Q&As: It’s not wise to let yourself be forced into being a landlord; Which New Zealand providers offer passive or index funds?; What are the minimum investments in passive funds?; Details on how the new resolution schemes for disputes with advisers will work.
Oh no, oh no, it’s off to work we go. Returning to work after a holiday is rarely easy. Back when I was employed — as opposed to self employed — I remember always feeling as if I were in the wrong job on my first few days back at work.
Q&As: Investing doesn’t have to be a part-time job. There’s still time for novel reading; KiwiSaver calculation — far from being wrong — is correct to the cent; How the lack of a tax credit for kids in KiwiSaver affects contributions to their accounts; There’s much more to financial advice than just investing.
Q&As: Should couple repay mortgage with redundancy money, or invest it in KiwiSaver or elsewhere?; Big KiwiSaver provider should know better about first-year tax credits; More information available about investment advisers — and are hourly or percentage fees better?; Less room for trouble if people make their own investments after seeking adviser’s recommendations.
Do KiwiSaver — but not to the max. At a recent KiwiSaver seminar I was surprised to find that many employee members were still contributing 4 per cent of their pay, rather than the 2 per cent permissible since April 1 this year. And an AMP survey confirms that is not unusual. “Few have reduced their contribution, though indicating in February they intended to,” says AMP.
Q&As: Which investment advisers charge fees — and why that is a good start. Plus: Winners of draw to go to Taskforce breakfast and lunch.
Q&As: Adviser’s advice is shocking — on three counts; Does it make sense to want your charity dollars to all go to the frontline?; When should you reduce your KiwiSaver contributions?
Gifts that give on several levels. Perhaps the most important assignment in a university course I teach on financial literacy has little to do with finance. Worried that the course might send the message “the more money you have the better”, I ask the students to think about how money and happiness are related.
A way to make friends and relatives happy at Christmas. Changes to invitation to Capital Market Taskforce meeting. Q&As: Less insurance can save big money and work well — if you are healthy and careful; Gradually get rid of preference shares you don’t want any more.
Excerpt from The Complete KiwiSaver: Which Assets Are for You? This week, Mary Holm’s Q&A column is replaced by an excerpt from her latest book, “The Complete KiwiSaver”. The principles she discusses here apply not just to KiwiSaver but to investing in general. Her Q&A column will resume next week.