NZ Herald Q&A Column

Holm Truths Spring 06

Mortgage moves: How you can make the big loans work better for you. Also in this issue: From the mailbox — Is it a good idea to increase your mortgage and invest the money elsewhere?

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NZ Herald 18 November 2006

Q&As: Should we get bigger tax deductions for donations to charity? Also — give Christmas gifts to those who really need them; Readers disagree over the price of a 1950s pie; Buying shares company by company, over the years, not the best strategy; Is the new proposed tax on international shares fair?

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NZ Herald 11 November 2006

Q&As: What’s happened to the price of pies over the years?; Would it be good for NZ if Inland Revenue was tougher on rental property capital gains?; When is “income” really “profit”?; Reluctant shareholders worry about their lack of power — How best to hold shares.

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The Investor 7 November 2006

An exceptionally unlucky reader. International index funds, a favourite long-term investment of mine, don’t look good to one reader. “I bought about $2000 worth of WiNZ in 2000,” he writes. “They are now 27 per cent lower (have been for quite a while). Fortunately for me it was not a huge amount. “Twenty years is a long time to wait for the fund to claw its way back up. Hopefully all the investors in index funds can wait that long!”

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NZ Herald 4 November 2006

Q&As: Two on why many rental property investors should pay tax on their gains when they sell. It’s the law!; How to teach teens about budgeting; Allowing for tax when calculating returns on term deposits.

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NZ Herald 28 October 2006

Q&As: A reader finds a flaw in my “avoid the rear-view mirror” argument. Or does he?; Would NZ’s tax revenue actually increase if we all invested offshore?; Inland Revenue says it can’t fix everything at once.

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The Investor 24 October 2006

Why some advisers don’t recommend index funds. A while back I wrote that I still think index funds are the best way for most people to invest in shares, even though they are scheduled to lose their tax advantage next year. That has prompted an intriguing question from a reader: “If index funds outperform all other forms of sharemarket investing over a long period of time (10 years?), then why do advisers recommend other forms? Is it simply due to their commission?”

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NZ Herald 21 October 2006

Q&As: Is there an 18-year cycle for industrial and resource shares?; Why index fund of Aussie shares has done much worse than its index; Limited submissions on tax changes not good enough; NZ shares, already favoured, shouldn’t get still more favourable tax treatment.

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