Taxes – Mary Holm https://maryholm.com NZ's most trusted personal finance journalist Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:33:13 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.21 NZ Herald 20 June 2026 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-20-june-2026/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:00:49 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12815 Are houses as affordable as ever? Index funds beating active, but will it last? How to tell when to sell shares How to cut health insurance costs QThe statement in your last column, “Kiwis are living at least ten years longer than they did in say the 1960s to 1980s,” is disingenuous. The New Zealand Period Life Tables 2022–2024 from Stats NZ show that in 1980 life expectancy for...

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NZ Herald 6 June 2026 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-6-june-2026/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:19 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12807 Unanswerable question – when to buy and sell a share Tax cutting advice is worrying NZ Super already sort of means tested Nobody tells you to apply for Super “It’s time Kiwis were more reliant!” Aussies get big tax break on Super QA couple of years ago I purchased some Rocket Lab shares as a long-term investment. With the recent uplift in share value my initial investment has...

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NZ Herald 25 April 2026 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-25-april-2026/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:31 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12781 NZ Super only for those who paid tax through their lives? A laugh and a controversy over 122-year-old in last column Help for non-homeowning couple, 57, who feel trapped and confused Easy mortgage calculations — monthly vs weekly payments QI acknowledge that it is not your job to make moral judgements on the wealthy, or how some taxpayers avoid paying their fair share of taxes. But in your spare...

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NZ Herald 6 December 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-6-december-2025/ Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:00:40 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12720 Couple in 70s sell home to fund retirement fun While couple in 50s may choose to stay renting How young reader may get into housing market Where are those tiny KiwiSaver fees? QWe are in our early 70s, retired, and will shortly have about $1 million from the sale of our house. Does it makes more sense to tip that sum into KiwiSaver or give it to a wealth management company? We are mortgage-free...

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NZ Herald 22 November 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-22-november-2025/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:00:16 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12706 House-sitting their way to home ownership — and keeping debt down Gold v share funds v rental property Is burying your gold a good idea? Unusual Simplicity fund investments Correction on share fund tax QI’m a 33-year-old woman and house-sit full-time with my partner to save paying rent. We are currently waiting to finalise the purchase of 825 square metres of land, which we expect to settle...

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NZ Herald 15 November 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-15-november-2025/ Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:00:13 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12694 Is it time to move out of growth funds? Bank KiwiSaver funds not in compensation scheme Gold v shares? What about costs? Preference shares not an alternative for term deposits QI’m reading a lot about the AI tech stock bubble heading towards bursting and bringing the markets down with it. Now I have always followed your “hold your nerve through the bad time” approach.

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NZ Herald 25 October 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-25-october-2025/ Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:00:33 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12679 Reader gets no gain from being in KiwiSaver 2 Q&As about last week’s retired couple planning to sell their home and rent Who offers “build-to-rent” properties? Reader challenges 4.6% on a term deposit QI have recently started working for an employer who treats KiwiSaver employer contributions as part of total remuneration, or salary sacrifice. And I am fortunate or...

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NZ Herald 18 October 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-18-october-2025/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12673 Retirees plan to sell home, rent, and have fun How compensation works if finance company fails Your KiwiSaver tax rate is checked by Inland Revenue Clarification on tax when you rent out your bach QDo you see anything wrong with this scenario? My wife and I are in our early 70s, with limited savings and a mortgage-free house that is worth around $750,000 in today’s market. So we can do more...

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NZ Herald 11 October 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-11-october-2025/ Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:00:03 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12669 Renting out a bach can be complicated Don’t give bank account number to a possible scammer Defining managed, active and passive funds Problems with proving who you are Rare praise for a bank QRenting out a holiday home is not as straightforward as implied in last week’s column. As I’m sure you know, it can incur GST if the turnover goes over the $60,000 threshold, or if you are...

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NZ Herald 23 August 2025 https://maryholm.com/nz-herald-23-august-2025/ Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:00:01 +0000 https://maryholm.com/?p=12625 Scam warning Good way to help family members with a mortgage Don’t try to predict share crashes — it doesn’t work 2 Q&As on why you may not need health insurance A Facebook page and an entry in Instagram have recently appeared claiming to be mine, and suggesting people join me in some investments. I have nothing to do with this, and I’m trying to get it taken down.

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