Q&As: Parents hoping to deduct payments to baby for “working” for them are dreaming; Tax dodgers and protesters aren’t in the same camp; Couple in sixties should grab the chance to get their own home; Why returns are disappointing on KiwiSaver cash funds.
Who needs money when you’ve got what New Zealand’s got? New Zealanders, it seems, are better off than people in any other OECD country when we look at non-financial measurements. The saying “money isn’t everything” rings true in this country.
Q&As: Putting your savings in the kids’ names, to reduce taxes, is not a clever idea; Should Christchurch Red Zone dweller buy another home?; Getting by on stone soup; Comparing gold and silver investments with KiwiSaver.
Q&As: Is it wise not to save because if you do you’ll lose some government subsidies — and to spend the money on cars instead?; Our chances of ending up in a rest home. And could there be insurance to cover the costs?; Last week’s “oily ragger” should do her own thing; No bargain is quite so good when you consider how much you really had to earn to buy it; Update on a reader’s predictions of NZ’s exchange rate and gold and silver prices.
Q&As: An idea for a woman who doesn’t know what to do with all the money her husband is now making; How much is a tax deduction worth?; Unfairness in rest home subsidies unavoidable — unless you want to distort your spending; “Add-back” of gifts to a trust not as extreme as reader thinks.
Fees matter, especially for younger KiwiSavers. Too many KiwiSavers — particularly younger ones — are sitting in funds that are likely to grow less than other similar funds.
Q&As: Are corporate boxes at the rugby tax deductible, and is that fair?; A quick easy way to see how far a retirement nest egg will stretch; Does the average retiree get a good deal from NZ Super? Does it even make sense to ask that?; The best type of fund for a KiwiSaver in his 60s.
Q&As: Two Q&As on our recent sawmilling picture — and how they got the huge log up there; Is it still worth it to set up a trust so you are eligible for the rest home subsidy?; A suggested way to stop people using trusts to get the rest home subsidy — and are trusts fair?; Angry reader talks quietly; Couple in their 60s plan trip to Greece courtesy of KiwiSaver.
Harsh words worth listening to. I’ve been hesitant to write about a recent speech by Paul Mersi in which he told off New Zealanders for their attitudes to money.
Q&As: What a good ad about KiwiSaver growth should and shouldn’t include; Bank ad doesn’t always quite work; Should 65-year-old worker feel guilty about getting NZ Super?; Missing pit in last week’s picture; 2 Q&As about KiwiSaver tax credits in the last year of receiving them.