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.
Q&As: Executives of failed finance companies can’t get away with wearing the dunce’s hat; Beware “investment houses” offering 20-per-cent-plus returns; Why did long-term investment go backwards?
Q&As: Where does the money go when a finance company fails?; How bank mortgage interest rates are set, and how to compare them; Should a reader switch from a fixed to a floating mortgage?
Why a dollar in the hand is worth more. The recent attempt by Bernard Whimp to buy shares in half a dozen companies cheaply — and the Securities Commission’s response to it — is a good illustration of how a dollar now is worth more than a dollar later.
Q&As: Should it take a bank three weeks to cut its mortgage rates?; Just how great was one family’s “Great Mistake of 2009”?; Reader tells Mary off for forgetting about the expenses of selling a house; How couple should invest as they approach retirement.
When small is not beautiful. This goes against the grain, given that I think direct shareholders should own a wide range of shares. But there’s such a thing as too small a shareholding.
Q&As: A reader clearly doesn’t like the idea of renting instead of home ownership; How risky are mortgages, and who owns a home with a mortgage — you or the bank?; Share portfolio in some ways better than rental property in retirement.
Q&As: Should couple sell their house, and buy again later?; The high price of not organising your automatic payments well; When you should and shouldn’t repay your student loan quickly — and future prospects; 2 Q&As on what happens to KiwiSavers when they retire.
Q&As: Why 55-year-old Mum shouldn’t give up on home ownership; Important to save a little, even if you have a mortgage, to gain market knowledge over the years; Banks “are just like car dealers”; Will below-market share buyer lose it all in tax?