KiwiSaver bringing out the best in many. One aspect of KiwiSaver that I’m enjoying is the way people are helping one another understand it. This came through in several entries to our giveaway of my book “KiwiSaver: How to make it work for you.” Entrants had to say in 40 words or less why they should win one of 30 copies of the book. Some wanted it book to help their children, some their parents and some their workmates.
Q&As: Man lives in NZ but his savings are in the US. When should he bring the money here, in light of the dollar’s fluctuations?; 3 Q&As on when the KiwiSaver tax credit begins — depending on when you join and/or start making contributions. Also: More winners in our giveaway of “KiwiSaver: How to make it work for you”.
Q&As: KiwiSaver is just right for 30-year-old son having difficulty saving for his first home; Why sign up a one-year-old for KiwiSaver? Also: Some winning entries in the “KiwiSaver: How to make it work for you” giveaway.
Misunderstandings about KiwiSaver abound. Predictably, given that KiwiSaver is new, complex and not yet fully formed, there are many misunderstandings about it.
Q&As: How can employees get around the KiwiSaver restrictions on them, and how much should you contribute for your children?; A mother worries about whether she should sign up her children in KiwiSaver. Also: Some winning entries in the KiwiSaver book contest.
Q&As: KiwiSaver providers that are offering ethical investment funds; More on ethical KiwiSaver funds; Will the KiwiSaver kick-start be around for a while?; Could the government take KiwiSaver money to repay student loans?; Oops! Too much haste; Sack adviser who recently recommended Bridgecorp.
Sack the inaccurate journalists. A reader reports that she and her family “were quite astounded to find you recommend (KiwiSaver) so unreservedly.” “I’ve read several articles recently by other journalists, who have pointed out that one’s savings could well be handled — in the interim before one retires — so poorly that there could be none left to collect on retirement.
Q&As: Are the 65-pluses getting a raw deal?; One reader thinks richer superannuitants are already spoilt; Self-employed reader doesn’t realise what a good deal he’s on to; KiwiSaver options for small business couple.
Q&As: How the KiwiSaver tax credit is calculated, and details for self-employed people; KiwiSaver and taxation, plus more for the self-employed. Plus: 30 talented readers will win copies of KiwiSaver book.
No tricks behind KiwiSaver doubling of money. A reader has “one or two problems” with my last column, in which I said people are silly not to sign up to KiwiSaver. “Your comments that ‘twice as much comes out at retirement’ and ‘triple the money in, triple the money out’… make one huge assumption — that the provider the investor chooses over time does not lose any money — a highly unlikely scenario surely!”, says the reader.