Frequently Asked Questions

EMPIXO is a New Zealand financial education and mentoring brand designed to help people understand their money, make clearer decisions and create more options for their future.

Our approach is built around Learn → Plan → Act → Live the Outcome.

We believe people should understand what they are doing before being asked to make major financial decisions.

Because people are expected to make some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives without necessarily being taught how money, borrowing, investing or wealth building actually works.

There is already an enormous amount of financial information available. The problem is often knowing what matters to you, where to start, what to do next, and who you actually need to help you.

EMPIXO was created to help bridge that gap.

EMPIXO starts with understanding rather than products. Instead of immediately asking which mortgage, investment or insurance product you want, we want to understand the bigger picture: where you are now, what you’re trying to achieve, what’s already working, what’s getting in the way, and what you need to understand before making the next move.

Sometimes the answer will be education. Sometimes mentoring. Sometimes it will be getting the right regulated professional involved.

Absolutely, and many are very good at what they do. EMPIXO isn’t being built by claiming everyone else is doing it wrong. We want to occupy a slightly different position: helping people before and around the advice process, building understanding, clarifying goals, preparing for decisions and identifying what kind of professional help may be needed.

Good advisers, brokers, accountants and lawyers don’t have to be EMPIXO’s competitors. Over time, many could become part of the wider ecosystem around the people we help.

Not currently. EMPIXO currently focuses on financial education and paid financial mentoring. Personalised regulated financial advice is different and has specific New Zealand regulatory requirements.

Regulated advice services are part of the longer-term EMPIXO vision, but they will only be introduced when the appropriate people, licensing, systems and professional requirements are in place.

Because there is no reason to rush. Financial services are built on trust. We would rather get the foundations right, build good systems, find the right people and gradually introduce services when EMPIXO can deliver them properly.

We aren’t interested in filling the website with services simply to make the business look bigger. Build it properly first. Grow from there.

No, and we are comfortable saying that. EMPIXO is at the beginning of what we hope will become a much larger journey. Some parts already exist. Some are being developed. Others may take years. We intend to be open about the difference.

To build a trusted New Zealand financial brand where education, planning, technology and professional financial services can eventually work together. Over time that could include a broader team, new digital tools, professional partnerships and regulated financial services.

The ambition is significant. The approach to building it is deliberately patient.

No. Start where you are. If you need understanding, Learn might be the right place. If you understand the basics but need clarity and a plan, Plan may be more appropriate. The framework is designed to help explain different types of support. It isn’t a compulsory queue.

No. Different people arrive at different stages. You might already know a lot about money but need help organising your thinking. You might have a clear plan and simply need the appropriate professional to help you act. Or you may have no idea where to start. Learn → Plan → Act is a pathway, not a rulebook.

Then we don’t need to make you sit through information you already understand. If you know what you want but need help clarifying the next step, EMPIXO Mentoring may be useful. If what you need is regulated financial advice, you may need to work directly with the appropriate regulated professional.

At present, EMPIXO’s regulated Act services are still being developed. That doesn’t mean you have to start again at Learn. If you already know what you want, EMPIXO Mentoring can help clarify your position and next steps and, where appropriate, help identify the type of professional support you need. As EMPIXO’s regulated services develop, the Act pathway will become more direct.

That’s normal. You don’t need to diagnose yourself before talking to us. A short Discovery Chat can help work out whether Learn, Plan, another professional or another service altogether is the most appropriate starting point.

Learn is about building understanding before making decisions. It includes financial education, articles, guides, videos, tools and resources designed to make financial topics easier to understand. Much of the Learn content is available free.

Plan is where understanding becomes personal direction. EMPIXO Mentoring helps you step back, understand your current position, clarify what you’re trying to achieve and work through practical next steps. It is financial education, coaching and mentoring, not personalised regulated financial advice.

