Q&As: A way for couples on higher incomes to get KiwiSaver first home help; Man with terminal illness can probably withdraw all KiwiSaver money; KiwiSaver contributions holidays more flexible than reader realises; More thoughts on why house prices have outgrown rents; 2 readers challenge the use of the term “Mum and Dad investors” — and we seek an alternative.
Plans or no plans?: Readers differ. If you’ve wondered who that bloke is hanging around stores in the weekend watching people buy 3D television sets, it could be Blair Vernon.
Q&As: 3 Q&As on the KiwiSaver help for first home buyers — why it’s so good, but also why some people aren’t eligible; A possible explanation for house prices outgrowing incomes.
Q&As: People in their early sixties are mad if they are not in KiwiSaver; One reader says it’s too hard to buy a first home in Auckland, but two others have suggestions on how to do it; The cost of building hasn’t risen since the 1970s, but shortage of land has pushed up prices, says a reader. Plus: Follow-up on last week’s comment about a job vacancy in Wanganui.
Q&As: Three Q&As on options for would-be first home buyers struggling to afford a home — go cheaper, and go further away. (Bonus: a job opening in Wanganui); An angry reader misunderstands where I’m coming from; Two Q&As ponder how building costs and land development costs affect house prices; Further explanation about how PIRs work.
Confession time about retirement plans and goals. I’m going to commit sacrilege here. But it’s not as if I haven’t thought long and hard about it. So okay, deep breath, here we go: Contrary to what many will tell you, it’s quite possible to be financially together and not have a detailed written plan on how to fund your retirement — or even a retirement savings goal.
Q&As: Why house prices must — at some point — come down further; Newly retired person loses out, for a year, on PIE tax; How a rising NZ Super age might affect KiwiSaver; Temporary workers in KiwiSaver at a disadvantage.
Q&As: Two readers’ bright ideas on how to negotiate with real estate agents; Everything you need to know about tax on PIEs, which include almost all KiwiSaver funds.
Set and forget KiwiSaver funds a great choice for many. I’m not really interested in what happens under the bonnet of my car, as long as it goes. In much the same way many people are not interested in what happens to their KiwiSaver accounts, as long as they grow.