Managing your mortgage
– Survey: Half people with mortgages are ahead on their repayments
– Penalties on repaying fixed loans early
– Why being ahead is good news: retirement savings, security, goal setting, easy “investment”
– But is this best thing to do with spare money?
– The future: rising interest rates, what to do if you can’t meet payments
– Best strategy: fixed or floating? Several terms?
Q&As:
– Suggestions on how a reader can “make her life better”
– When a term deposit paid 25 per cent!
– 2 Q&As on how to find a possible lost overseas bank account
– Could last week’s house seller’s gains be taxed in New Zealand?..
– … and overseas?
Q&As:
– How to cope with housing market that could rise or fall
– KiwiSaver during maternity leave — and for non-employees
– 2 Q&As about splitting mortgages into three different terms
– Sorry but your NZ Steel shares are worthless
– Seeking possible overseas bank account
Active vs Passive share funds:
– Listener’s letter suggests an active NZ fund beats the index
– Why this could be misleading – wrong index, chosen time period etc
– Research on 15 NZ active share funds
– Conclusion: passive is a better choice
Q&As:
– Treasure hunt: Could this old term deposit be worth a fortune?
– A couple of worries about a share investor’s confidence
– “Spend while you can” says reader’s adviser
– Too few women in the Business Herald?
– One reader appreciates her real estate agent’s work …
– … While another sold easily without an agent
Q&As:
– Are you an over-saver?
– Employer super contributions not always at employee expense
– Sydney house sellers share building inspections with buyers
– A warning about LIMS, and a worry about building inspections
– Leaky home owner’s tale of woe with building inspection
– Another way to help students financially
– Haircut weirdness continues!
Going through our Lucky 13 Money Quiz
– Questions and answers to online quiz for Money Week
– Discussion on the harder ones
– The one question few people got right — about house prices
Q&As:
– Pay son’s student fees or help with home purchase?
– Researcher challenges value of KiwiSaver
– What does this reader mean?
– House buyers should do more research
Plus:
– A quiz and upcoming talks
Q&As:
– Employers should contribute to KiwiSaver even when employees don’t
– Another way to negotiate fees with real estate agent
– Selling houses decades ago
– Eye-opening way they sell houses in California
– Don’t pay agents until deal is sealed
– Tax makes term deposits even worse in inflationary times
Online share trading — don’t forget the basics
– Main platforms — Sharesies, Hatch, Invest Now and Stake
– Nearly 40% of adult NZers (1.5 million people) use or plan to use
– Five messages for share investors:
1. A good company is not necessarily a good investment
2. Decide about diversification (Can do share funds online too)
3. Shares are for the long term — or gambling
4. Traders are not winners on average
5. Value vs growth? Dividend payers vs others?
– Comparisons and info on safety of your investments — MoneyHub