Act is the point where a financial decision is implemented. Depending on the decision, that may eventually involve areas such as lending, investment, insurance or other regulated financial services. EMPIXO’s own regulated Act services are not currently available. Where regulated advice is needed today, an appropriately authorised professional needs to be involved.

EMPIXO Mentoring is paid financial education, coaching and mentoring. It is designed to help you understand your financial position, think through your options, build a clearer plan and work out sensible next steps. It does not replace regulated financial advice where regulated advice is required.

Financial mentoring focuses on helping you understand your situation, improve financial capability, explore options and make a plan. Regulated financial advice can involve personalised recommendations about specific financial products or financial advice decisions. They can work well together, but they are not the same thing. We want that distinction to always be clear. See our Mentoring vs Financial Advice page for more.

Not through EMPIXO Mentoring. We can help you understand the issues, prepare questions, think through your position and understand the types of options that may exist. Where you need personalised regulated advice about specific financial products, you need the appropriate regulated advice service or professional.

Because information is rarely the only problem. You can find thousands of articles and videos about money. The harder questions are often: what applies to me, what should I focus on first, what am I missing, and what is realistic from where I am now. Mentoring gives you another human being to work through those questions with.

We start with you: your situation, your goals, what’s working, what’s worrying you, what you’re trying to change. From there we work through the relevant issues, identify priorities and help turn a complicated financial picture into clearer next steps. There isn’t one script that every person is forced through.

No. You don’t need a perfect spreadsheet or financial plan before talking to us. If you have useful information available, such as income, expenses, debt, lending, KiwiSaver, assets or other relevant documents, that can help. But being disorganised is not a reason to delay starting.

Yes, where that suits what you need. Some people may only need a conversation to help clarify the next move. Others may benefit from ongoing mentoring. We would rather recommend the level of support that makes sense than create unnecessary appointments. See Pricing for session options.

No. The purpose of mentoring is not to manufacture a product sale. Your next step may involve EMPIXO in the future. It may involve another professional. Or you may simply leave with better understanding and actions you can complete yourself.

Act is where financial understanding and planning move into implementation. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, that could eventually involve lending, investments, insurance, protection or another professional service.

But Act doesn’t always mean buying a financial product. Sometimes the right action is improving your position first, getting better information, or choosing not to proceed yet.

Not yet. EMPIXO currently provides financial education and EMPIXO Mentoring. We’re in the early stages of developing our future regulated financial advice capability and the appropriate Financial Advice Provider structure.

Until that’s properly established, we won’t present future regulated services as though they’re already available.

That’s the direction we’re working toward. EMPIXO is currently developing the regulatory, compliance and operational foundations required for its future financial advice business. We’re deliberately taking our time to get this part right.

Yes. Brett already holds the New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services Level 5 (Residential Property Lending strand), and has substantial experience across banking and residential lending. That existing foundation is one of the reasons mortgage and lending advice is likely to be among the first regulated Act services developed.

That’s the plan. Brett intends to work as part of EMPIXO’s future Act advice team, and also intends to continue developing his qualifications, including further study relating to investment advice and potentially insurance in future.

But the goal isn’t for Brett to become the only expert inside EMPIXO. Over time we want to build a wider team of properly qualified people with different specialist capabilities.

Mortgage and residential lending advice is currently the most natural starting point, because it’s closest to Brett’s existing qualification and professional experience. Exactly when that service becomes available will depend on the appropriate regulatory, compliance and operational arrangements being completed.

That’s part of the longer-term direction. Brett intends to undertake further study in investment advice, and EMPIXO may also add people with specialist investment and insurance capability as the business develops. Both remain future services until the required capability and regulatory arrangements are genuinely in place.

Because that’s not how we want to build EMPIXO. Financial advice involves people’s homes, savings, investments and futures. We’d rather build each capability properly, with the right qualifications, systems, regulatory arrangements and people, than rush services onto the website simply so the company looks bigger. No rush. Build it properly.

