Investing Articles

WISEplanning with Peter Flannery

Engineering Financial Independence — Without the Sacrifice

❝Nobody wakes up excited about a financial plan… until they see what it can do.❞

For over 40 years, I’ve helped hundreds of hardworking New Zealanders simplify their money, build sustainable wealth, and gain real financial independence — without giving up the life they enjoy today.

💡 What Makes WISEplanning Different?

We go beyond transactions. This is lifestyle-based financial strategy, built around:

✅ The Lifestyle Framework – your big picture and values.

✅ Step-by-Step Action Plan – clear, actionable goals.

✅ Mindset & Behaviour Alignment – behaviour and habits that match your future vision.

🧰 Proven Tools, Real Impact

The Money MATRIX
A 6-grid system designed for financial control, clarity, and support. The financial independence ecosystem for busy parents and business owners who want more.

The CASH Tap
Reliable monthly passive income — even during market turbulence.

Eco-Investing & Sustainable Wealth
Invest in the real economics of business, property, and shares. Simple, secure, works long-term, scalable.

WISE Asset Management (WAM)
Buffett-style value investing for $250K+ portfolios, with a focus on growth and income.

📈 Client Successes

✅ Clients receiving $500–$25,000/month in passive income, regardless of market conditions

✅ Funding medical treatments, education, travel, and home deposits

✅ Increasing numbers reaching $1M+ portfolio milestones

✅ Parents setting up legacy wealth for future generations through the WISE Family Office

🌦 Through All Seasons

From the 1987 crash to the 2008 GFC and 2022 pandemic, I’ve helped clients stay safe, focused, and growing. No panic. Just principles, perspective, and performance.

🚀 Let’s Get You There

Today, I work with clients across New Zealand — many for decades — and now their children and grandchildren.

If you’re ready to simplify your money, align your life and finances, and live by design, I’d love to help.

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Carol is our Operations & Compliance Manager and has 30 years of experience within the NZ Financial Services sector. She has worked in Wealth Management, International Trade & Finance, general banking and insurance admin roles.

Carol’s role with us sees her utilising her strong organisational skills & client focus to ensure WISEplanning runs efficiently & smoothly while ensuring industry compliance requirements are met.

Outside of work, this born and bred Cantabrian is a regular at the gym and yoga studio. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends – especially over a coffee.

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Sean is the Portfolio Coordinator for Clients at WISEplanning and brings his enthusiasm, professionalism and well developed customer service skills to the role. Sean was born in Beijing, China and obtained his Bachelor Degree in Economics (majored in Statistics) in China and Graduated Diploma in Accounting and Finance at University of Canterbury.

Sean has worked in the finance sector specialising in Investment Advisory for more than 10 years. He is experienced in dealing with clients’ queries and providing support to Financial Advisers.

He is an organised person with a strong customer focus. Sean enjoys spending time with his two daughters, wife, family and friends. He has a passion for sports such as soccer, badminton and swimming and really enjoys dealing with people.

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Regan Hines is the Operations Manager at WISEplanning, bringing extensive experience in marketing for organisations across New Zealand and Australia. Having managed teams and developed business relationships in roles at the Christchurch City Mission and Cholmondeley Children's Centre, Regan's expertise lies in partnerships and marketing within both the corporate and NGO sectors.

Regan's passion for helping organisations make a positive impact in the community aligns perfectly with WISEplanning's vision of ensuring enough money for everything and enough time for everything that matters. Currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Canterbury, Regan is dedicated to continuous learning and professional growth. Additionally, Regan serves on the board of Horizons Trust and enjoys volunteering for various charities.

Outside of work, Regan enjoys studying history and cherishing moments with friends and family.

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Kim has been with WISEplanning since mid 2016 and is our Client Services Specialist. She brings enthusiasm for customer service, professionalism, good time management and efficiencies to the role.

Kim and her husband have been based in Christchurch for over 20 years and originated from Central Otago where they both grew up. They have three teenagers so Kim know’s first hand how busy managing life, money, kids and family can be.

Kim enjoy’s spending time with family and friends, should do more exercise than she does and recently brought a bach where her family and friends are now creating time spent memories that she hopes will carry her kids through to adulthood.

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Sarah is one of our trusted Financial Advisers here at WISEplanning.

Sarah joined us from a background in Property, specifically Residential Property Management, where she managed a busy property portfolio in Christchurch with multiple property investors. Sarah also currently holds a license as a Real Estate Salesperson. Sarah is an investor herself and purchased her first home at the age of 18. She has excellent communication skills and the drive to want to help and see others succeed.

Sarah has completed a New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (level 5), completing the investment strand of the certificate. With strong ambition, Sarah is actively seeking to learn all she can about the teachings at Wiseplanning regarding financial wellness.

