Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Borderless FI: Starting Over At 37 After Divorce | Bronwyn Candish | 212
Description
What do you do when your accountant brain knows the numbers, your life blows up anyway, and the answer turns out to be halfway around the world in a weird little movement called FIRE? We head to New Zealand to talk with Bronwyn Candish, a chartered accountant, community builder, and one of the clearest Kiwi voices in financial independence movement. She talks to us about starting over after divorce, rebuilding from the middle, and discovering that "doing money right" has a lot less to do with credentials than with courage, alignment, and actually taking action.
This episode covers:
- Growing up with scarcity in New Zealand and how that shaped Bronwyn's money mindset
- Why being an accountant did not automatically make her good with money
- Lifestyle creep, overbuying on housing, and drifting into paycheck-to-paycheck living
- Divorce as a financial wake-up call in her late 30s
- How Bronwyn found FIRE through a random article and went deep down the rabbit hole
- The role of KiwiSaver, housing, and DIY culture in the New Zealand version of FI
- Why community and accountability matter so much on the journey
- How Bronwyn turned her accounting practice into a FIRE-adjacent coaching space
- The creation of Black Friday and the growth of the Kiwi FIRE community
- What it looks like to be "mid-journey" and still deeply love the path
.
=== SUPPORT THE SHOW ===
🌐 Visit Catching Up to FI website
☕ Like what you hear on Catching Up to FI? Support the show at "Buy Me a Coffee"
🎙️We love hearing from you! Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question Record a Voice Message with your feedback or question
.
===DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS===
🆕Big changes with student loans in 2026. Get help from the experts at Student Loan Planner, all CFP®, CFA and CSLP® professionals. They charge a one-time fee for their thorough review. Our listeners receive $100 off a 1:1 consult using the link below. Flat fee is normally $595, but after your $100 off 'Catching Up to FI' discount, it's $495.
👉🏼 Be sure to use this link: studentloanplanner.com/catchingup
For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners
.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW
KiwiFI and Black FI Day website
PocketSmith Personal Finance Software
.
⏰ Related Episodes
Borderless FI: The Happy KiwiSaver | Ruth Henderson | 165
Borderless FI: Australian Paramedic Healing Her Own Trauma | T