Q&As: Should couple with iffy job prospects sell their shares to slash their mortgage?; Young KiwiSaver with an eye on first home help should move to a lower-risk fund; One KiwiSaver doesn’t appreciate how good his deal is…; And another is sick of whingers over the scheme; Did my comment about people’s inability to pick investments cover advisers?
Q&As: Changes to KiwiSaver and NZ Super inevitable — and justified; Negatives about KiwiSaver not so bad; Reader loves KiwiSaver; 3 Q&As on tax credit and timing of it; Immigrants from UK lucky with their timing; UK interest rates not so low.
Winning the KiwiSaver game under the new rules. As the dust settles on the government’s Budget announcements about KiwiSaver, how should the changes affect the way you play the KiwiSaver game?
Q&As: Reader knows more about chemistry than savings schemes; Yes, KiwiSaver does rely on government favours to be attractive, but that’s okay; Timing of the tax credits in the next KiwiSaver year; Some KiwiSavers on total remuneration may want to take contributions holidays; When to bring UK inheritance to New Zealand.
Q&As: Self-employed probably fare worst in KiwiSaver changes, but scheme still really hard to beat; Likelihood of more government changes not a good reason to stay out of KiwiSaver; Abolition of gift tax reduces paper work for family trusts, but doesn’t eliminate it; “Provincial perspective” on changes in house prices over the decades.
Getting back in balance. Investment markets have been particularly turbulent in recent years. Chances are, therefore, that your spread of investments — over property, shares, bonds, term deposits and so on — has changed without your intending that to happen.
Q&As: Foreclosed property seminar reminds me of investment warning lists; Government’s proposed changes don’t affect current KiwiSaver decisions; Do banks lend more than their total deposits?; Am I brainwashed, and perpetuating myths about family trusts?; Fair enough that housing is not cheap here, says American who moved to NZ.
Think before switching your whole mortgage to a floating rate. In a dramatic change over the last couple of years, everyone’s moving to floating-rate mortgages. Is this a good idea?
Q&As: A house looks ridiculously cheap in 1958, but let’s put that into perspective; Retiree hit by inflation acknowledges that it could have been worse; Too hard to get by in New Zealand? Fix it or leave, but don’t whinge; A family wants out of its family trust, which is complex, expensive and not benefitting anyone.
Q&As: A reader’s attempt to recover tax on finance company interest is a nice try, but…; Wanting less and working less doesn’t preclude tall poppies; Creative ideas on how to cut household expenses; Did I get the banking system wrong, or did a reader?; At least one bank — sort of — will lend to share investors.