors) shares how the principles of life and investing overlap. Embracing uncertainty, planning without predicting, staying flexible, and letting compounding do its work are lessons that help us both live better and invest better.
Wall St doesn't prepare you for startup life. Podcast by Josh Comrie featuring Laetitia Peterson.
Laetitia Peterson sold her investment company, Liontamer, to a global banking giant - only to watch her buyer teeter on bankruptcy just months later. From navigating a sale at the peak of the market to reclaiming her business during the Global Financial Crisis, Laetitia has faced entrepreneurial highs, daunting lows, and every challenge in between.
In this candid conversation, we explore the unexpected twists in exits, the resilience required to pivot amidst chaos, and why the best strategies aren’t always about predicting the future, but being prepared for uncertainty. If you're building towards an exit, or simply wondering what comes next, this episode offers real-world wisdom on managing the unpredictable journey of selling your business.
E + R = O: A Formula for Success. By David Jones.
Investing isn’t just about what happens to us, it’s about how we respond.
One of the most powerful concepts we have come across recently is by David Jones, at Dimensional. He introduces a deceptively simple yet profoundly effective formula:
E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome
We can’t control market events — interest rate shocks, inflation surprises or political turmoil — but we can control how we respond. And that can make all the difference.