Is ethical investing becoming mainstream? Notes from a conference held in Auckland this week: Problems with naming; Importance of the issue; “Short termism” in the financial world; The big issue: trust; What government is doing; What KiwiSaver providers are doing; Why investors aren’t doing more; What investors can do easily.
Are New Zealanders insured for bad things happening to them? Findings of a recent survey. Letters from listeners and discussion on: Loss of income insurance; Health insurance; Life insurance.
What most affects your KiwiSaver growth?: Research looks at type of fund, contribution rate, returns, luck, stickability and fees; What you can do about each of these; Main messages.
2 “expert” suggestions in a rising share market — one good, one bad. The good one — Rebalancing: What is it?; Why it can be hard psychologically; How to rebalance. The bad one — Get out of passive (or index) funds: Who does the research?; NZ in last year’s small downturn; US in two market crashes; Conclusion — stick with passive.
Should KiwiSavers and share investors bail out before the inevitable crash?: NZ share market is booming — affects mid-risk and higher-risk KiwiSaver investors; Should you move your money out before the inevitable crash?; What happens after the share market drops?; Why recoveries tend to be fast; How to cope with an up and down investment.
New developments in ethical investing: What is it?; Are the returns as good as in other funds?; Big NZ funds put pressure on Facebook, Google and Twitter; Mindful Money website — Good KiwiSaver funds, How is your fund doing? Find a fund that suits you; Listeners’ emails.
Five KiwiSaver developments: 2 milestones reached; Act NOW! — Just 2 weeks to get maximum government contribution, and for 60–64s to get a good deal; KiwiSaver statements getting better — and better still next year; Improved KiwiSaver health checker; How would you improve KiwiSaver?
Understanding risk and return: A survey suggests New Zealanders don’t get it; What investments give the highest returns?; What do we mean by risk?; Who should take investment risk?
Getting out of investments. The importance of being able to get out of investments: Which investments are easy to cash up, and which are not; The costs of selling. The importance of not being forced to sell: Do a worst case scenario; The risks of borrowing to invest.
Insights from conference on retirement income. Conference run by Retirement Policy and Research Centre at University of Auckland, 26 April 2019. Speakers included Minister of Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi. Broad aim: Smoothing lifetime consumption. What does that mean?; NZ Super: How poor are 65+ people? Can we afford Super in future?; Health in old age: Not all worrying; Decumulation (spending retirement savings): Help from government needed. Home ownership issues; NZ on world stage: What we do well.