The Investor 20 March 2007
KiwiSaver enticing enough already. KiwiSaver, the new retirement savings scheme starting July 1, is coming in for criticism that is doesn’t include more tax incentives. But I’m glad of that.
KiwiSaver enticing enough already. KiwiSaver, the new retirement savings scheme starting July 1, is coming in for criticism that is doesn’t include more tax incentives. But I’m glad of that.
Q&As: Landlords, beware! Changes being considered in rental property taxation; Reader feels unfairly punished by Reserve Bank’s interest rate hike; The word “secured” in a debenture ad is hardly a warning sign. The company is just following the law.
Q&As: Many elderly, and others, could benefit from rates postponement schemes; Why floating interest rates might be better — for home equity release schemes and ordinary mortgages; A not-so-dumb question about the $50,000 exemption for international tax changes, and a new source of info on the changes.
Digging your way out of the big hole. You’re never in debt so deep that you can’t get out again. At least one reader of this column will be reassured by this message from Raewyn Fox, chief exec of the Federation of Family Budgeting Services.
Q&As: Are home equity release (HER) schemes — which lend to retired people with homes but little income — a rip-off?; Sentinel defends its HER schemes, but they are still expensive compared with possible alternatives. Also: Seeking your questions about KiwiSaver.
Q&As: Woman in mid 50s, who is renting, explores options for buying a home; 2 Q&As about the $50,000 threshold in the new regime on taxation of international shares. Also: Seeking your questions about KiwiSaver.
Direct share holding often not the best way. A sentence in a recent speech by Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard caught my eye. “New Zealanders invest about twice as much in equities (shares) directly compared with managed funds,” he said.
Q&As: Is the Kiwi dollar to blame for poor overseas investment performance?; How foreign dividends will be dealt with under the new tax rules; Where to go for historical foreign exchange data — for tax purposes; A lionish company bites back.
Q&As: The warning signs in investment ads; Should we adjust investment returns to allow for inflation?; How best to assess long-term returns on shares and property; How to tell if an Australian company qualifies for the tax exemption.
Help for those in debt. Repaying high-interest debt is sometimes called the best investment. And there’s a way to do it that, I suspect, many people don’t know about.