NZ Herald 20 August 2011
Q&As: NZ stock performance over last 10 years — after adjusting for tax, inflation and, perhaps, index changes; Is the gold price bubbly?; Confusion over NZ Super when one partner is under 65.
The Investor 13 August 2011
Watched KiwiSaver funds boils too much. The internet can be a curse when it comes to long-term investments such as KiwiSaver. With many providers, you can log in and check your account balance daily. But while a watched pot might never boil, a watched KiwiSaver account can boil too much — especially at times like these.
NZ Herald 13 August 2011
Q&As: Should reader move to lower-risk KiwiSaver fund? Putting share plunge in perspective; Don’t try to time markets; Gold fan checks in after gold price soars, but what of his other predictions?; The one situation in which NZ Super is affected by KiwiSaver savings.
NZ Herald 6 August 2011
Q&As: Am I flogging a dead horse over annuities?; Why annuities are not popular; Perhaps the government should provide annuities; Different types of annuities available; Would it be wise to get an annuity from a UK company?; How KiwiSaver changes will affect shareholder employees.
The Investor 30 July 2011
Adviser’s enthusiasm for KiwiSaver is way over the top. KiwiSaver is a good deal. But I was astonished by the claims made for the scheme by an experienced financial adviser in a recent industry magazine — and by his lack of clear thinking.
NZ Herald 30 July 2011
Q&As: Two questions to ask before trading up to a more expensive house; A pilot joins the call for annuities for retiring KiwiSavers; Mercer explains its alternative to conventional annuities; A KiwiSaver provider gives children a break on fees; A reader is taken aback over a headline about steady incomes — and I’m taken aback that she cares!
NZ Herald 23 July 2011
Q&As: Calling all KiwiSaver providers: Please let us know if you have plans to offer annuities or similar; Other payout possibilities for retired KiwiSavers; Couple who have returned to NZ but still own UK house should sell it, buy here and get on with enjoying life; Dwindling children’s KiwiSaver accounts possible but unlikely.
The Investor 16 July 2011
Cries of indignation, shock and fear from Credit Card Land. Three readers coming from three quite different perspectives responded to my last column about repaying credit card debt. One slightly indignant reader always pays his credit card bills in full, another was shocked at what happened when he didn’t one month, and the third has run up a $7000 credit card debt.
NZ Herald 16 July 2011
Q&As: Retired couple with house in Christchurch’s red zone have several options to weigh up; Three Q&As about KiwiSaver for children and grandchildren; One adviser firm accepts pay-for-performance fees, at least to some extent.
NZ Herald 9 July 2011
Q&As: Reader wants to pay financial adviser according to performance, but advisers not so keen; Adviser’s reason for putting clients into finance companies is not good enough; RFAs — registered financial advisers — must also operate under stricter rules; Grandma might want to put conditions on financial help for student grandchildren.