Castle Trust Financial Planning

The best time to talk to your adviser isn’t only when markets are making headlines.
Some of the most valuable financial conversations begin with ordinary life changes:

“I’m thinking about reducing my hours.”
“We may help our children into a home.”
“Our spending has changed.”
“Retirement suddenly feels much closer.”
“We’re not sure our current plan still fits.”

Your adviser cannot predict every market movement or life event. What they can do is help you understand your choices, examine the trade-offs and keep your decisions aligned with what matters to you.

QUESTION: has something changed that your adviser should know about?

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

Earlier this month, the Reserve Bank increased the Official Cash Rate by 0.25 percentage points to 2.75% on 2 September.

For homeowners, the impact depends on your individual mortgage.

If you're fixed, your existing fixed rate doesn't suddenly change because the OCR has moved. But if you're approaching a refix, this is a useful time to look at your options rather than waiting until the last minute.

And that's the important distinction.

You don't need to correctly predict every future OCR decision.

You need a mortgage strategy that makes sense for your circumstances.

Coming up for a refix?
Talk to our team about your options.

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

Your life has changed. Has your financial plan?

The plan you made several years ago may have been right for your life at the time.

But perhaps your income has changed.
Your family has grown.
Retirement feels closer.
Your priorities have shifted - or the lifestyle you’re working towards looks quite different now.

A financial plan isn’t something you create once and put in a drawer - it should evolve alongside your life.

This spring, consider whether the assumptions behind your plan still reflect where you are now - and where you want to go next.

If it has been a while since you reviewed your plan, talk to our team.

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

WE'RE HIRING!

We have an amazing team and we’re looking to add another member to our investment team.

Client Support staff ensure efficient and positive client interactions while supporting our advisers. You’ll work alongside two Financial Advisers, mainly in the insurance and KiwiSaver space, supporting them with everything from client onboarding to preparing review material and liaising with insurance underwriters. You’ll play a critical part in helping clients take the next step toward financial confidence and security.

If you’re someone who enjoys being part of a client focused, collaborative team - we’d love to hear from you.

For more about this role, or to apply - https://castletrust.co.nz/resources/were-hiring-4/

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

A quick reminder for AIA clients 👋

If you have an eligible AIA life, trauma, income protection or health insurance policy, you may be able to add AIA Vitality and get rewarded for looking after your health.

Regular exercise, health checks and other healthy habits can earn you points towards a range of rewards and partner discounts.

Already insured with AIA but not sure whether you’re eligible?

Get in touch with our team and ask about AIA Vitality. We can check your policy, explain how it works and help you decide whether it’s right for you.

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

We’re thrilled to share that Mel is now a fully qualified, registered Financial Adviser, having completed her New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5) 👏

Mel has been part of Castle Trust since 2014, building extensive experience across insurance, investments and mortgages. Today, she brings that knowledge and her friendly, client-first approach to helping people navigate their home loan options with confidence.

Her qualification also brings our mortgage team to three advisers, giving us even more capacity to help clients across Nelson-Tasman.

A fantastic milestone - congratulations, Mel!

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

Buying your first home is a huge milestone, and we know just how much it means when you’re doing it for your family. 🏡

Congratulations again on your new home, Stacey! We’re so pleased we could be part of the journey, thank you for your kind words 😊🙏

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

What if your insurance actually rewarded you for looking after yourself?
Live healthier. Get rewarded that's the idea behind AIA Vitality.

If you have an eligible AIA life, trauma, income protection or health insurance policy, you can add on AIA Vitality for around $13.50 a month and start earning points for things like regular exercise and health checks - points you can put towards rewards and discounts with partner brands.

It's a small, simple way to make healthy habits feel a bit more worthwhile.

Curious whether you're eligible?
Book a free chat and we'll talk you through it.

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

Seen the Paddy Gower story on nib health insurance?
Here's what our nib clients need to know.

Some nib policies have changed, including cover for certain diagnostic investigations and specialist services. We know this can raise questions, especially when your health insurance is there for peace of mind when you need it most.

The good news: many of our clients have nib Ultimate Health Max and there has been no change to their cover. Guaranteed wording policies keep your terms and benefits fixed.

If you've received a letter from nib, your policy is one of those impacted, and they'll have explained what's changing.

Whatever your situation, you don't need to work through this alone - we're here to help you understand exactly where you stand and make sure you feel confident about your cover.

Book a free chat - https://castletrustinitial.timetap.com/ #/

One hundred years of combined experience is a number we mention, but it's worth explaining what it actually means.

It means our team has collectively worked through multiple interest rate cycles, property market shifts, insurance industry changes, and the kind of situations that don't show up in textbooks.

It means we've seen what happens when people have the right cover in place when something goes wrong - and what happens when they don't.

It also means we've built relationships with lenders and insurers over a long time. That matters when you need someone to advocate for you, whether that's pushing back on a declined mortgage application or working through a complex insurance claim.

If you're at a point where a second opinion - or a first proper opinion - on your financial future would be useful, we'd be glad to be that for you.

Find out more about our Big Picture here - https://castletrust.co.nz/mortgages/big-picture/

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

One Plan | Castle Trust | Nelson and Richmond NZ mortgage advisers & financial adviser. We sort your home loan, insurance & KiwiSaver together - one plan, nothing missed. Talk to our team today.