NZ Herald 24 November 2007

ATheoretically it would be good to spread even bank deposits over many banks. But theorists don’t always take simplicity into account — even though it’s really important in our lives. In practice, I don’t think a spread is necessary.

The Reserve Bank, which keeps an eye on the financial strength of banks, recently said, “the financial system is sound and has been reasonably resilient against a backdrop of worldwide market volatility.” It’s hard to imagine a mainstream New Zealand bank getting into financial trouble in the near future.

If you were talking about finance company debentures, that would be a whole different story, with the recent failures at some finance companies.

True, some of the remaining companies are stronger. But I would never suggest you invest in finance company term deposits and the like unless you know lots about the companies and you spread your money over several different companies.

While I think banks are currently safe enough for you not to worry about diversification, there’s another type of risk to watch for. That’s the risk that you will tie up lots of your savings for a long time, only to see interest rates rise soon after, so you miss out on the higher return.

A way to avoid that is to stagger your maturity dates — a strategy sometimes called laddering. Try to set up your bank term deposits so that you have some of your money maturing in one year, some in two years, some in three years and so on.

That way you will get a fair spread across interest rates — sometimes doing poorly but also sometimes doing really well. It also means you will have money available reasonably frequently, in case you need it.

AThere’s nothing like advice from those who have walked the walk. And I imagine it could be awkward if one of the flatmates in a house is also the landlord — although I know of situations in which it seems to work fine.

On the tax issue, Inland Revenue says you’re not necessarily right. Whether the relationship is one of landlord and tenants or homeowner and boarders depends on “the facts”. I suppose these might include things like whether the property owner routinely cooks meals for the others.

It seems likely that our correspondent would be in a landlord/tenant relationship. In that case — as with other rental property — she would have to declare the rental income and could claim related expenses.

However, if she decided it was a homeowner/boarder relationship, she could use what’s called the “standard cost determination” in working out her tax.

If she had one or two boarders who each paid $213 or less a week, she wouldn’t have to pay tax on that income. If she had three or four boarders, the cutoffs are as follows: the first two would each pay $213 or less and the other one or two would each pay $173 or less a week.

With five or more boarders, she would have to fill out a tax return and include all payments as income — although I doubt that would apply in this case.

If those cutoffs didn’t apply, she would need to use another option. She can get more information at www.ird.govt.nz by doing a search on “boarders”, or by ringing Inland Revenue’s automated stationery service on 0800 257 773 and asking for an IR 264 Rental Income booklet.

AOn your first question, nothing happens, if that’s what he wants. The contributions just stop, and the KiwiSaver account sits there.

The only situation in which someone must contribute is during their first year in KiwiSaver if they are an employee. After a year, employees can take a contributions holiday. Everyone who is not an employee can simply stop contributing whenever they wish.

However, that’s not the way to get the most out of KiwiSaver. It’s best to make sure that in every year starting July 1 and ending the following June 30 you have contributed at least $1043.

That’s because, on every June 30, each KiwiSaver provider will send a list to Inland Revenue of its members’ total contributions in the July-June year. For everyone who has contributed less than $1043, the government will match their contribution dollar for dollar with the so-called tax credit. For everyone who has contributed $1043 or more, the government will put in $1043.

To make the most of the government’s gift, then, every KiwiSaver should try to get at least $1043 into their account by June 30.

In your scenario, someone who loses their job should find out how much they have put into KiwiSaver since the previous July 1.

If it’s already more than $1043, they don’t need to bother with more contributions until the following July-June year. But if it’s less than that amount, it would pay to build up their contribution by June 30 so it totals $1043.

Those who can’t be bothered doing that are missing out on having their savings doubled — which is a pretty good deal. For those who can’t afford to do it, it’s worth eating into their savings or adding to their mortgage if necessary.

Got all that? Let’s add a complication. In your first year in KiwiSaver, the maximum tax credit is proportionate to how much of the July-June year you have been contributing to KiwiSaver.

Inland Revenue regards you as having joined on the first of any month that you start contributing. So if you start in November — eight months before June 30 — you are eligible in that first year for a tax credit of eight-twelfths of $1043, which is about $696. If you start in January, you are eligible for a first-year tax credit of six-twelfths of $1043, which is about $522.

So, during your first year you should calculate your maximum tax credit based on the month in which you started contributing.

On your second much simpler question, when a KiwiSaver member dies at any age — before or after reaching NZ Super age — the money in their account goes into their estate and their beneficiaries can spend it straight away. They don’t have to wait until the KiwiSaver would have been 65.

AMore or less. But if you want to get the most out of KiwiSaver for the smallest contribution, it might be best to hold back on any contributions until next June.

At that stage, find out how much she has contributed from her current job and any future jobs, and also figure out her maximum first-year tax credit based on when she started contributing — as explained above.

If her total contributions aren’t as big as the maximum credit, you can always put in a lump sum during June to bring her up to the maximum.

After her first year in the scheme, you won’t have to calculate her maximum tax credit, as it will always be $1043.

From then on, every year during which your wife is sometimes working, the most efficient way to handle KiwiSaver will be to top up her contributions each June to $1043, if necessary.

One more thing: It sounds as if you may not realize that while your wife is working, she contributes 4 per cent of her pay. From next April, her employer will also contribute, starting at 1 per cent of pay — if current proposed legislation becomes law.