Articles & Audio

The Investor 18 March 2008

Choices for those hit by mortgage rate rises. The offers are already being made to people facing big mortgage interest rises. “If your lender won’t renegotiate, we’ve got deals that will lower your payments,” they say. Are these deals any good?

Read More

NZ Herald 15 March 2008

Q&As: Two readers sound off about ring fencing rental property tax losses, and a third puts it all in historical perspective; Another reader worries about the difficulties of making tax payments online.

Read More

NZ Herald 8 March 2008

Q&As: A landlord’s threats are perhaps a little hasty — but he has a point; A KiwiSaver misunderstands the ups and downs of the market; Are property shares a good option for young man saving to buy his first home?

Read More

The Investor 4 March 2008

What a difference a year or two makes. Most people have lists — either written or in their heads — of things to do, and certain items never seem to make it to the top. If one of those is to join KiwiSaver, push it to Number One promptly. Delay is probably costing you much more than you realise — unless you are 60 to 64.

Read More

NZ Herald 1 March 2008

Q&As: Five Q&As about employers contributing extra to KiwiSaver, at no cost to them: An employee can take advantage of this in more than one job; Employers are reimbursed for voluntary as well as compulsory contributions; Why even mean employers might go along with it; Employers can contribute any amount; How salary sacrifice works, and how higher employer contributions can boost it.

Read More

NZ Herald 23 February 2008

Q&As: A middle-of-nowhere section might not be the best choice for a 25-year-old’s savings while he studies; Have delays in processing KiwiSaver contributions hurt savers in the recent tumultuous markets?; How to top up your KiwiSaver contributions so you get the full tax credit.

Read More

The Investor 19 February 2008

Mortgage diversion well worth it for many. The term “mortgage diversion” will be on more and more lips as KiwiSaver approaches its first anniversary in July. It’s not too early to think about whether this feature of the scheme — available after 12 months membership — would work well if you are already in KiwiSaver, or could attract you into the scheme.

Read More

NZ Herald 9 February 2008

Q&As: Calculator tells reader to stop saving and live it up a bit; Reader who finds KiwiSaver nauseating has a scary list of things that could go wrong…; …But another one applauds KiwiSaver, while sitting on the home ownership sidelines.

Read More

The Investor 5 February 2008

Share plunge arguably good for KiwiSaver. Despite some irresponsible reporting, the low returns on many KiwiSaver funds in their first few months are no reason not to join up. I’d even say the rough start was good in some ways. The one big worry is that people have read a few headlines and decided to stay away from KiwiSaver without understanding what’s really happening.

Read More