Government assistance

RNZ Radio 6 May 2021

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”.

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NZ Herald 1 May 2021

Q&As:
– Where to get help for worrying family member
– One way to help your child into the house…
– … And tax changes shouldn’t get in the way
– Capital gains already taxed if you aimed at profiting
– Tax on NZ Super when you continue to work
– Quitting job ‘best thing I could have done’

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NZ Herald 3 April 2021

Q&As:
– Reader hurt two ways by government housing changes
– Why older landlords might be happy to sell
– House price slide might be no bad thing
– Were these tenants treated badly?
– Generous landlord might attract Inland Revenue’s eye …
– … An example of this

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NZ Herald 12 December 2020

Q&As:
– Young couple should maybe take a rest from house hunting
– Which mortgage term? Split it
– Reader argues for concentrating on energy shares, but I disagree
– Why Boomers have had bad luck with Southern Cross
– Online game aims to help children learn about money

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NZ Herald 21 November 2020

Q&As:
– Early retirees should think about how that affects their children
– FIRE fan shares his savings numbers
– Exchange traded funds should have been included last week
– Reader’s time overseas won’t affect his NZ Super
– Enticing young into subsidising elderlies’ health insurance won’t work …
– … But maybe a GST change could help
– Accountant’s comment to tax complainers

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NZ Herald 24 October 2020

Q&As:
– How to buy a car without a chequebook
– Advice on banking without cheques
– $11.98 for a 40-hour week!
– More on the tax on KiwiSaver and other PIE funds
– Act fast to beat NZ Super change for some couples

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NZ Herald 19 September 2020

Q&As:
– Are you getting as much NZ Super as you should be?
– KiwiSaver withdrawals are tax-free
– Reader “finds” $45,000
– ASB and ANZ still not offering offset mortgages
– Bonus Bonds payout for people overseas
– FMA is watching ANZ on Bonus Bonds
– Unlikely someone else will start Bonus Bonds lookalike

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NZ Herald 29 August 2020

Q&As:
– Solo mum should check out government help on buying a first home
– Advice for last week’s reader with $1.5 million in the bank — give some away…
– … And put the rest in more than one bank
– Should couple’s KiwiSaver accounts be with different providers?
– The law on relationship property after a couple splits — and how to contract out

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NZ Herald 8 August 2020

Q&As:
– Family trusts no longer let you avoid rest home fees
– Advice from Shakespeare on treating children equally in wills
– What should “lazy and irresponsible” reader do with his million?
– NZ Super unlikely to be slashed, especially for those on low incomes
– Widower describes 17 years of retirement travel with wife
Plus:
– Money Week

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NZ Herald 18 July 2020

Q&As:
– 72-year-old should buy house she rents. Plus how to make her savings last
– Last week’s indebted reader should get a mortgage
– No choice but to apply for overseas pensions
– No government handouts without rules — but help is available

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