The Investor 14 August 2010
Turbulent times lead to confusing KiwiSaver returns. Confused KiwiSavers are asking some probing questions about the returns on their accounts, and I can’t blame them.
Turbulent times lead to confusing KiwiSaver returns. Confused KiwiSavers are asking some probing questions about the returns on their accounts, and I can’t blame them.
Too good to be true — but it is true. It sounds like a too good to be true scheme that’s bound to end in tears: “Earn 36 to 56 per cent a year on a low-risk investment!” But there is such an investment, and it’s called KiwiSaver.
Excerpt from The Complete KiwiSaver: Which Assets Are for You? This week, Mary Holm’s Q&A column is replaced by an excerpt from her latest book, “The Complete KiwiSaver”. The principles she discusses here apply not just to KiwiSaver but to investing in general. Her Q&A column will resume next week.
How would you have done in financial knowledge survey? It’s question time. How would you have answered the following in a recent survey: “Which is generally considered to make you the most money over the next 15 to 20 years: a savings account, range of shares, range of fixed interest investments, or a cheque account?”
Q&As: No use crying over split milk: Investor can still make use of 10-year rule; Not all landlords have a dream run with their tenants; How KiwiSaver returns are boosted; Do KiwiSaver contributions need inflation-proofing, and if so, how?
Q&As: The best KiwiSaver fund for a 23-year-old depends on her house-buying plans; Angry Blue Chip investor muddles my opinion with a reader’s opinion; A reader suggests why online tax payments sometimes go wrong.
Q&As: A landlord’s threats are perhaps a little hasty — but he has a point; A KiwiSaver misunderstands the ups and downs of the market; Are property shares a good option for young man saving to buy his first home?
3 Q&As about recent negative Herald articles about KiwiSaver returns in the early months — and why they are misleading. We also discuss how KiwiSaver membership forecasts are made — with an apology to Michael Cullen and Peter Dunne — and how repaying a mortgage fast is a type of saving.