Want to give your kids a $380,000 nest egg? It starts like this

Sunday, 1 February 2026

Brooke Roberts is the co-CEO of Sharesies.

OPINION: Warren Buffett, the famous investing “Oracle of Omaha”, has a simple way of thinking about investing: you want to be making money while you’re sleeping.

For many of us though, we’re more likely to lose sleep over money. The beginning of the year, with its slower pace and rare headspace, is a good time to change that narrative — not by jumping into revolutionary strategies, but by stepping back and thinking about what we want our money to do for our lives and what habits we can put in place to take us there.

That question does not start with a spreadsheet, but with understanding our personal trade-offs.

Financial goals that relate to life goals

Life is always a balance between the here and now, and the future. When it comes to money, that shows up in how we choose to spend, save, give and invest. Those choices are deeply personal and shaped by our age and stage, our responsibilities, and the people who depend on us.

Reviewing income and expenses can help clarify what surplus you may have, but the more important question is: what opportunities do I want to experience or create throughout my life? Investing isn’t just about returns; it’s about being in a position to create a better life. True wealth is having the freedom to direct your time and money toward what matters most.

That might mean spending less on some things now, so you can instead invest in your children — music lessons, sport or extra tuition. It might mean broadening their horizons with travel, or supporting a partner to retrain for a more fulfilling or sustainable career. Some of the most meaningful investments don’t show up neatly on a balance sheet, instead we see them in personal growth.

A useful place to start is happiness. I heard a quote recently, “happiness is wanting what you have”. What brings you happiness today? And when you look ahead 10 or 20 years, what does happiness look like then? For me, it shows up in the small moments: from a cup of tea in the morning, a run or surf in nature, solving a challenging problem, a giggle at work or with friends and, importantly, time with my children.

Once you have some clarity on that, the question becomes how to create that future — and this is where having a clear financial plan can help.

Getting help from a professional financial adviser can be valuable, but even before that, doing your own audit of life and goals puts you in a much stronger position.

Habits: where progress really comes from

The author of Atomic Habits, James Clear makes a sage point on habits: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.“ Habits are a key part of our system to turn goals into reality. Habits quietly propel us forward day after day. They can be hard to establish — especially as we get older — so starting small and building gradually matters. Research suggests it takes time for habits to move from conscious effort to unconscious routine, but once they do, they remove friction and decision fatigue.

A friend once told me about a flatmate who declined all Monday evening invitations. That was because she had a standing commitment she called “Admin & Mending Monday”. Each week, she used Monday evening to do life admin and mend things like clothing to extend its life. What a simple and grounding habit.

When it comes to money habits, tools and technology can help. Automation, for example, allows people to regularly funnel money into savings, giving or investment accounts aligned with their goals, without having to make the same decision over and over again.

Some people also automate their investing. One benefit of doing so is that it can smooth out the emotional highs and lows of markets and reduce the temptation to try to time them. Over the long run, consistency often beats intensity.

Habits extend beyond money. Our physical and mental wellbeing influences how we spend. When we’re tired or stressed, we’re more likely to impulse buy to make ourselves feel better. Solid sleep, regular movement and a nutritious diet all support better decision-making — including financial decisions. What are some simple daily habits you can implement to help in this space?

Once goals and habits are in place, milestones help maintain momentum. They provide proof points of progress and a positive feedback loop.

Reviewing your outgoings and incomings

The rising cost of living has affected everyone, but small, recurring expenses can add up over a year. It’s worth taking time to review expenses because it can show where a surplus can be gained. Subscriptions that no longer add value are a common example. Spending reflects the standard of living we enjoy today, and it’s worth thinking about how that balances with the life we want in the future—especially when it comes to our retirement.

For most people, salary and wages remain the engine room of wealth creation. We’re all limited in how many hours we can work, so directing any surplus income into saving or investing is what allows money to keep working beyond those hours. Inflation, meanwhile, can quietly erode the value of both income and savings, particularly when money sits idle.

At Sharesies, we talk about the goal of “retiring with dignity”. We want all New Zealanders to have the opportunity of a retirement where they have genuine choices. KiwiSaver plays such an important role in that for most of us, so reviewing KiwiSaver settings is a key way of using the small surpluses of today to make a big impact for the future.

Making the most of time

Which brings me to perhaps the most influential asset in building wealth: time. Time is on the side of tamariki. The earlier saving and investing begin, the more time-compounding has to do its work. For a 10-year-old looking out to 65 – which they likely won’t be doing! – even modest, regular contributions make a meaningful difference later on.

Using some very simple assumptions, here’s an example. If you had $2,000 to put into investing for your 15-year-old, got them to put in an additional $10 a week for 50 years, and if their investment received a 7 per cent growth rate per annum, their investment will have reached $270,000 when they turn 65. Growing over time, even while they’re sleeping.

Here’s the kicker: if you started the child’s investing at 10 years old, that final five years should jump by around $110,000 to over $380,000.

Which brings us back to Buffett’s idea of making money while you sleep. In practice, that’s rarely about clever tricks. It’s about clarity on what matters, forming good habits, and putting simple systems in place that keep working quietly in the background — so you can rest a little easier.

Disclaimer:

Investing involves risk. You aren’t guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. Any information provided in this article is not financial advice - it is general only and current at the time written. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor.