Q&As: A different Auckland housing option: live on the water; Reservations about young landlord’s success; 2 Q&As on whether Bonus Bonds are a good deal; Worries about living in a leasehold property; Have your say about advisers.
Setting financial priorities — Best thing to do with excess cash: the rule about repaying debt versus investing; Applying this to: credit card and other high-interest debt, mortgages, student loans; Top priority for all: repay credit card debt. Next priorities: If you don’t own a home; If you have a home with a mortgage; If you have a mortgage-free home.
Q&As: Are Bonus Bonds a good place for retirement savings?; How safe are Bonus Bonds?; Another KiwiSaver provider that allows regular withdrawals in retirement; Happy reader moving into new home — thanks partly to this column.
Getting through Christmas without going broke. Also, the big spender and the big saver. For big savers, Christmas is no problem. But there’s a downside. More later… Turning to the big spenders: What really makes the kids happy?; Ways to cut back gift giving; Tips on shopping wisely; Meaningful Christmas gifts; Spending lots on food and booze. Back to the big savers — a challenge for them (Includes lots of suggestions from listeners).
Q&As: How a woman who can’t stop herself from spending could tie up an inheritance; Extra house savings may be better outside KiwiSaver; Saving in or out of KiwiSaver, and 55-year-old can still aim at home ownership; More information about life expectancy; Is ageism rearing its ugly head amongst pensioners?
Q&As: Calculators that measure your life expectancy more accurately; Is it better to repay a mortgage or save?; Don’t overreact to worry that KiwiSaver retirement withdrawals could be limited; Don’t assume any interest rate trend will continue; What would happen to members’ savings if a KiwiSaver provider went bust.
Q&As: Retired couple paying for rest home now wish they had spent more earlier; Are NZ Super recipients beneficiaries?; Reader thinks it’s bad to eat into capital in retirement; How couple might set up a first home account.
Q&As: How should high-saving couple allow for emergency money?; Will reader’s children squeak through and get KiwiSaver kick-start?…; …And will another reader’s partner?; Some bank depositors’ money at risk if bank gets into trouble; Shouldn’t borrowers be the ones who bail out a bank?
Q&As: Time for over-savers to spend on fun experiences — but still save some; 65+ man’s KiwiSaver plans overly optimistic; All guardians must sign before children join KiwiSaver — which seems unfair; How to judge a KiwiSaver fund’s volatility using fund finder.
Q&As: 64-year-old should get rid of mortgage — and join KiwiSaver if she’s not already in; Capital gains tax valuation idea could cause problems; How changes to the KiwiSaver first home subsidy would work; Overseas grandson can’t join KiwiSaver.