Q&As: It’s not wise to let yourself be forced into being a landlord; Which New Zealand providers offer passive or index funds?; What are the minimum investments in passive funds?; Details on how the new resolution schemes for disputes with advisers will work.
Q&As: Tax agent and Inland Revenue differ on treatment of investors selling rental properties; Two big issues lead to bad financial advice results; Is this column dominated by KiwiSaver?; Generally, don’t put lump sums into KiwiSaver.
Q&As: Are house prices less likely to fall in posher suburbs?; Financial advisers paid by commissions can’t do as well as someone who is independent; Two Q&As on why recently issued preference shares are not good investments.
Q&As: A reader challenges my advice last week about postponing a first home purchase for three years; How to get around the income cap on the KiwiSaver first home subsidy; How to get around the three-year requirement for KiwiSaver first home assistance; Another reader challenges me — on my advice on whether to sell a Mangere Bridge house or a Whangamata house; The merits of coin tossing; Maybe Lotto will make reader’s decision easier.
Q&As: Couple wondering whether to buy a home now or in three years could gain thousands from joining KiwiSaver; You can’t get in early on the KiwiSaver first home withdrawal and subsidy.
Secrets of real estate agents. Sorry — this is my third column in a row about real estate commissions. It’s just that readers keep responding. Lately it’s been agents or former agents, letting us in on their secrets.
Readers love or loathe real estate fee idea. The subject of real estate commissions brings out strong emotions — as reader response to my last column shows.
A fairer deal for all on real estate agent commissions. Now — with real estate agents hungry for listings — might be a good time for home sellers to negotiate a new way of paying agents. This is not about kicking a man when he’s down. What I’m proposing shouldn’t leave an honest agent worse off. In fact, if she or he is good at their job, it will leave them much better off.
Q&As: Steps a middle-income family can take towards buying their own home; Scams not always easy to spot; The presence of family trusts could prevent governments from means testing NZ Super; Has the worst already happened for kids in KiwiSaver?
Q&As: It’s top-up time for many people in KiwiSaver; More ideas for couple having trouble affording their first home; 3 Q&As on the government’s new student loan repayment bonus.