Q&As: A different Auckland housing option: live on the water; Reservations about young landlord’s success; 2 Q&As on whether Bonus Bonds are a good deal; Worries about living in a leasehold property; Have your say about advisers.
Setting financial priorities — Best thing to do with excess cash: the rule about repaying debt versus investing; Applying this to: credit card and other high-interest debt, mortgages, student loans; Top priority for all: repay credit card debt. Next priorities: If you don’t own a home; If you have a home with a mortgage; If you have a mortgage-free home.
Goal setting and the B word (budgeting). Goals should be SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, (w)ritten, time-bound. The goal habit: If you save before a trip, buying a car etc you can have many more trips and cars. Tips on goals. Budgeting: Firstly estimate spending in different categories, then keep track for a while; Tips on budgeting; Robert Frost poem; Emergency money; Help with budgeting: familybudgeting.org.nz.
Q&As: Are Bonus Bonds a good place for retirement savings?; How safe are Bonus Bonds?; Another KiwiSaver provider that allows regular withdrawals in retirement; Happy reader moving into new home — thanks partly to this column.
Insurance: Why it’s best to be “ripped off” by insurance; Key info on life and disability insurance (who needs it? how much?); Other types of insurance: Income protection; house and contents; car; travel; health (what they are, and how much?); Which company?; Cost cutting tips; What to do after a car crash; A comment on insurance fraud.
Q&As: Reader worries about borrowers on peer-to-peer lending site Harmoney; Another possible meaning for “freehold”; Should windfall go on buying a rental or mortgage repayment?; Insurance advisers respond to critical report.
How overconfidence can make you poorer (and other psychological aspects of investing): Applies to shares, property, fixed interest etc; Which gender?; Overconfidence leads to — 1. Too little diversification, 2.Frequent trading; What to do instead; Many women have their own problem — too little risk; Other ways emotions affect investing.
Q&As: A few phone calls can slash hundreds from insurance bills; We’re not all bad, says insurance adviser; “Freehold” doesn’t mean mortgage-free, and beware of leasehold property; Reasons for Auckland house price rise don’t rule out bubble; Meaningful Christmas gifts.
Too good to be true?: Warning signs of a scam — Who are victims?; Warning signs; False friends — features that make you think you’re OK; What to do if you’re suspicious; What to do if you’ve been ripped off.
Q&As: Couple should get on with enjoying their wealth; Report confirms reader’s concerns about insurance sales; Worry about house buying a sure sign of a bubble.