Q&As: Repaying debt should be Number One priority — with one important exception; Money can’t buy the most important things in retirement; Last week’s numbers on NZ Super were incomplete — sorry; Let’s demystify share trading, and share holding; One more advantage of owning shares.
Q&As: Earthquake victim faces an old question: whether to invest spare money or repay a loan; Reader escapes “an endless loop” of credit card payments after using an internet Q&A service; A “me too” letter raises questions about a bank’s policy on fees.
Q&As: What happens to your money when it seems to disappear for a few days in the bank?; Flexibility an issue when deciding how to go about repaying a mortgage quickly; Would gains on the sale of gold or silver be taxable?; The pros and cons of holding on to gold coin gifts.
Q&As: With extra to pay off a mortgage, should you add to principal repayments or shorten the term of the loan?; Graph of gold price history tells some interesting stories; Transferring money from UK to New Zealand to take advantage of higher interest rates here could be risky; Under what circumstances can Inland Revenue take money out of your KiwiSaver account?
Q&As: KiwiSaver is not guaranteed by the government — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t join; Is it wise to have your KiwiSaver account with your bank?; Banks said to be “stealing” KiwiSaver members from other providers; Does a reader who is speedily repaying her mortgage need a savings account?
Grab your big chance to painlessly boost your wealth. In the next few weeks, every New Zealand wage or salary earner will get a chance to considerably increase their wealth — painlessly.
Q&As: How can a woman persuade her partner to stop spending more than the couple earns?; Retiree’s share buying hobby turns ugly — but he hasn’t given it a chance; Why splitting this column into KiwiSaver and non-KiwiSaver columns is not a good idea; It won’t always be quite this good for KiwiSaver enthusiast.
Q&As: Does it make sense to try to pick where Baby Boomers will retire and buy property there?; How KiwiSaver works if you move from employment to self-employment; Should couple use lump sum to repay a commercial mortgage or for other investment — and how KiwiSaver affects this?; Some alternatives for investing in emerging markets.
Q&As: Should couple repay mortgage with redundancy money, or invest it in KiwiSaver or elsewhere?; Big KiwiSaver provider should know better about first-year tax credits; More information available about investment advisers — and are hourly or percentage fees better?; Less room for trouble if people make their own investments after seeking adviser’s recommendations.
The Other B Word. Budgeting is rather like eating healthily or exercising. Some people like to do it, but for others it’s a chore. And for many it’s a source of guilt. They think they should do it, but they don’t. This article could be yet another telling the laggards how they will be much better people if they keep track of all their spending. But that’s hardly likely to make any more difference than other such articles. As poet Robert Frost wrote: “Nobody was ever meant, to remember or invent, what he did with every cent.”