Q&As: Eggs in baskets don’t really apply to term deposits, but there’s another way to diversify; Taxing options if you take flatmates in to help you pay the mortgage; 2 Q&As on how to make the most of KiwiSaver if you are in and out of the work force.
Q&As: Is it a good idea to go back to 100 per cent mortgage on rental and invest the money in a term deposit?; A reader supports gradually building up a share portfolio; Another charity offers Christmas gifts for the needy on behalf of your friends and relatives; Reader wants more info on charities before making gifts; A Sydney minister’s quick-witted response; Prices then and now — and how houses fit into the picture; Cathedral carvings show inflation is nothing new; A reader’s pie and doughnut confession.
Q&As: Should we get bigger tax deductions for donations to charity? Also — give Christmas gifts to those who really need them; Readers disagree over the price of a 1950s pie; Buying shares company by company, over the years, not the best strategy; Is the new proposed tax on international shares fair?
Q&As: What’s happened to the price of pies over the years?; Would it be good for NZ if Inland Revenue was tougher on rental property capital gains?; When is “income” really “profit”?; Reluctant shareholders worry about their lack of power — How best to hold shares.
Q&As: Two on why many rental property investors should pay tax on their gains when they sell. It’s the law!; How to teach teens about budgeting; Allowing for tax when calculating returns on term deposits.
Q&As: Should you portfolio be regularly serviced? And how do you calculate the return on it?; How to work out which term deposit is better; What’s in a finance company name?
Q&As: Some options for a whinging woman who can’t afford a home; Is wealthy couple wise to do it themselves when it comes to their investments?; Reader who dislikes “that word” boycotts Toyota; Getting mean over medians and averages.
Q&As: What to do about negligent adviser who recommended bad finance company investment; Do high earners pay too much of the tax burden?; Parable about why the highest taxed get the biggest tax breaks.
Stuff and happiness: Buying things you don’t really need. Also in this issue: From the Mailbox — Should a young man buy himself a house?
What we don’t know CAN hurt us. One of the first things journalists are taught is to make the first sentence of an article a “grabber”, something that will perhaps surprise readers and make them read on. So this column is officially starting now: Every New Zealander over 65 gets NZ Super, no matter how rich they are.