No. Start where you are. Learn → Plan → Act is a framework, not a compulsory process. If you already understand your position and know what regulated advice you need, the EMPIXO model is designed to let you go directly to Act once it’s available.

If you require regulated financial advice before EMPIXO’s own Act services are available, an appropriately authorised financial adviser or specialist will need to provide that advice. EMPIXO Mentoring may still help you understand your position, prepare for that conversation, or identify the type of professional support you need.

No. Brett expects to work inside Act, particularly in areas aligned with his qualifications and experience, but EMPIXO is being built around a team. As the business develops, other advisers and specialists may provide different areas of expertise, and a client should ultimately be matched with the person best equipped to help them.

We’ll make it clear. When an EMPIXO regulated advice service genuinely becomes available, the site will explain what the service does, who provides it, the applicable regulatory position, any important disclosures, what it costs and how to engage it. Until then, it stays labelled In Development. See our Advice Vision page for the fuller picture, and the Act menu at the top of the site for current status by area.

People who want to understand their money better and make more deliberate financial decisions. You don’t need to be wealthy. You don’t need to be in financial trouble. And you don’t need to know exactly what you want before starting.

No. Financial mentoring is often associated with hardship, but there is another large group of people who are doing reasonably well and still don’t feel financially organised. You might have a good income, a home, KiwiSaver, some equity and savings, but still be wondering “what should we actually be doing next?” That is an important part of who EMPIXO is being built for.

Definitely not. We think building wealth starts long before somebody considers themselves wealthy. It can begin with understanding cash flow, paying down debt, buying a first home, building an emergency reserve, improving income or learning about investing. Start from where you are.

Sometimes paid EMPIXO Mentoring may not be the most appropriate service. New Zealand has community financial mentoring services that can provide free support for people experiencing serious financial hardship. Where another service is better suited, we want to be comfortable telling you.

Education and mentoring can help first-home buyers understand the process, prepare financially, improve their questions and work out the next steps. Specific lending recommendations and mortgage advice require the appropriate regulated advice pathway.

Property can certainly form part of the conversation. We can help with financial education, planning and understanding the bigger financial picture. Where specific lending, investment, tax or legal advice is required, the appropriate qualified professional should be involved.

Yes. Money decisions often affect an entire household, and sometimes two people have very different views about money, risk and the future. Working through those differences together can be useful.

Yes. You can still work on your own understanding, financial behaviour and decisions. Where a decision legally or financially involves another person, there may obviously be limits to what you can implement independently.

Potentially, yes. Personal and business finances are often closely connected for business owners. EMPIXO can help with financial education and planning conversations, while specialist accounting, tax, legal, lending or investment advice should come from the appropriate professionals.

We’ll tell you. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is recognise that somebody else is better placed to help. That might be a regulated adviser, accountant, lawyer, mortgage adviser, community financial mentor or another specialist.

Yes. You don’t necessarily need to replace good professional relationships. EMPIXO can help with education, preparation and planning while your existing adviser or specialist handles their area of expertise.

No. We’re not trying to take over every financial relationship you already have. If you’ve got good professionals around you, we would rather help you use those relationships well.

Yes, this is an area where mentoring can be particularly useful. Understanding your situation, organising your thoughts and knowing what questions to ask can make the professional conversation much more productive.

Where appropriate, we may help you identify the kind of specialist you need and, where suitable relationships exist, connect you with professionals who may be able to assist. Any referral arrangements, fees or commercial relationships should be disclosed clearly where applicable.

Not necessarily. If EMPIXO introduces you to an external professional, that does not automatically mean that person or business is part of EMPIXO. We will aim to make the relationship clear so you understand who you are dealing with and who is responsible for the service being provided.

EMPIXO is a New Zealand-owned brand with its roots in Palmerston North and the Manawatū. Today the business has been deliberately designed to work online, allowing us to support people across New Zealand. Our longer-term goal is to establish our first physical EMPIXO base in Palmerston North.

