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.
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: Teen busker should be filing a tax return; Reader shows how not to choose a KiwiSaver fund; Voltaire quote last week hit the spot; Researcher reports on surprisingly high chance of ending up in a rest home.
Q&As: Is it wise not to save because if you do you’ll lose some government subsidies — and to spend the money on cars instead?; Our chances of ending up in a rest home. And could there be insurance to cover the costs?; Last week’s “oily ragger” should do her own thing; No bargain is quite so good when you consider how much you really had to earn to buy it; Update on a reader’s predictions of NZ’s exchange rate and gold and silver prices.
Q&As: An idea for a woman who doesn’t know what to do with all the money her husband is now making; How much is a tax deduction worth?; Unfairness in rest home subsidies unavoidable — unless you want to distort your spending; “Add-back” of gifts to a trust not as extreme as reader thinks.
Q&As: Are corporate boxes at the rugby tax deductible, and is that fair?; A quick easy way to see how far a retirement nest egg will stretch; Does the average retiree get a good deal from NZ Super? Does it even make sense to ask that?; The best type of fund for a KiwiSaver in his 60s.
Q&As: Two Q&As on our recent sawmilling picture — and how they got the huge log up there; Is it still worth it to set up a trust so you are eligible for the rest home subsidy?; A suggested way to stop people using trusts to get the rest home subsidy — and are trusts fair?; Angry reader talks quietly; Couple in their 60s plan trip to Greece courtesy of KiwiSaver.