Q&As: Perhaps we should celebrate a young man’s spending splurge; Don’t get rid of student loan, pay down mortgage; Dodgy share advice given to elderly couple; Think of NZ Super as insurance; Pension info there, but reader may have been distracted.
Spending too little, spending too much: Shopping is a favourite pastime; People who are too mean on themselves; People who spend too much — why do they do it? — 1. Keeping up with the Joneses, 2. Psychological, 3. Credit card company behaviour; Help for big spenders; Most important of all — Change your habits. PS: Final reminder about KiwiSaver tax credit.
Q&As: Ignore misleading KiwiSaver salesman, but maximize your tax credit; Change to contributions holidays just a suggestion; 1970s house much more modest than today’s houses; Well done! — but take care about judging others’ spending.
Q&As: Adding to already huge mortgages is playing with fire; It’s not interest rates but mortgage size that matters; Lack of family communication leads to big debt…; …so do pushy credit card providers.
Q&As: Is it really harder to buy a house now than in the 1980s?; A money coach explains an addiction to spending…; …And a reader describes how it affects her; Does it work to have life insurance with 2 companies?
Q&As: Thai retirement not so cheap; Buffett not unbalanced; 3 Q&As on investing in international index funds.
Q&As: New index will tell more about how 65-pluses spend; Was I dismissive to a reader last week?; Is diversification the main point in a high-yield share portfolio?; Original high-yield correspondent explains his strategy; Sharebroker info useful but don’t get into frequent trading.
Q&As: Live well on $15,000 a year in Thailand; Reader questions last week’s correspondent’s dividend income…; …While another reader explains it, and wonders about adviser role; Better to read the column regularly than to chance upon it in some packaging!
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: 80-year-old is still spending up large; What happens when bank KiwiSaver providers invest heavily in their own products?; The complexities of buying an apartment; Another KiwiSaver provider offers regular withdrawals in retirement; Auckland housing market not a Ponzi scheme, but how about the Greater Fool theory?