Getting back in balance. Investment markets have been particularly turbulent in recent years. Chances are, therefore, that your spread of investments — over property, shares, bonds, term deposits and so on — has changed without your intending that to happen.
Q&As: Foreclosed property seminar reminds me of investment warning lists; Government’s proposed changes don’t affect current KiwiSaver decisions; Do banks lend more than their total deposits?; Am I brainwashed, and perpetuating myths about family trusts?; Fair enough that housing is not cheap here, says American who moved to NZ.
Think before switching your whole mortgage to a floating rate. In a dramatic change over the last couple of years, everyone’s moving to floating-rate mortgages. Is this a good idea?
Q&As: A house looks ridiculously cheap in 1958, but let’s put that into perspective; Retiree hit by inflation acknowledges that it could have been worse; Too hard to get by in New Zealand? Fix it or leave, but don’t whinge; A family wants out of its family trust, which is complex, expensive and not benefitting anyone.
Q&As: A reader’s attempt to recover tax on finance company interest is a nice try, but…; Wanting less and working less doesn’t preclude tall poppies; Creative ideas on how to cut household expenses; Did I get the banking system wrong, or did a reader?; At least one bank — sort of — will lend to share investors.
Savings growth is far from over at 65. I’m a bit hesitant to pass on this information, for fear that some readers might get the wrong message. But here goes. Just promise me you’ll read past the first half dozen paragraphs, okay?
Q&As: Why it takes both partners working to afford a house these days; Buying a house with a co-owner might prove tricky; Did I muddle pounds and dollars?; Big lottery winner would have some negotiating power with a bank — but only so much; Difficulties of borrowing to invest in shares; Winners of seminar tickets.
Q&As: You need to compare rental properties and share investments on the same basis; How does KiwiSaver work for kids, and will the parents “trap” them into something they won’t want as adults?; Should we look at house prices versus household income, rather than individual income, when looking at affordability over time?
How not to be ripped off. There’s no denying that some fraudsters are clever. Bernie Madoff — the American now serving 150 years in prison for probably the biggest rip-off of all time — didn’t promise investors 20 or 30 per cent returns, which would have looked highly suspicious. Instead, it was a steady return of around 10.5 per cent a year. While you can’t get returns that high on a steady basis, it obviously sounded possible to thousands of Americans.
Q&As: Bad experience with fund shouldn’t put you off KiwiSaver…; …Nor should low income; Way of getting around high-interest fixed mortgage not without risk.