Q&As: A big fan of property investing scares me with his lack of knowledge; I’m accused of hypocrisy and bias; In praise of boring old index funds and learning about them. Plus: KiwiSaver: Will the kick-start be around for a while? What happens when an employee gets a lump sum? A clarification about access to the money in bankruptcy.
Q&As: Super saver, 19, might be best to stay out of the rental market unless his parents have deep pockets; Former landlord tells his nightmare story; Is it good for New Zealand when our young take off on their OE?
Q&As: Student allowance rip-off is not OK; Advice for house-less Gen Xers: Buy a rental property in the provinces; Rental property buyers feel like the scourge of society; The cliché king has his say; Cardboard boxes and contentment.
Q&As: The inter-generation battle rages on in six Q&As, and we also get several readers’ ideas on how Gen Xers can cope with high house prices; Succinct advice from a reader’s Dad who suffered in the Depression.
Q&As: Four readers give diverse views on whether baby boomers or Generation Xers got a better deal on tertiary education, student loans, and affordability of houses.
Q&As: Three readers defend baby boomers and suggest how today’s young could afford to buy homes; A Generation Xer speaks up for her generation; A reader worries that apartments may lose value.
Q&As: Auckland houses may be unaffordable, but apartments aren’t; One man is happy with is inexpensive home; Homeowner feels anything but smug about being in the housing market; War is declared between the baby boomers and the younger generation; Last time New Zealand tried to control rents, it was disastrous.
Q&As: Would-be homeowners may need to lower their standards a bit — with some help from Monty Python; Inflation hits property at least as much as share funds; Californian astounded by our “real estate mania”.
Q&As: Rent control would do more harm than good; The cost of staying out of the housing market; Reader insists it’s worthwhile to try to time foreign exchange movements. It’s all his!
Q&As: A tax on house sales, to subsidise first home owners, is a lovely idea that wouldn’t work; Renting and saving elsewhere can leave you better off than home ownership; Semi-retired couple who sold their home and rent are probably doing fine.