Q&As: The big question: does the doom merchant use banks?; Why NZ banks are not beloved; How couple close to retirement might be able to get a mortgage; When saving beats repaying a mortgage; Low-income reader lives a good life; Housing NZ offers help to retired people too.
Q&As: The extra money retired people can get from the government, above NZ Super; 2 Q&As about information on spending in retirement; People don’t literally invest student loans — so how do they do it?; Reader finds this column not worth reading!; People who make the most of student loans are “not morally bankrupt”.
Retirement spending puzzle solved. It was a question that got people thinking. Massey University senior lecturer Claire Matthews had just finished a presentation at the Workplace Savings NZ conference on how much people spend in retirement. “How come most of the spending totals for two-person households are more than twice the one-person totals?,” somebody asked.
Q&As: 3 readers are upset about morality and student loan repayment strategies; Is it better to take advantage of the student loan repayment bonus, while it lasts?; Low retirement spending figures challenged.
Q&As: New research helps to answer whether couple in early 50s should worry about how much they are saving; KiwiSaver funds won’t be the next finance companies; Should young man overseas repay his student loan?
Q&As: The kids are off, the house is mortgage-free, now what?; Couple are disillusioned by pathetic returns on managed funds; What to do with a small KiwiSaver nestegg when it’s your only savings; Clarifying the rules about KiwiSaver withdrawal if you’ve moved overseas permanently.
KiwiSaver graduates face some choices. It’s decision time for the first KiwiSavers “graduates” — those over 65 who have been in the scheme for five years. But there’s no rush.
Q&As: Reasonable and unreasonable expectations about NZ Super and people’s retirement savings; People need to think beyond their own needs, says reader; Better or worse then or now? Just different; Just how high are — and were — tertiary fees?; Oops! I got it wrong about foreign exchange and interest rates.
Q&As: How to plan retirement savings if you don’t want to own a home; Family in last week’s column must have muddled their language a little; If you’ve lived in Australia, applying for NZ Super may not be straightforward.
Q&As: How much financial support a reader gives their student son; Two banks offer mortgages that get around problems with revolving credit loans; An accountant’s offer boosts reputation of the profession; Two Q&As about means testing of NZ Super in some circumstances, and how KiwiSaver fits in; Yes, there are plenty of companies that don’t pay dividends.