Increase your chances of bridging the retirement gap with Opes' Property Academy

We are pleased to announce we have partnered with Opes Partners on their outstanding Property Academy. Director Andrew Nicol explains how this free online video course can help Kiwi's calculate the size of their retirement gap and then learn how to close it with property investment.

It's fashionable to protest over inaction in 2019.

Millennials protest inaction on climate change, lack of progress on race relations, and inaction on inequality.

Yet one of the major social and societal problems facing us doesn't get the spotlight or the activist action it deserves.

And this is despite the World Economic Forum labelling the phenomenon: "the financial equivalent of climate change."

You'll have heard of it, but not seen much done (a bit like climate change):

It's the retirement gap.

Closing the retirement gap is perhaps not as glamorous as protecting animals in the Amazon, but it is just as important.

In another report, the World Economic Forum stated that residents of most major countries, like Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, will outlive their money by 10-12 years.

A lot has been said about the working poor in New Zealand. More needs to be said about the real risk of a new "retiring poor".

How New Zealanders can close their retirement gaps

One potential solution Kiwis can use to close their retirement gap is property investment.

Over time, property investment has proved itself as a way to passively build wealth for retirement. Over the last five years, the median house price in New Zealand increased from $425,000 to $585,000. That's $160,000 of wealth created for the average property owner.

To generate the same level of wealth in a savings account, the average Kiwi would need to save $580 a week at 3% interest.

Saving that much is unrealistic for most of us, as the median after-tax income is $820.33 a week.

The average Kiwi would, therefore, need to set aside 70.7% of their income to generate as much wealth as a single investment property.

This shows that saving alone is not going to solve the retirement problem our country faces.

What we're doing to help

To help Kiwis close their retirement gaps, we've partnered with Cave Financial to create Property Academy.

This is a free online video course where Kiwis can calculate the size of their retirement gap and then learn how to close it with property investment.

We've made this course free because we believe that every New Zealander should have the chance to a) close their retirement gap and b) live well into retirement.

All up the course consists of 15 videos, 5 mini-tests, 3 calculators and 2 quizzes, and takes between 60-90 minutes to complete.

Already, students of the academy are saying:

"I am incredibly impressed! You have produced a really easy to follow/read guide. What a great resource for people wanting to get into investment. I have sent on the link to a few friends and family members who need to go through it."

and:

"I am really enjoying the property school videos. It's so good just to listen to these again as it confirms my understanding etc. I am getting my children to watch and listen to these as well. Never too young to start learning about investment."

If you'd like to sign up to this property investment course, click this link and you'll be able to enroll at no cost to you.