NZ Herald 20 August 2011
Q&As: NZ stock performance over last 10 years — after adjusting for tax, inflation and, perhaps, index changes; Is the gold price bubbly?; Confusion over NZ Super when one partner is under 65.
Q&As: NZ stock performance over last 10 years — after adjusting for tax, inflation and, perhaps, index changes; Is the gold price bubbly?; Confusion over NZ Super when one partner is under 65.
Q&As: Should KiwiSaver member move to a provider with better investment performance?; Reader “gets it” on why KiwiSaver is so good; Another reader is over-enthusiastic; Is it wise to put more money into KiwiSaver?; Index funds are well and good, but what if everyone invested in them?
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.
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.