Money Talk December 2019
Should you use extra cash to reduce your mortgage or top up your KiwiSaver?
Should you use extra cash to reduce your mortgage or top up your KiwiSaver?
Q&As:
– “Merry (non-commercial) Christmas!” says reader
– Index funds — what are they and how to invest
– Could exchange-traded funds wreck how sharemarket works?
– KiwiSaver provider not up with play on 65-plus withdrawals
– One reader gives away all his NZ Super …
– … And another makes it easier for everyone to do that
Q&As:
– The 3 ways a reader has “chowed through” her mortgage
– It’s not wise to skip health insurance altogether
– Reader gives us a stats lesson, through Bonus Bonds
– Banks’ bonus savings products too complicated
– 2 readers tell of easy ways to give to charity
– No I don’t screen readers’ letters because of their attitudes
If worry about your rental is keeping you awake at night, it might be time to sell
Q&As:
– Clever ways to make Christmas less expensive and more fun
– Who’s creaming it, the lawyers or the banks?
– Bonus Bonds give reader nothing over 48 years
– An argument against online donations
– Give now rather than in your will, reader says
– Reader reckons he deserves his pension, after paying for others
Plus:
– List of charities offering meaningful Christmas gift programmes
Q&As:
– Bonus Bonds work well as on-call account …
– … But not so well as a gift for grand-daughter. Other options for her
– Means-testing NZ Super may cost more than it saves
– Lower-income retirees already get more
– Take care with charity donations in wills
– Tell charities how you want to be treated …
– … Here’s what to do if they ignore your requests
Q&As:
– What to do with a $200,000 Lotto win
– How does Inland Revenue handle Islamic banking?
– Drop in fund value explained
– 2 Q&As on handling charity donations after the donor dies
– Reader explains why millionaire could be aggrieved about NZ Super
– Another reader doesn’t buy my arguments on means-testing Super
– Is means-testing a far left idea?
Q&As:
– Family tree doesn’t explain why women are worse off in retirement
– Should we give more NZ Super to those in need?
– Reader seeks ideas on giving to charity
– Offset mortgage one way parents can help children buy a home — but not a tax break
– Look beyond bank adviser
– Investors in KiwiSaver and other funds pay slightly less tax
If you can learn to handle risk, you’ll get more out of your KiwiSaver fund.
Ask someone which KiwiSaver fund they are in, and most will name their provider — a bank or other financial institution. But the provider doesn’t matter nearly as much as which type of fund you’re in.
WOMEN AND MONEY
Q&As:
– A new kitchen might be best use of $15,000 no longer needed
– What can 66-year-old do to improve her situation? Maybe work longer
– How to find a suitable managed fund
– When lending to family, have a way to get your money out