Why drip feeding (or dollar cost averaging) is often best
Example: Non-employees depositing $87 a month into KiwiSaver
– You don’t forget it!
– Easier to budget
– Probable better return in KiwiSaver than in bank
– Most importantly — spread your contributions out.
– Dollar cost averaging in other situations: employees in KiwiSaver, other savings, moving from one risk level to another, moving money between countries
– What about when you have a lump sum to deposit?
Invest in NZ assets rather than overseas ones? Is that wise?
– Which is better for you — NZ or international investing?
– Which is better for New Zealand as a whole?
– How to invest internationally
– How to tell if your KiwiSaver fund is mostly NZ assets — not easy
Mixed messages to New Zealanders these days
– Some examples: work from home vs support CBD businesses, Buy NZ goods vs imports
– In more depth: Encouraging you to spend vs setting up your emergency fund
– 2 recent surveys: How big are people’s emergency funds? What are people doing about that?
– The big question: Is it selfish to look after your own finances, rather than helping the economy to recover?
Keep your hands off KiwiSaver in economic downturn!
Commission for Financial Capability survey results. How we could do this better:
– Sidecar emergency savings fund attached to KiwiSaver
– More use of moneytalks.co.nz to access free financial advice and budgeting help
– Build up your own emergency fund
Important new info on KiwiSaver annual statements arriving about now:
– You’ll be told your expected savings at 65 (inflation adjusted)
– Also how much you will be able to spend per week until age 90 (inflation adjusted)
– (But you won’t get this if you’re new to that provider, under 18 or over 65)
– How these numbers are calculated
– What if you don’t fit the assumptions, eg you plan to retire before or after 65?
– What to do if your numbers are worryingly low
I won’t say “I told you so”. But I sort of did!
– Listener points out that I warned of share plunge a week before
– At least people have learnt from what’s happened
– Renewed interest in share investing
– Don’t believe market forecasters
Take advantage of mortgage rate drop
– Try to keep up old payments and reduce your term and total interest
– Or set up a rainy day fund
– A warning: Don’t expect rates to stay this low forever. How would you cope if rates rise?
Listeners’ questions about what they should and shouldn’t do with their investments at the moment
– When to move to a lower-risk fund
– A good time to add to a growth fund?
– Bank worries
– What to do with your mortgage
GETTING A KIWISAVER WOF — for people of all ages in KiwiSaver. Whether you’re worried about the market downturn or just want to use some spare time productively, now is a good time to check you’re doing as well as you can (you’re probably not!) in KiwiSaver.