Are bonds really that beautiful? Bonds are beautiful. That’s certainly the message when you look at a recent Reserve Bank list of returns on 11 different types of investments, including New Zealand, Australian and international shares, property, farms, bonds and cash.
Q&As: Students get a good deal by world standards, and shouldn’t dodge student loan repayments; How come the bonds in a balanced KiwiSaver fund report losses?; Winning the tax game if you have a home and a rental property; Where to get free budget advice.
Q&As: Are shares still the best long-term investment, despite recent results?; Investing in bank term deposits has its own risk — that of inflation eating into returns; Older job applicants might want to play down their age on their CV; Volunteering overseas an option for couple in their 60s who can’t find jobs.
Q&As: Should we all panic over the Savings Working Group’s dire forecasts?; Do Bill English and Alan Bollard need to talk about how hard it is for New Zealanders to save?; Why mailing nasties to companies that make low-priced share offers might not work.
Q&As: Bank securities not quite what a reader was hoping for; The closing of a KiwiSaver scheme hasn’t gone as smoothly as hoped, but it’s no big deal; First home buyers should invest conservatively in KiwiSaver — plus: a painless time to join KiwiSaver.
Q&As: In these changing times, should I still recommend share investment for those with ten years before spending the money?; Another personal finance computer program — and it’s free; The advantages of using joint accounts, and of setting up enduring powers of attorney.
Q&As: One reader is angry that ASB is closing the trusts he’s invested in, while…; Another reader sees it as a great opportunity to try a new investment strategy with term deposits; I might be a duck or a weasel, but I’m not a financial adviser.
Q&As: Other ways in which gold is risky; The difference between term deposits and bonds; Why is ING’s default KiwiSaver scheme cheaper than the very similar ANZ and National Bank schemes?; Readers offer some udder ideas on what to call Mum and Dad investors.
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.
Q&As: Couple struggling with rental property should put it on the market; Did the issuers of perpetual preference shares adequately warn investors that their value could fall considerably?; The choices for a KiwiSaver who moves overseas.