Q&As: Perhaps we should celebrate a young man’s spending splurge; Don’t get rid of student loan, pay down mortgage; Dodgy share advice given to elderly couple; Think of NZ Super as insurance; Pension info there, but reader may have been distracted.
Q&As: What to do with spare proceeds from Auckland house sale; Worrying about mortgage break fee is tail wagging dog; Getting the most out of KiwiSaver and a work super scheme; NZ Super too generous for recent immigrants?
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.
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: Is it really harder to buy a house now than in the 1980s?; A money coach explains an addiction to spending…; …And a reader describes how it affects her; Does it work to have life insurance with 2 companies?
More on spreading your money around: How to diversify each type of asset; Chances of your account balance falling; Diversifying… around the world; …With mortgages; …Over time.
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.
Q&As: Judge interest rates against inflation; Retired couple seek higher returns; KiwiSaver provider drops fees on low balances; Young home buyers weigh up fixed and floating mortgages.
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.
Q&As: Are Bonus Bonds a good place for retirement savings?; How safe are Bonus Bonds?; Another KiwiSaver provider that allows regular withdrawals in retirement; Happy reader moving into new home — thanks partly to this column.