Not yet. EMPIXO is currently an online-first business and does not operate a public client office. Discovery Chats and mentoring are generally delivered online.

That’s the goal. The plan is to establish the first EMPIXO physical office in Palmerston North when the business, team and services are ready for it. We aren’t going to open an office simply so we can say we have one. We want the business behind the sign to be strong first.

Potentially, yes. The longer-term idea is: Palmerston North first. Get the model right. Build the right team. Then carefully consider other New Zealand regions. We’re more interested in building good locations than collecting addresses.

No. EMPIXO has been designed as an online-first service, so your location within New Zealand shouldn’t automatically prevent you from working with us.

Some general education and mentoring may be possible online depending on your circumstances and the nature of the service required. Regulated financial advice can involve jurisdiction-specific rules, so we will not pretend that a New Zealand service automatically applies everywhere in the world. See our Expat Financial Mentoring page for more.

EMPIXO was founded by Brett Cole. Brett’s background includes many years across banking, residential lending, financial education and financial mentoring, along with personal experience building businesses and investing in property. Today he is the founding voice of EMPIXO and currently delivers EMPIXO Mentoring. Read his full story.

No. EMPIXO is the brand. Brett is the founder and currently an important part of telling the story and building trust. But the long-term goal is for people to trust the EMPIXO team, systems, products and experience, not require Brett to personally deliver everything.

EMPIXO was conceived while Brett was living in Dubai with his family because of his wife’s work. Living there created exposure to different conversations around finance, business, entrepreneurship, technology, fintech and international investment. That experience became part of the thinking behind EMPIXO. But Dubai isn’t being used as a luxury lifestyle story. Dubai is the classroom. New Zealand is home.

No. EMPIXO is being built primarily as a New Zealand brand. International experience, relationships and ideas may influence what EMPIXO eventually becomes, but New Zealand remains at the centre of the vision.

Because bigger doesn’t automatically mean better. Brett’s professional experience, relationships and understanding of financial behaviour have largely been built around New Zealanders. The opportunity is to learn internationally and use that exposure to build something better back home.

No, that isn’t the goal. In the early stages, founders naturally wear a lot of hats. But EMPIXO isn’t being designed as a business where one person tries to become the expert in everything. As the business develops, we want to add people with deeper capability in different areas.

Over time, that could include financial educators, mentors, qualified financial advisers, lending specialists, investment professionals, insurance specialists, technology and product people and other experts. Not every role needs to exist immediately. The important part is finding good people who believe in the way EMPIXO wants to work.

Carefully. We have ambitious ideas, but there isn’t a deadline that says EMPIXO must become a certain size by a certain date. Growth that damages trust isn’t good growth.

We won’t knowingly pretend to have expertise we don’t have. We won’t launch a service just because it looks good on the website. We won’t promise financial outcomes we can’t control. And we don’t want to put short-term growth ahead of long-term trust. There will be mistakes and changes along the way. That’s part of building something. But those principles should remain.

It probably will in places. Businesses learn. Technology changes. Regulations change. Customers teach you things. Better people come along with better ideas. The exact products and services may evolve, but the fundamental philosophy shouldn’t need to: help people understand more, make better decisions and create more options.

Yes. That’s important. Brett will always be the founder, but the aim is to build intellectual property, systems, technology, services, relationships and a team that belong to EMPIXO. A strong company shouldn’t require its founder to sit in every meeting forever.

The EMPIXO name is new. The experience behind it isn’t. The business is being built on years of work across banking, lending, financial education and mentoring. But we also believe trust shouldn’t simply be claimed. It has to be earned through how we communicate, how we treat people, what we deliver and whether we are prepared to say “I don’t know” when that’s the truthful answer.

Definitely not. No person or business does. We have areas where we have strong professional experience. There are other areas we’re actively learning about. And there are areas where somebody else is simply better qualified. Our rule is: teach what we know, share what we’re learning, never pretend to be what we’re not.

