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Around half of New Zealanders feel they aren't making the most of their money due to a lack of financial knowledge.
New research by Partners Life shows many people struggle to pay their monthly expenses and lose sleep over money.
It found three-quarters think financial literacy is important during a cost of living crisis.
The insurance firm has partnered with financial educator Banqer to offer a free two-week course in personal finance in August.
Banqer chief executive Simon Brown said the high cost of living was putting pressure on people and growing confidence around money matters would help.
"I think underpinning that is a sort of taboo around talking about money and talking about personal finances. From my perspective, we're not having enough conversations around kitchen tables about how money actually works and how we can make it work for us in our lives.
"So, off the back of that piece of research for money month this August alongside Partners Life we're running our money month challenge.
"Essentially it's an opportunity for Kiwis to get access to our Banqer Beyond platform, which is our adult financial education platform and over a couple of weeks they will get to explore a range of different financial concepts."
He said the challenge supported the development of financial literacy and capabilities, and people could sign up on the Banqer website.
August is Money Month, which is an annual campaign by the Retirement Commission aimed at raising awareness about money education.
BNZ is also involved and released a survey showing almost three quarters of respondents believed they could not rely on NZ Super for their retirement.
Personal and business banking executive Anna Flower said the findings showed how important financial knowledge and getting prepared early was.
"Understanding concepts like compounding interest and starting your savings journey early - even with small, regular amounts - can significantly enhance financial outcomes."
She said contributing to KiwiSaver could put people in a much stronger place for retirement or buying their first home.
BNZ also offers free banking reviews and a range of online tools and resources to help people manage their money.