Q&As:
– Young couple should maybe take a rest from house hunting
– Which mortgage term? Split it
– Reader argues for concentrating on energy shares, but I disagree
– Why Boomers have had bad luck with Southern Cross
– Online game aims to help children learn about money
Q&As:
– Ignore hot tip about market downturn — unless it scares you
– Switching from term deposits to KiwiSaver in retirement is not without risk
– “Millionaire-making” companies on warnings list
– Weighing up mortgage offerings is tricky
– Covid-19 aside, bank communicated poorly
Q&As:
– Boys’ KiwiSaver first home savings should work well
– No clear answer for family’s mortgage dilemma
– What if that cheque had been bigger?
– Reader can still call it a “cheque” account!
– Challenge on PIE tax only partly right
Handling debt — from mortgages to buy now pay later.
– Worries — job losses, rising interest rates
– 2 types of borrowing — for things that grow in value and things that don’t
– Deferring payments — what that means
– Pay off highest interest first
– Set up automatic payments
– Add to mortgage?
– Buy now pay later. No interest but fees if late.
– In trouble with a loan? Talk to lender.
Q&As:
– Are you getting as much NZ Super as you should be?
– KiwiSaver withdrawals are tax-free
– Reader “finds” $45,000
– ASB and ANZ still not offering offset mortgages
– Bonus Bonds payout for people overseas
– FMA is watching ANZ on Bonus Bonds
– Unlikely someone else will start Bonus Bonds lookalike
Q&As:
– Compound interest can do astounding things over long periods
– Could helping adult children through an offset mortgage leave parents in the lurch?
– How do others on average incomes save for a house?
– The risks for Bonus Bond holders in waiting for the wind-up
– What if you think your deceased relative had unredeemed Bonus Bonds?
What to do about low interest rates at banks (and the demise of Bonus Bonds)
– Not as bad as people think
– But still many unhappy
– Suitable alternatives — safe, low volatility — offset mortgages, cash funds, low-risk KiwiSaver funds
– Be braver? — if long-term money — middle-risk KiwiSaver funds. Probably not higher-risk funds or shares or rentals
Q&As:
– A clever way to reduce mortgage risk a little
– Westpac denies age discrimination in mortgages
– Boomer vents about NZ Super, but misunderstands
– How to keep inheritance away from separated sister-in-law
Q&As:
– 72-year-old should buy house she rents. Plus how to make her savings last
– Last week’s indebted reader should get a mortgage
– No choice but to apply for overseas pensions
– No government handouts without rules — but help is available
Q&As:
– When debt can be good…
– … And when it’s not
– Job seeker benefit not easy to apply for
– Is this NZ Super reduction fair?