Q&As: Why chimpanzee can outdo professional stock pickers; Reader might be able to beat the market in property investment, but he has little chance in shares; Which KiwiSaver providers offer index funds?; Do KiwiSaver changes favour those on high incomes? It depends how you look at it.
Students fail at stock picking, but learn the important lesson. The students in a university financial literacy course that I teach are lousy at picking stocks. But that doesn’t matter. Hopefully in the course of the “Stock Picking Game” they learn plenty.
Q&As: Should couple with iffy job prospects sell their shares to slash their mortgage?; Young KiwiSaver with an eye on first home help should move to a lower-risk fund; One KiwiSaver doesn’t appreciate how good his deal is…; And another is sick of whingers over the scheme; Did my comment about people’s inability to pick investments cover advisers?
Q&As: A reader’s attempt to recover tax on finance company interest is a nice try, but…; Wanting less and working less doesn’t preclude tall poppies; Creative ideas on how to cut household expenses; Did I get the banking system wrong, or did a reader?; At least one bank — sort of — will lend to share investors.
Q&As: Why it takes both partners working to afford a house these days; Buying a house with a co-owner might prove tricky; Did I muddle pounds and dollars?; Big lottery winner would have some negotiating power with a bank — but only so much; Difficulties of borrowing to invest in shares; Winners of seminar tickets.
Q&As: You need to compare rental properties and share investments on the same basis; How does KiwiSaver work for kids, and will the parents “trap” them into something they won’t want as adults?; Should we look at house prices versus household income, rather than individual income, when looking at affordability over time?
Why a dollar in the hand is worth more. The recent attempt by Bernard Whimp to buy shares in half a dozen companies cheaply — and the Securities Commission’s response to it — is a good illustration of how a dollar now is worth more than a dollar later.
Q&As: A reader clearly doesn’t like the idea of renting instead of home ownership; How risky are mortgages, and who owns a home with a mortgage — you or the bank?; Share portfolio in some ways better than rental property in retirement.
When small is not beautiful. This goes against the grain, given that I think direct shareholders should own a wide range of shares. But there’s such a thing as too small a shareholding.
Q&As: Why 55-year-old Mum shouldn’t give up on home ownership; Important to save a little, even if you have a mortgage, to gain market knowledge over the years; Banks “are just like car dealers”; Will below-market share buyer lose it all in tax?