Start — or increase — your saving NOW
– Starting to save early in life makes a huge difference
– The cost of delaying for just two years
– How much more you can save in a higher-risk KiwiSaver fund
– The power of changing KiwiSaver contributions from 3% to 6%
– Use KiwiSaver calculator on sorted.org.nz
Q&As:
– Aggressive KiwiSaver funds can work well …
– And here’s an even riskier one
– Can overseas daughter join KiwiSaver?
– What happens to KiwiSaver money when the member dies
Q&As:
– How does diversification apply to a share fund?
– Don’t forget fees and tax when comparing mortgage paydown and investing
– Small payments off fixed mortgages okay …
– … and bigger payments easy in current environment
– Many Q&As about last week’s angry reader and my response
Many ways to “eat your house” in retirement:
– Take in boarders or flatmates
– Sublet part of home — permanently or Airbnb (wttch tax and insurance)
– Subdivide — easier now
– Sell your house and buy smaller or in a cheaper place
– Sell your house and become a renter
– Reverse mortgages
Q&As:
– A classic too-good-to-be-true offer
– KiwiSaver government contributions to some over 65s? No — let’s make it beneficiaries
– Mortgage paydown probably better than buying shares
– Let’s get this widow mortgage-free before retirement
– Reader unhappy with te reo in last week’s column
Q&As:
– Financial mentors offer free help for everyone who is struggling
– A good reason to switch KiwiSaver fund
– Reader “aghast” at my “cherry picking” in fund comparison
– Why passive share funds won’t take over entirely
– Life insurance advice from one who knows
Animal investors — what we can learn from them
These creatures have been picking investments, and mostly doing well:
– Orlando the cat
– Adam Monk the Brazilian monkey
– Lusha the chimpanzee
– A small herd of cows
– Mr Goxx the hamster
How do they do well?
What’s happening here?
Q&As:
– Young have too little life insurance; old have too much
– Reader challenges my comments about picking low-fee KiwiSaver fund…
– … While a documentary backs me up
– What about the workers in big Aussie-owned banks?
– Deposit insurance scheme attacked and defended
Plus:
– Money questions? Try this
Q&As:
– Returns versus fees — which should you use to judge funds?
– Are banks safe? …
– … And should we favour NZ-owned banks?
– KiwiSaver can work well in retirement
– No, don’t try to time the markets!
– What to do after KiwiSaver drop
Bridging the gender retirement gap
Ideas from a conference on how to help women increase their retirement savings:
– Why the gap is there
– Suggestions on government action
– Suggestions on employer action
– Suggestions finance industry action