What we don’t know CAN hurt us. One of the first things journalists are taught is to make the first sentence of an article a “grabber”, something that will perhaps surprise readers and make them read on. So this column is officially starting now: Every New Zealander over 65 gets NZ Super, no matter how rich they are.
Q&As: Couple should spend less?; Wealth isn’t always money; How last week’s correspondent made his millions; Making extra payments on fixed mortgages without penalties.
Q&As: 27-year-old overseas doesn’t need more than 4 rentals in NZ; Should more conservative 26-year-old get revolving credit mortgage?
Q&As: Should newly separated woman buy a house or rent?; Our total tax rate depends on whether we spend or save. Plus: End of year message.
Q&As: $29,000 rental in Gore not the thing for a risk-averse man; More on tax on a second job.
The student loan lark — what students can and can’t do. Student loans are back in the news. And there’s some confusion about how students will be able to use — or abuse — the system when all loans become interest-free next April.
Borrowing is not all bad — it depends why we borrow. Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard has been telling us off because we keep raising our mortgage debt. But, from the individual’s point of view, how bad is that? It depends on why we borrow.
Borrowing tricky between family or friends. A quote recently caught my eye. “The easiest way to teach children the value of money is to borrow some from them,” it said. But that applies not only to children. Adults, it seems, take much more notice when someone has borrowed from them than when someone has lent to them.
Kids, cash and cards: Help your children learn about money. Also in this issue: From the Mailbox — Saving for the children’s future.
Q&As: Should a youg woman put her savings into her rental mortgage or diversify?; How to get through to Inland Revenue; Take care when depreciating rental property.