Rolling out this King's Birthday weekend, when many Kiwis are reflecting on legacy and family - here's how to ensure your retirement savings work as seamlessly for your loved ones as they have for you.
Mum Knows Best: The Financial Lessons We Should All Take from Our Mothers
With Mother's Day upon us, there's one more reason to celebrate the mums in our lives – they might just be better investors than they realise.
Field Strategies for Financial Success: Investment Lessons from the Maimai
As the early morning mist rises over wetlands across New Zealand this opening weekend, hunters will be settling into their duck hide or maimai, waiting for that familiar wing-beat overhead. Patience is as much a tool as any hunting hardware.
The Simple Path to Financial Freedom
The number 400 carries deep significance. It represents completeness, divine perfection, and liberation from bondage – much like how sound financial planning offers a path to freedom from money worries.
Hedonic Treadmills Have No Finish Line
As Dan Solin (author of ‘The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read’) astutely observes, "The financial media is not your friend. Its primary goal is to separate you from your money."[I]
The 'Great Wealth Transfer’ Myths You Should Know About
The headlines are attention-grabbing all seem to agree: The largest transfer of wealth in history is coming. But how much of this narrative holds up to scrutiny? There are several myths that need addressing.
The Value in Going Off-Script
No script is perfect on first draft. Even iconic films like Casablanca underwent several changes – it was originally a play called Everybody Comes to Rick’s when Warner Bros purchased it in 1940.
Bonds - shaken, not stirred?
They may not be as exciting as a suave Brit exploring far-flung corners of the world in the name of espionage, but bonds are experiencing a bit of fame recently for all the wrong reasons.
Choosing the Greener Path
Investors have been increasingly looking for options aligning with their personal ethics and values, without compromising on potential returns – and evidence is saying they can get both.
Banking on Change
In the past few years, we’ve seen moves from big banks offloading their investment and insurance offerings.
The Downsides of DIY Investing
With home ownership out of reach for many people, we’re seeing shifts in investing priorities that align with generational differences, particularly from Millennials and Gen Z. Following on from Boomers, who are tipped as the wealthiest generation in history, things are tough in a world where costs keep rising and outpacing income.
When it Rains, it Pours
A Consumer NZ sentiment tracker recently reported that 15 per cent of New Zealanders have no savings, 27 per cent were anxious about the level of their savings, and one in ten of the respondents indicated spending more than they saved over the past three months.
Are Concerns About Inflation Inflated?
Okay, the annual inflation is now running at 3.3%. In the June 2021 quarter compared with the March 2021 quarter, the New Zealand Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.3%. A much stronger lift than the market expectations. So what does it mean to us?
All Roads Lead to Rome
No matter the vehicle was chosen to navigate, once a company enters the public marketplace, it becomes subject to the same interactions between the supply and demand for securities that shape equity prices each day.
Good and getting better
Why would the couple in their 50’s have such a different outlook to the man in his 30’s? It’s hard to be a successful investor unless you’re an optimist. Firstly, if everyone does well, you’re likely to do better as an investor.
Trust Law is finally here
In just 14 days the new Trust Act 2019 will come into law from 30 January 2021. Be sure to talk with a financial adviser with a fiduciary responsibility to review your objectives and goals to ensure that the trust is still relevant and is being properly managed.
The Value Dilemma
Every investor will face a conundrum at some point: what to do when their beliefs don't work. Sometimes it's an assumption that becomes lore. A favoured company paid a dividend for 20 straight years. Of course, it's not going to ever stop paying a dividend… then it stops paying a dividend. A dagger to the heart! An outrage, there were plans for that money!
Through a different lens
With most things in our life, we get a second opinion of some form or another. From purchasing a new car, changing jobs, getting a doctor's opinion, or entering into a new relationship, we want to make sure it is right for us before we make a serious decision that impacts our future. But why is it that so many of us do not tend to do the same for our financial health?
True value creates true wealth
Finding the best place to put your investments and KiwiSaver can be tricky, but you don't have to do it alone. A financial adviser can help build a portfolio based on your risk appetite and goals. An adviser with a fiduciary duty will have tools to assess how much risk you are happy to take and develop a plan to reach certain milestones in your life.
Beyond 2020 and Elections
On the night of October 17, 2020, I like five million other Kiwis, watched the general election results roll in. Based on pre-election polls there was little doubt that Labour would form the government again. the New Zealand markets were unrattled by the result and looked pretty steady with investors relaxed after the Labour Party secured a historic majority in the general election.
