Money and couples — Part 2: Survey results, and how to do it well
NZ survey:
– Young are worse
– All income groups
– Causes of money problems
Research on successful relationships:
– Debt
– Equal access
– Talking to one another
– Large purchases
Money and couples — Part 1: Economic Harm
– What it is and why it’s called that
– Who is affected (maybe half of NZ women)
– Examples
– What’s happening to reduce economic harm
– Where to get help: Good Shepherd NZ website
Q&As:
– Reader’s KiwiSaver fees are highway robbery!
– Are banks better KiwiSaver providers?
– Beneficiary must declare big inheritance
– Got a mortgage and investments? You are effectively gearing
Plus:
– New KiwiSaver default funds are a great new option for many
Q&As:
– Couple should be able to have both a house and another baby — if they watch their spending
– House price data allows for huge price jumps from developer purchases
– Should couple pay more for house to be in best school zone?
– Son defends private schooling from Mum’s comments about drawbacks
– How KiwiSaver cash fund might work for person over 65
– Encouragement for woman in 50s who wants to quit her job
Gender differences in handling money and investing
ASB info from customer transactions:
– Spending
– Money management
– Saving
– Retirement savings
– Knowledge
Other research:
– Risk
– Trading
– Scams
Messages for each gender
Q&As:
– Multi-millionaire can’t stop penny pinching
– KiwiSaver contributions to get the most from the government
– One way to help children buy a home — with Inland Revenue’s blessing
– What did a reader’s “private rant” mean?
– Reader disappointed about my comments on unpaid work
– A man’s perspective on unpaid work
Plus:
– Talks about my new book
The wisdom (and otherwise!) of listeners
Runners up and winners of 5 copies of Mary’s new book, A Richer You — how to make the most of your money.
Some themes in the entries:
– Money and happiness
– Families and finances
– Shopping
– Investing in shares
Is paying down your mortgage still the best strategy?
What to do with extra savings — beyond KiwiSaver minimums etc.
Also lump sums — inheritance, redundancy, win
– Mortgage used to be the winner — after include tax and fees. Now — with 2–3% loans?
– Other options: more into KiwiSaver, non-KiwiSaver funds, shares, rental property?
– The main issue: risk — needs to be high enough risk, long-term. Can you cope with volatility? Are you strong financially?
– Other issues: security (psychological and financial), simplicity, but diversification, learning about markets
– Penalties for paying fixed-term mortgage early
– Conclusion: perhaps do what you want!
Watch Your Spending
New Zealanders’ household spending is way up, compared with late 2019.
Spending is OK if not getting into debt
Why spend on non-essentials?:
– Happiness. But often short-term.
– Appearances.
– Pressure to spend on special shopping days.
What to do:
– Use credit cards?: pluses and minuses
– Estimate spending in different categories, then keep track for 2 months
– Change a habit for just a month. Letter to futureme.org.
– 2 birds with one stone: Cut spending on unhealthy things
– Help w budgeting: MoneyTalks. Free, confidential and non-judgmental, around NZ.
Money and relationships
– Follow-up on last time’s financial knowledge quiz — angry comments about women
– Survey on money and relationship problems
– Worse for the young, and worse for low and high income than for middle incomes
– Conflict more likely if … overspending etc.
– What to do about it