Listeners’ questions about anything financial:
– KiwiSaver v shares — or electric vehicle?
– KiwiSaver for people in 2 jobs
– Risk level for money soon to be withdrawn
– Pay down mortgage v investing
– How much do you need to retire?
– Using KiwiSaver in retirement
– KiwiSaver as you turn 65
– Alternatives to bank term deposits
Gender differences in handling money and investing
ASB info from customer transactions:
– Spending
– Money management
– Saving
– Retirement savings
– Knowledge
Other research:
– Risk
– Trading
– Scams
Messages for each gender
Q&As:
– KiwiSaver changes will hopefully help all members
– What happens to people in default KiwiSaver funds losing that status?
– Ways to reduce inequities in KiwiSaver
– Readers’ comments on last week’s multi-millionaire …
– … And his wife’s comments
– Another way to help children into their first homes …
– … And detail about last week’s suggestion
Q&As:
– Multi-millionaire can’t stop penny pinching
– KiwiSaver contributions to get the most from the government
– One way to help children buy a home — with Inland Revenue’s blessing
– What did a reader’s “private rant” mean?
– Reader disappointed about my comments on unpaid work
– A man’s perspective on unpaid work
Plus:
– Talks about my new book
The wisdom (and otherwise!) of listeners
Runners up and winners of 5 copies of Mary’s new book, A Richer You — how to make the most of your money.
Some themes in the entries:
– Money and happiness
– Families and finances
– Shopping
– Investing in shares
Watch Your Spending
New Zealanders’ household spending is way up, compared with late 2019.
Spending is OK if not getting into debt
Why spend on non-essentials?:
– Happiness. But often short-term.
– Appearances.
– Pressure to spend on special shopping days.
What to do:
– Use credit cards?: pluses and minuses
– Estimate spending in different categories, then keep track for 2 months
– Change a habit for just a month. Letter to futureme.org.
– 2 birds with one stone: Cut spending on unhealthy things
– Help w budgeting: MoneyTalks. Free, confidential and non-judgmental, around NZ.
Q&As:
– Diversification — the only free lunch
– Drop health insurance and self-insure? It’s risky
– Increasing insurance excess slashes bill
– Leave GST alone, says reader
Plus:
– Meaningful Christmas gifts
– ‘Please don’t stop giving’
The high costs of Christmas
– Survey — NZers value time with family way ahead of giving and getting gifts
– Ideas to cut cost of gifts
– Donate to charity in the name of family member
– Thoughts about Christmas food, drinks and decorations
– I wrote article on this — on RNZ website from December 18
Money and relationships
– Follow-up on last time’s financial knowledge quiz — angry comments about women
– Survey on money and relationship problems
– Worse for the young, and worse for low and high income than for middle incomes
– Conflict more likely if … overspending etc.
– What to do about it
Q&As:
– FIRE movement lets you retire many years earlier
– Keep up basic health insurance in retirement, despite cost
– Rental or shares could save woman from reliance on the state
– Sorry, but overseas relative can’t get KiwiSaver government contribution