Money and couples — Part 2: Survey results, and how to do it well
NZ survey:
– Young are worse
– All income groups
– Causes of money problems
Research on successful relationships:
– Debt
– Equal access
– Talking to one another
– Large purchases
Q&As:
– Should young woman invest or concentrate on repaying student loan?…
– … And is her situation like last week’s beneficiary who inherited $1.5 million?
– 2 more readers angry with beneficiary
– In defence of a criticised headline
– How another beneficiary handled her inheritance
– Borrowing to invest in companies that, themselves, borrow
– 2 readers comment on last week’s Q&A about high KiwiSaver fees …
– … And another one jumps the gun on new low KiwiSaver fees
Q&As:
– Reader’s KiwiSaver fees are highway robbery!
– Are banks better KiwiSaver providers?
– Beneficiary must declare big inheritance
– Got a mortgage and investments? You are effectively gearing
Plus:
– New KiwiSaver default funds are a great new option for many
Q&As:
– Reader wants to invest specifically in oil and gas industry
– Crash prediction didn’t happen
– 2 letters on investing in shares only if you have a 10-year horizon
– Longer vs shorter mortgage, and paying down mortgage vs investing
– KiwiSaver government contribution as you turn 65
– Are KiwiSaver fees tax deductible? And what are all those fees?
Buy now pay later — good or bad?
– What is it, and how does it work?
– Some examples
– Who uses it most, and what are they buying?
– Growth in use
– Problems, and consumer protection issues
– How to use it well
Managing your mortgage
– Survey: Half people with mortgages are ahead on their repayments
– Penalties on repaying fixed loans early
– Why being ahead is good news: retirement savings, security, goal setting, easy “investment”
– But is this best thing to do with spare money?
– The future: rising interest rates, what to do if you can’t meet payments
– Best strategy: fixed or floating? Several terms?
Going through our Lucky 13 Money Quiz
– Questions and answers to online quiz for Money Week
– Discussion on the harder ones
– The one question few people got right — about house prices
Q&As:
– Pay son’s student fees or help with home purchase?
– Researcher challenges value of KiwiSaver
– What does this reader mean?
– House buyers should do more research
Plus:
– A quiz and upcoming talks
Q&As:
– Mindful Money website helps you invest in what matters to you
– 3 KiwiSaver providers invest in community housing
– Another organisation helps people in debt traps
– Overpaying tax leads to big smiles
– 2 Q&As on tax ramifications of parents helping children into housing
– Readers wants unpaid work acknowledged
Changes to consumer lending – harder to borrow but less spiralling debt
Notes from Financial Services Complaints Ltd conference on May 4
– Changes in effect last year: Caps on interest and fees.
– Changes in October 2021: Lenders must assess whether borrower can afford loan.
– Consumer Data Right: Government considering this. Consumers can choose to give their financial data to providers, budgeting platforms or comparison websites, etc.
– Another topic: “A complaint is a gift”.