NZ Herald Q&A Column

The Investor 23 April 2011

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?

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NZ Herald 16 April 2011

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?

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The Investor 9 April 2011

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.

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NZ Herald 2 April 2011

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?

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The Investor 26 March 2011

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.

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NZ Herald 19 March 2011

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.

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NZ Herald 12 March 2011

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.

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The Investor 12 March 2011

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.

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