NZ Herald 14 April 2012
Q&As: Should reader buy a NZ house now — while still overseas — or later?; 3 readers’ varying views on student loans; 2 readers seem to be a bit muddled about the new KiwiSaver tax credit.
Q&As: Should reader buy a NZ house now — while still overseas — or later?; 3 readers’ varying views on student loans; 2 readers seem to be a bit muddled about the new KiwiSaver tax credit.
Q&As: Is it better to go for the most expensive house you can, or the cheapest?; Adult son in sheltered workshop should keep up with KiwiSaver; Slight risk of holding back on using student loan repayment bonus.
Q&As: A reader’s 10 rules on property investment make good sense; 3 Q&As on the fairness of wealthier people using student loans; Was the word “renter” misused in last week’s column?; Research centre is looking into issues about overseas pensions and NZ Super.
Columnist is wrong — mortgage repayment is well worth it. Contrarian investing — when you put your money into investments that most people are getting out of — sometimes works well. Such investments are usually cheap. But should we extend that to borrowing when most others are repaying debt?
Q&As: Parents hoping to deduct payments to baby for “working” for them are dreaming; Tax dodgers and protesters aren’t in the same camp; Couple in sixties should grab the chance to get their own home; Why returns are disappointing on KiwiSaver cash funds.
Q&As: Putting your savings in the kids’ names, to reduce taxes, is not a clever idea; Should Christchurch Red Zone dweller buy another home?; Getting by on stone soup; Comparing gold and silver investments with KiwiSaver.
Q&As: Two questions to ask before trading up to a more expensive house; A pilot joins the call for annuities for retiring KiwiSavers; Mercer explains its alternative to conventional annuities; A KiwiSaver provider gives children a break on fees; A reader is taken aback over a headline about steady incomes — and I’m taken aback that she cares!
Q&As: Calling all KiwiSaver providers: Please let us know if you have plans to offer annuities or similar; Other payout possibilities for retired KiwiSavers; Couple who have returned to NZ but still own UK house should sell it, buy here and get on with enjoying life; Dwindling children’s KiwiSaver accounts possible but unlikely.
Q&As: Retired couple with house in Christchurch’s red zone have several options to weigh up; Three Q&As about KiwiSaver for children and grandchildren; One adviser firm accepts pay-for-performance fees, at least to some extent.
Q&As: Why chimpanzee can outdo professional stock pickers; Reader might be able to beat the market in property investment, but he has little chance in shares; Which KiwiSaver providers offer index funds?; Do KiwiSaver changes favour those on high incomes? It depends how you look at it.