How to build wealth like the 1% (on a normal income)

If you’ve ever wondered what’s actually going on behind the scenes of the 1%, beyond the headlines, Instagram posts, and glossy business profiles, this episode pulls back the curtain.

Because beneath the public image of wealth is usually a highly deliberate money strategy. And it doesn’t have to be exclusive to the ultra-rich.

In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook speaks with Andrew Clements, a private wealth and succession lawyer who works with some of New Zealand’s wealthiest families. Andrew spends his days helping high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients build wealth, protect it, and stop it being blown up by one bad decision, whether that’s an investment mistake, poor structure, or family conflict.

What he’s learned may surprise you.

We talk about:

• How wealthy families think in decades, not years

• Why protecting money often matters more than chasing returns

• The “guardrails” the wealthy put around their money, and their families

• Why the rich often sell when others are rushing in

• The risks that don’t show up on balance sheets, including family and succession risk

• How downturns are treated as opportunity, not panic

• And which wealth strategies are realistic for everyday NZers to copy

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This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

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Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:02:13 Meet Andrew Clements: private wealth and succession lawyer
• 00:03:39 Money talks, but wealth whispers
• 00:04:25 Values over dollars: what wealthy families actually prioritize
• 00:08:19 The long game: how the wealthy build and protect assets
• 00:09:44 The Lithuanian entrepreneur who didn't get greedy
• 00:12:38 Investing in yourself: the best investment you can make
• 00:18:43 Philosophy breeds methodology: finding advisors who understand you
• 00:22:12 How the wealthy invest differently: shares over property
• 00:27:24 Impact investing: making money and making a difference
• 00:29:22 Family risk: how inheritance can become poison
• 00:33:16 Beating the three-generation curse
• 00:37:20 The hundred dollar note on the dinner table
• 00:42:13 Can average people become wealthy? Yes, here's how
• 00:44:39 Outro