Sarah grew up on a sheep and beef farm in the Wairarapa, before moving to Christchurch to be closer to the great outdoors Canterbury has to offer. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her young family, running, skiing, tramping, reading and gardening.

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Natasha brings her passion for building strong client relationships to WISEplanning as our Client Services Specialist.

Natasha moved from San Francisco to Christchurch in 2022. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Temple University and spent more than a decade working in pharmaceutical market research. Since returning to the workforce, after raising her children, Natasha has used her client-focused skills in real estate, home building and now financial services.

Natasha loves spending time exploring Christchurch and the greater New Zealand area with her husband, two children and new puppy. She is on a mission to complete one Great Walk per year! Biking, walking, reading, gardening, hitting the gym and organizing closets are among her favourite hobbies.

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Sharon is the Investment Administrator at WISEplanning. Her role is primarily to provide support to the Portfolio Coordinator and Operations Manager, with maintenance of compliance requirements and responding to client enquiries being her main focus each day.

Sharon’s background is in the banking industry with a strong customer service focus. She enjoys problem solving and helping support people to meet their financial goals.

Sharon has spent the last four years living in Christchurch with her husband and their three young children, after moving from Wellington. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, crafting and exploring Christchurch’s many parks and walks with her family.

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Jadon Beckmann is an Associate Adviser at WISEplanning, bringing a strong foundation in investments and financial planning.

Born and raised in South Africa, Jadon majored in investments and financial planning and has a keen interest in helping people make smart financial decisions.

New to the industry, Jadon is eager to learn from Peter and embrace the WISEplanning way of investing. With a personal passion for managing his own investment portfolio, he understands the importance of long-term thinking and is committed to growing his expertise to better support clients on their financial journey.

Outside of work, Jadon enjoys playing golf, hockey, and other sports, as well as board games with friends and family.

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PETER FLANNERY
A closer look …

Do you know anyone who ever woke up one morning and thought … ‘I am so excited; I must get a financial plan!!’

Although there are many ways to achieve financial success – few do … ever.

I have helped hundreds of people to design personalised comprehensive financial plans (me doing the complicated bits, making it simple for them), that help them to meaningfully engage with The Law of Money.

THE WISE LAW OF MONEY: The combination of:

1. The Overarching Lifestyle Framework/Strategy,

2. The Step By Step Action Plan,

3. Mindset and Behaviour Alignment (matching day to day activity with big picture future goals).

That way they step their way toward their goals and financial independence, on purpose, by design.

As part of our journey together over the years, we learned that we needed to plan beyond the usual transactions (saving in KiwiSaver, buying a rental property) that most thought of as financial planning. (Transactions are not financial plans.)

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’. So, we developed ways of doing things that were beneficial and some tools to help us. For example:

• I invented The Money MATRIX program – The financial independence ecosystem. Six grids (that provide training, advice, thinking tools, help and support):
   – Control – over your time, your life, your future;
   – Money – understand it, get enough;
   – Performance – the specific action you take, don’t take, what you implement;
   – You – your mindset, behaviour;
   – The Collective Intelligence – help from others.

• Designed The CASH Tap – clients receive passive income from their investment portfolio each year, regardless of market, economic, and political upsets. Also, their portfolio can still grow over time as well as their monthly income.

• Created The Eco-Investing methodology – investing in the underlying economics of the asset (direct shares, small closely held business, residential property), beyond standard financial analysis.

• Designed The Sustainable Wealth Model:
   – Three assets with a common advantage: capital assets (growth assets with an income stream)
   – Based on eco-investing (the underlying economics of each asset)
   – Simple to understand and execute

• Created THE WISE ASSET MANAGEMENT Program (WAM) – based on e-Biz investing (investing in the economics of the business)

I first met my clients who were either referred to me or at the many public addresses that I delivered around New Zealand for about 20 years.

At one point I became a bit controversial from 2003 – 2007, warning, well, basically anyone who would listen about what I called ‘The 70 Year Hit’ (approx. every 70 years there has been a major market and economic upset. We were due and the warning signs were there if you knew where to look). Finally, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis arrived!

Over the years I have been able to protect my clients’ investments with a focus on value/quality, heavily influenced by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. For example:

• 1987 – ‘Black Monday’, global share market correction
• 1990 – Persian Gulf war, US savings and loan defaults
• 1994 – Rising interest rates and falling markets
• 1998 – The ‘Asian Contagion’ (collapse of emerging markets)
• 2000 – The ‘tech wreck’ and market correction
• 2008 – The Global Financial Crisis
• 2022 – The coronavirus pandemic

As a practicing financial advisor for over 40 years (self-employed and business owner for 38 years), I have been fortunate to help many hardworking business owners and progressive busy parents to tidy up their financial and related affairs to then help them on their path to ultimate financial independence and the freedom to choose – every day.

