How To Get Ahead In NZ Without Earning More

What if you genuinely can’t earn more? Are you stuck financially?

In this Ask the Experts mailbag episode of Making Cents, we tackle a question that so many teachers, nurses, and public sector workers quietly wrestle with: what do you do when your income is capped?

Today’s letter writer is a teacher. She’s hearing the usual advice, to “earn more”, “start a side hustle”, “increase your income”, but her reality is strict salary bands, long hours, and family commitments.

So if climbing the income ladder isn’t strai...