Thinking that we find interesting

Think about your financial future

5th September 2013

We've learnt about budgets, goal setting and dumb debt - but what's it all for?

Presumably, you don't want to be working for the rest of your life, and you'd like to take some time toward the end to kick back before you kick the bucket.

It is morbid ... but we will all die.

And will you be happy looking back on your best years only to realise you've slogged away for retirement living back with your offspring.

I won't. Like I said, I'm

If old Fred works, it means more jobs

27th July 2013

My main concern with raising the retirement age is that unless you have full or near-full employment it is self-defeating. If people aren't leaving at one end they cannot be taken on at the other. Rising stars in a company are also being held back from promotion as senior staff are not leaving. This is an issue already in both private companies and government departments that have been offering redundancy to older staff to ease the promotion congestion.

An important point is there

Mary Holm: Volatility a risk with KiwiSaver funds

9th March 2013

Q: I'm a big fan of Kiwisaver. I have contributed 4 per cent ($50) a week for six years and now have $30,000 in my account.

I was made redundant last November and have not contributed to my fund since then, as I am now a student (not working). However, the unit value of my KiwiSaver growth fund has risen from $1.08 to $1.137, adding $1500 to my savings!

I have 20-plus years to retirement so am happy with the growth fund for now.

For people who choose

Getting it Right!

4th March 2013

n case you were looking for some light reading or a movie to watch over the weekend, I thought I’d share a few things with you on the topic of getting it right for clients when it comes to investing. It is all too easy to get distracted by the regulation mountain ahead and the requirements thereof or the buzzing noise of the markets, especially in uncertain times, when clients shift their focus onto short-term (or even longer term) returns and comparing them to whatever else appears to have done

Why assessing your risk profile can save your bacon

22nd October 2012

I learned to embrace risk, as long as it was well thought out and, in a worst-case scenario, I’d still land on my feet. – Eli Broad

There are no risk-free investments. Every investment involves an element of risk in that there are no guarantees that the conditions under which you make the investment will not change or you will make the money you think you will. The golden rule is generally, the higher the risk, the higher the rate of return.

The only thing that a go

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