I am now working with some of their children (and grandchildren – crikey!!)

Anyway, my clients and I are all different people on the same journey of financial success, independence, and a favourable lifestyle as we go along. We teach right at the start that this is about engineering financial independence, without the sacrifice along the way.

The idea of a good lifestyle as we go and real financial independence later sounded unrealistic to some when they first heard about it (they thought you can only have one or the other). Once they learned that it’s not what they do, but how they do it, they began to see the possibilities in their own situation – not just quaint sounding platitudes.

Over the years, my clients (many have been with me for decades) have achieved all sorts of success. For example:

• Hundreds of clients throughout New Zealand top up their retirement income using The CASH Tap system every month – from several hundred dollars per month to several thousand dollars. Their portfolios continue to grow despite The CASH Tap draw down.
• Some clients have paid for important medical treatment from portfolio profits.
• Many clients enjoy reliable passive income using The CASH Tap system and have peace of mind about next month’s and next year’s income, regardless of market and economic conditions.
• Hundreds of clients have achieved financial planning success at WISEplanning, having ‘graduated’ from The Money MATRIX or other programs to become members of The WISE ASSET MANAGEMENT program (with $250,000 or more to invest in a direct share portfolio).
• An increasing number of WAM clients are breaking the $1,000,000 portfolio value threshold (some having started from scratch, saving only a few dollars each month many years ago).
• One Canterbury client funded $100,000 worth of livestock from portfolio profits.
• A number of clients have helped their children to purchase their first home, get into business, or fund education using portfolio profits.
• Some use the profits from their portfolios to travel, comfortably.
• Many have assisted children and grandchildren get started on their journey.
• An increasing number of clients are setting up legacy foundations for future generations (in addition to the standard default position of giving their accumulated wealth away to next-in-line family).

As for me and my family, we enjoy a good lifestyle but it was not always easy. For example, a significant challenge I will never forget was what I call ‘The Perfect Storm’. In short, over 2007–2011 our lives were changed, with each event becoming an ongoing process and compounding on the prior events:

1. As a result of the Global Financial Crisis, poor quality assets became insolvent with thousands of New Zealanders losing significant sums of money. Even though some financial planning firms like WISEplanning had minimal or no exposure to finance company investments in New Zealand or other financial products based on so-called NINJA loans in the US, all financial advisors were tarred with the same brush. It became impossible to grow our financial planning business, which meant cash flow became negative and some private assets had to be sold.

2. Out of the dust of the Global Financial Crisis and well-publicised losses for many everyday Kiwis, new legislation was introduced to tighten regulations in the finance sector (a good thing). This meant long hours of additional study as well as the development and implementation of new business processes, to be able to comply with the new legislation. A significant burden resulting in many in the industry fleeing to large financial institutions or early ‘retirement’.

3. 4.00am September 04, 2011 – the first earthquake of many to come in Canterbury. Apart from massive day-to-day disruption, self-employed, business owners, parents, employees, and people throughout Canterbury were impacted. For us, it was an ongoing challenge to return the business to profitability (growth still not an option for us) and stabilise our investment properties.

4. Serious family health challenge. Cancer struck. Something that happens to other people – right?! It’s never over but we are on the right track here. A powerful reminder that each new day is unique, special.

“Each day is a gift”.
– My wife’s auntie Deborah (passed away after a mighty struggle against cancer)

• Struggle, challenge, barrier, obstacle – not always easy, but worth it.
• Despite ‘The Perfect Storm’, we prevailed. We continue to progress:
• Living life, on purpose, by design:

The obvious:
– Family focus
– Enough personal cash flow every month, regardless
– Enough passive income on tap every month – if we want it
– Offshore travel
– A spacious lifestyle home
– Reliable, safe day-to-day transport options, with style
– Good health

The less obvious (life can be nuanced):
– Real choice about everything where possible (time – how we allocate it, people – who we allocate time with, activities – doing the things we prefer, engagement – hanging out, building relationships with people that are important to us)
– Control over what we can control (day-to-day activity, where and with whom we allocate time, our life direction)
– Supporting, nurturing family with strong authentic values
– Helping others in the broader community (Rotary International, other community/charity activities)
– Maximising opportunity, everywhere possible
– Continuing to pursue personal growth, confronting challenges, maximising resilience, leveraging off barriers and obstacles
– Fulfilment

Looking forward to helping others create their own private $3,000,000 portfolio, the resulting financial independence, and lifestyle choices that emerge from this process.

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