Q&As: Are NZ banks really safe, given what happened in the Great Depression?; Is it worth spreading your risk by using several banks?; Credit ratings still worth bothering with, and some thoughts on why readers get angry about gold; 32-year-old new KiwiSaver should get straight into growth fund.
Q&As: Fears about the safety of banks unfounded; A good idea to spread the family around several KiwiSaver providers; KiwiSaver member misunderstands why her provider moved her money; Reader urges me to hold my ground on gold, and to encourage investment in small high-tech companies.
Watched KiwiSaver funds boils too much. The internet can be a curse when it comes to long-term investments such as KiwiSaver. With many providers, you can log in and check your account balance daily. But while a watched pot might never boil, a watched KiwiSaver account can boil too much — especially at times like these.
Q&As: Should reader move to lower-risk KiwiSaver fund? Putting share plunge in perspective; Don’t try to time markets; Gold fan checks in after gold price soars, but what of his other predictions?; The one situation in which NZ Super is affected by KiwiSaver savings.
Q&As: Am I flogging a dead horse over annuities?; Why annuities are not popular; Perhaps the government should provide annuities; Different types of annuities available; Would it be wise to get an annuity from a UK company?; How KiwiSaver changes will affect shareholder employees.
Q&As: Two questions to ask before trading up to a more expensive house; A pilot joins the call for annuities for retiring KiwiSavers; Mercer explains its alternative to conventional annuities; A KiwiSaver provider gives children a break on fees; A reader is taken aback over a headline about steady incomes — and I’m taken aback that she cares!
Adviser’s enthusiasm for KiwiSaver is way over the top. KiwiSaver is a good deal. But I was astonished by the claims made for the scheme by an experienced financial adviser in a recent industry magazine — and by his lack of clear thinking.
Q&As: Calling all KiwiSaver providers: Please let us know if you have plans to offer annuities or similar; Other payout possibilities for retired KiwiSavers; Couple who have returned to NZ but still own UK house should sell it, buy here and get on with enjoying life; Dwindling children’s KiwiSaver accounts possible but unlikely.
Q&As: Retired couple with house in Christchurch’s red zone have several options to weigh up; Three Q&As about KiwiSaver for children and grandchildren; One adviser firm accepts pay-for-performance fees, at least to some extent.
Q&As: Reader wants to pay financial adviser according to performance, but advisers not so keen; Adviser’s reason for putting clients into finance companies is not good enough; RFAs — registered financial advisers — must also operate under stricter rules; Grandma might want to put conditions on financial help for student grandchildren.