Generous KiwiSaver first home help applies to many. The first of the KiwiSaver first home withdrawals and subsidies will be paid out shortly. But many people still don’t realise just how good — and how widely available — the KiwiSaver first home help is. It is clearly the best place for any New Zealander to save for a first home.
Q&As: Reader better off holding on to Auckland house while moving elsewhere to care for mother; How to maximise the KiwiSaver tax credit — before June 30; Should non-employee KiwiSaver contribute more than $1043 a year, or put further savings elsewhere?; Four readers offer alternatives to “Mum and Dad investors”, but none of their ideas is great; This column pleads “Not guilty” of sexism.
Q&As: A way for couples on higher incomes to get KiwiSaver first home help; Man with terminal illness can probably withdraw all KiwiSaver money; KiwiSaver contributions holidays more flexible than reader realises; More thoughts on why house prices have outgrown rents; 2 readers challenge the use of the term “Mum and Dad investors” — and we seek an alternative.
Q&As: 3 Q&As on the KiwiSaver help for first home buyers — why it’s so good, but also why some people aren’t eligible; A possible explanation for house prices outgrowing incomes.
Q&As: People in their early sixties are mad if they are not in KiwiSaver; One reader says it’s too hard to buy a first home in Auckland, but two others have suggestions on how to do it; The cost of building hasn’t risen since the 1970s, but shortage of land has pushed up prices, says a reader. Plus: Follow-up on last week’s comment about a job vacancy in Wanganui.
Q&As: Three Q&As on options for would-be first home buyers struggling to afford a home — go cheaper, and go further away. (Bonus: a job opening in Wanganui); An angry reader misunderstands where I’m coming from; Two Q&As ponder how building costs and land development costs affect house prices; Further explanation about how PIRs work.
Q&As: Why house prices must — at some point — come down further; Newly retired person loses out, for a year, on PIE tax; How a rising NZ Super age might affect KiwiSaver; Temporary workers in KiwiSaver at a disadvantage.
Q&As: Two readers’ bright ideas on how to negotiate with real estate agents; Everything you need to know about tax on PIEs, which include almost all KiwiSaver funds.
Q&As: Real estate agent objects to my suggesting people negotiate with agents; Brian Gaynor’s and my differing views on the best way to invest. Plus: Buy a KiwiSaver book for less than half price.
Q&As: Retiree stuck with a property investment that’s gone wrong should sell her house and the rental; 71-year-old wants to be in KiwiSaver, while younger New Zealander stays out for the sake of the country; Fees are not the only consideration when choosing a KiwiSaver fund.