Inflation

RNZ Radio 22 February 2024

How would you do in this financial knowledge test? Plus silly reasons for not being in KiwiSaver
– 4 questions about personal finance
– Old did better than young, and women did better than men
– 7 reasons given for skipping KiwiSaver are all faulty

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NZ Herald 3 February 2024

Q&As:
– Pay your fair share, tax dodgers!
– Money in shares can disappear
– No ripoff at the start of NZ’s decimal currency
– Rules of thumb on spending in retirement …
– … What about the big expenses?
– Did anyone find treasure?
Plus:
– Please keep your letters short

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RNZ Radio 21 December 2023

Biggest personal finance story of 2023: High interest rates
– Mortgage rates too high? What you can do about it
– Term deposit rates high. Shop around.
– Effect on house prices
– How bank profits are affected.
– Conclusion: winners and losers swap places

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NZ Herald 16 December 2023

Q&As:
– Do fund managers “do nothing but take fees”?
– A good alternative to KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals
– Switching to a cheaper rental property has its pluses
– Control inflation by raising KiwiSaver contributions?

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NZ Herald 25 November 2023

Q&As:
– Get rid of the rental and get on with enjoying life!
– Reader gets it upside down on KiwiSaver fees
– When it’s good to be in more than one KiwiSaver fund
– Rental property not all that “safe(ish)”
– Shares are a great alternative to property

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NZ Herald 7 October 2023

Q&As:
– The middle age mortgage trap?
– Inflation no excuse to spend
– Can businesses refuse cash?
– Invest in shares daily rather than weekly?
– 2 Q&As: on the link between KiwiSaver withdrawal and NZ Super age

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RNZ Radio 3 August 2023

Which investment? And why cash funds might be best
– Email asks: 4.5% in bank or use KiwiSaver?
– Where to put short-term, medium-term and long-term money
– What are cash funds?
– How they compare with bank term deposits
– How to find a cash fund

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NZ Herald 1 April 2023

Q&As:
– KiwiSaver “sidecar” emergency account would work well
– Even Buffett likes index funds
– Longer-term deposits usually pay more, despite current rates
– One reader wants all short-term deposits…
– … While another wants all long-term ones
– Correction

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NZ Herald 24 December 2022

Q&As:
– KiwiSaver gifts good, but make sure you treat the children equally
– I made a worrying assumption in last week’s calculations…
– … and what happens when inflation is included
– Trapped with low interest on your term deposits? Here’s a plan
– Another reader has trouble getting a credit card
– A warning about selling a home before you buy
– Reader could move to another environmental fund
– My key messages don’t change
Plus:
– Happy holidays!

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NZ Herald 19 November 2022

Q&As:
– Small savings safe in KiwiSaver — as long as …
– How to withdraw retirement savings set up in three tiers
– An example for a fairly risk-averse retiree
– What to use instead of a cheque in the Christmas card
– No, I haven’t been ripped off!
Plus:
– Enter the giveaway of my books for Christmas

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