Q&As: Should couple sell Auckland rental now or keep it until retirement?; How to contribute something other than 3,4 or 8% to KiwiSaver; What happens when a KiwiSaver turns 65; ‘Good news’ letter a reminder to the young; Auckland too pricey? Try Dunedin; Update on KiwiSaver HomeStart grants.
Clever and not-so-clever moves with mortgages: 2 worrying trends — longer mortgages, people adding to mortgages; Good news — people repaying faster; When rates drop, maintain your payments; Paying down your mortgage a great investment; Mortgage on rentals a bit different; Revolving credit loans give flexibility but risky for some; Main points.
Spending too little, spending too much: Shopping is a favourite pastime; People who are too mean on themselves; People who spend too much — why do they do it? — 1. Keeping up with the Joneses, 2. Psychological, 3. Credit card company behaviour; Help for big spenders; Most important of all — Change your habits. PS: Final reminder about KiwiSaver tax credit.
Q&As: Adding to already huge mortgages is playing with fire; It’s not interest rates but mortgage size that matters; Lack of family communication leads to big debt…; …so do pushy credit card providers.
Q&As: Smartshares are a good way to get into share investing…; …And they beat mortgage repayment for one reader; Who worries more, rich or poor retirees?; Retirement Commissioner seeks your thoughts.
Listeners’ questions on setting financial priorities: Quick summary of last week’s segment; Listener’s comment on repaying your mortgage; Listener questions on KiwiSaver; Listener questions on non-KiwiSaver funds.
Setting financial priorities — Best thing to do with excess cash: the rule about repaying debt versus investing; Applying this to: credit card and other high-interest debt, mortgages, student loans; Top priority for all: repay credit card debt. Next priorities: If you don’t own a home; If you have a home with a mortgage; If you have a mortgage-free home.
Mortgages: Fixed vs floating rates — Which? advantages of each; Types of mortgages — Ordinary (table), interest-only, revolving credit; Should you pay down your mortgage fast? — Or is it better to save?
Q&As: Calculators that measure your life expectancy more accurately; Is it better to repay a mortgage or save?; Don’t overreact to worry that KiwiSaver retirement withdrawals could be limited; Don’t assume any interest rate trend will continue; What would happen to members’ savings if a KiwiSaver provider went bust.
Q&As: 70-year-olds should skip buying unit and spend their savings; How to set up a regular income from bank term deposits; One reader applauds my being tough on those with big credit card debt…; …While another is incensed by it.