A fairer deal for all on real estate agent commissions. Now — with real estate agents hungry for listings — might be a good time for home sellers to negotiate a new way of paying agents. This is not about kicking a man when he’s down. What I’m proposing shouldn’t leave an honest agent worse off. In fact, if she or he is good at their job, it will leave them much better off.
Q&As: Steps a middle-income family can take towards buying their own home; Scams not always easy to spot; The presence of family trusts could prevent governments from means testing NZ Super; Has the worst already happened for kids in KiwiSaver?
Q&As: Several signs that company offering racing tips is not the path to riches; Managers of Westpac’s poorly performing KiwiSaver cash fund ask investors to be patient; Happy investor says “KiwiSaver rocks” — even though he’s too pessimistic over the future of NZ Super.
Recession could be a blessing for most. The response to a question in a recent survey bothered me a little. Asked what they would do with a $10,000 cash windfall, 54.3 per cent of the respondents said they would pay off debt or save the money — down from 58.3 per cent three months earlier. It’s not exactly a huge drop. But I was hoping for a substantial increase.
Q&As: KiwiSaver still great for children, even though the fee subsidy is gone; Now might be an okay time to get into a rental property — for family in the right circumstances; Should young retiree switch some savings into a share fund?; Two Q&As offer advice — on school fees and insurance — to woman with dying husband.
Q&As: Mother seeks advice on financial steps to take after husband is diagnosed with terminal illness; Investor in KiwiSaver cash fund hasn’t done as badly as he thinks; Happy landlord reaps rewards from treating tenants well; Advice from this column about loans within families has saved time for a reader time — and money for her parents.