Q&As: What is short selling, are index funds involved and is it risky?; Puzzling that real estate commissions haven’t fallen; Seller of unit needs to keep bright-line test in mind; Teachers’ pay huge compared to support staff.
Why timing the markets doesn’t work: People always move too late — or too early!; Research on this; When SHOULD you move your investments?; What type of investor are you?; Move gradually — even in KiwiSaver; 2 listener’s letters.
Q&As: Should couple — with a possible baby soon — sell their rental?; What about another couple with teenagers, and an offer for their rental unit?; Real estate agents advises against quick sales, among other things; Government considering change to KiwiSaver employer contributions after 65; Reader is disgusted with teacher’s letter; Don’t overlook tax when comparing debt repayment with investing.
Q&As: Teacher loses KiwiSaver employer contributions at 65, but colleagues don’t; Pay off student loan or mortgage — or invest elsewhere?; Ex-real estate agent explains why it’s not wise to list with several agents; Why haven’t agents’ commission rates fallen as house prices soar?; Move to Kawerau not feasible, says Auckland pensioner.
Why sticking with NZ investments is foolish: Diversification — NZ is a tiny portion of world markets; How to invest offshore — in KiwiSaver and elsewhere; What about foreign exchange risk?; How much of your investments should be offshore?; Is investing offshore disloyal to NZ?; What is hedging, and is it good?
Q&As: Small town a good deal for retired couple; Budgeting whizz kid loved story of woman buying a house on $30,000…; …but struggling mother didn’t; Can’t reinvest dividends? Send them to your KiwiSaver account; My recommended real estate commission structure outlined; Reader outdoes agents, selling on her own.
Q&As: How to tell term deposit institutions apart; Frugal superannuitants seem hurt by last week’s column; Real estate agent defends colleagues, and shares a couple of secrets; Dividend reinvestment plans work well for many shareholders; 2 Q&As on who is a professional.
Is home ownership the only way to go?: Decision to rent for life — or at least in the meantime; Weighing up the finances; Need to save big retirement sum; Short-term pluses of renting; Short-term minuses of renting; Longer-term issues; Psychological issues.
Q&As: How did reader get her own home on $38,000? Extraordinary saving; Home ownership costs much more than just mortgage; Selling your home — more than one agent, commission levels, auctions; What’s a profession?
Q&As: Low income doesn’t stop reader getting a mortgage — and a first home; One reader fails with a proposed change to real estate agents’ fees…; …but another succeeds; Mightn’t agents undervalue your property, says a reader; Mightn’t they overvalue it, says another.