We’ll say so. Then we’ll either research the issue, help you identify the appropriate person, or explain that it sits outside what EMPIXO can currently help with. Knowing the boundary of your expertise is part of being trustworthy.

No. Anyone making serious promises about future wealth should make you cautious. We can help with education, planning, behaviour, preparation and better financial decision-making. We cannot guarantee what markets, property, businesses, interest rates or life itself will do.

No. Financial outcomes depend on many things that neither you nor EMPIXO can completely control. Our job is to help improve the quality of the thinking and decisions around those things.

That isn’t the kind of brand we’re trying to build. We want people to understand when Brett or EMPIXO is speaking from professional knowledge, personal experience, something we’re currently learning, or simply an opinion. Being interesting is never a good enough reason to be misleading.

We treat client information seriously and aim to handle it respectfully and securely. There can be legal or operational limits to confidentiality, which are covered more fully in our client terms and Privacy Policy. You should read those documents before using the service if you have specific privacy concerns. See Disclosures & Complaints.

That depends on why you’re working with us. Relevant information may include things such as your goals, income, regular expenses, debts, assets, borrowing and other financial commitments. We don’t want information simply for the sake of collecting it.

You choose what you are comfortable sharing. However, the quality of any financial mentoring conversation can obviously be affected if important information isn’t available. We’ll explain what information would be useful and why.

We use business systems and processes intended to protect client information and limit access to people who need it. Our Privacy Policy explains how information may be collected, used, stored and disclosed in more detail.

Tell us. We would rather have an opportunity to understand the issue and try to put it right. Our complaints process and applicable service terms explain what to do if you are dissatisfied.

Wealth isn’t simply having a large bank balance. To us, wealth is increasingly about what your financial position allows you to control: your time, your choices, your ability to handle unexpected events, your ability to help family, your ability to say yes or no without every decision being dictated by money.

It’s the deeper idea behind EMPIXO. Better financial understanding can give you more control. More control can create more options. Better options give you greater ability to shape the outcome you actually want. Money is part of the journey. The outcome is the life it helps you build.

No. Property can be an important part of building wealth and it’s part of Brett’s own experience. But EMPIXO doesn’t believe wealth has to mean property alone. Ownership can take many forms: property, businesses, shares, investments, intellectual property and other assets. Education helps people understand the choices available to them.

No. Not everybody has the same goals, circumstances, appetite for risk or stage of life. The goal is not to make everybody follow one financial formula. The goal is to help people make more informed decisions about their own future.

EMPIXO is a created name to which we’ve given our own meaning.

EMP: Empowerment. Building knowledge and confidence.

IX: The Intersection. The point where knowledge becomes action.

O: Opportunity, Outcomes and Ongoing Growth. Because progress doesn’t stop with one financial decision.

Live the Outcome is the idea at the heart of EMPIXO: money isn’t the outcome. What your money allows you to do is. That might mean owning a home, reducing financial stress, building investments, helping your family, starting a business, travelling, changing careers or having more freedom over your time. The outcome is different for everybody, and Learn → Plan → Act is how you work towards it. Read more on our Live the Outcome page: https://empixo.com/live-the-outcome/

#WhatAreYouWorkingTowardsSoYouCanLiveTheOutcome is an EMPIXO campaign about defining the life you’re working towards and taking practical steps towards it. Money isn’t the outcome. What your money allows you to do is.

It centres on one question: What are you working towards so you can Live the Outcome? Your outcome might be owning a home, having more time, travelling, starting a business, becoming debt free, supporting your family, moving countries or retiring with more choice.

Read more on our Live the Outcome page: https://empixo.com/live-the-outcome/. EMPIXO currently provides financial education, coaching and mentoring, not regulated financial advice.

No. We aren’t interested in rented supercars, promises of overnight wealth or pretending every financial decision is easy. EMPIXO can be ambitious without becoming hype-driven. We would rather build trust slowly than manufacture attention quickly.