Q&As:
– Widow needs help with coping with son’s selfishness
– Scam text from “IRD” looks genuine
– Reader annoyed at having to phone bank to get better rate
– A warning for people changing banks
– Parents invest kids’ inheritances in a rental …
– … But did they follow the law?
Important info in your KiwiSaver annual statement — and how to improve it next time
– What’s in the statement
– Total at 65, and weekly spending through retirement
– How your provider came to those numbers
– What to do if you want them to be higher
– Why moving to a higher-return fund is not wise
Q&As:
– Term deposit website worries me
– Not easy to invest for teens without their knowing
– Clever idea for helping your child into their first home
– Readers’ stories about switching to smaller banks
Q&As:
– Where can 16-year-old get term deposit in their own name?
– The perils of guaranteeing an adult child’s mortgage
– Budget adviser likes reverse mortgages
– Colourful quotes from Bernard Baruch
Plus:
– Your story about switching banks
It’s OK to give up on ever owning a home.
– Home ownership falling — people need family help to buy
– It can work to be a long-term renter
– Advantages of renting
– But you need to save lots for renting in retirement
– Prediction — long term house prices will fall relative to incomes
– Best way to save
Q&As:
– Wobbly markets don’t mean you should sit on the sidelines
– Reader unhappy after following my advice
– Tips for nervous investors
– Best KiwiSaver plan after first home purchase
– Use a reverse mortgage to help son?
– A reader’s story: Learning to appreciate market downturns
Q&As:
– KiwiSaver provider’s ad looks like cherry picking to me
– Retired couple should sell their rental property
– You can repay reverse mortgages any time
– Reader takes note of bank credit ratings when choosing term deposits
– A reader’s story: Surviving Covid jitters, and upping KiwiSaver and mortgage payments
Kids and KiwiSaver
– You can sign them up at any time
– The rules for under 18s on government and employer contributions, when teenager gets a job etc.
– Maybe make small contributions — starts saving habit
– $10 or $20 a week could start a house deposit — not just from parents
– Changes at 18 — keep helping with contributions
– Saving for children outside KS — pluses and minuses
Q&As:
– How could I resist? Quite easily, actually
– A short-term reverse mortgage works well for this reader…
– … But rates postponement might be better for this one
– Don’t overlook other banks’ term deposits
Readers’ stories:
– Column helps with recovery from accident
– House deposit money better in the bank
Q&As:
– A reverse mortgage that hasn’t gone well …
– … But it might work for this reader
– A great tip on how to get more on your term deposit
– Buying shares is much cheaper these days
– A reader’s story: Many wise moves, and a great attitude