NZ Herald 23 April 2016
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: 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.
Q&As: Reader worries about borrowers on peer-to-peer lending site Harmoney; Another possible meaning for “freehold”; Should windfall go on buying a rental or mortgage repayment?; Insurance advisers respond to critical report.
Q&As: A few phone calls can slash hundreds from insurance bills; We’re not all bad, says insurance adviser; “Freehold” doesn’t mean mortgage-free, and beware of leasehold property; Reasons for Auckland house price rise don’t rule out bubble; Meaningful Christmas gifts.
Q&As: How a woman who can’t stop herself from spending could tie up an inheritance; Extra house savings may be better outside KiwiSaver; Saving in or out of KiwiSaver, and 55-year-old can still aim at home ownership; More information about life expectancy; Is ageism rearing its ugly head amongst pensioners?
Mortgages: Fixed vs floating rates — Which? advantages of each; Types of mortgages — Ordinary (table), interest-only, revolving credit; Should you pay down your mortgage fast? — Or is it better to save?
Q&As: Calculators that measure your life expectancy more accurately; Is it better to repay a mortgage or save?; Don’t overreact to worry that KiwiSaver retirement withdrawals could be limited; Don’t assume any interest rate trend will continue; What would happen to members’ savings if a KiwiSaver provider went bust.
Q&As: Couple’s rental property plans riskier than they might think; What happened at Milford, and how are KiwiSaver members placed?; Bank adviser may regret lack of interest in man in his 90s; Hard to be a young, independent adviser.