Money Tips for Travellers An overseas holiday is something to look forward to but it can also be stressful when things don’t go according to plan. Losing money, not being able to access it or running out of money can spoil a dream holiday. Travellers cheques and cash were once the most common forms of taking money overseas, however there are now much easier methods. Travel cards are prepaid multiple currency cards that ...

Property Investment The property investment bubble that burst following the Global Financial Crisis came about partly due to the huge tax refunds many investors were able to claim from their properties. These refunds enabled investors to borrow heavily and buy more properties. In many cases, the interest on the money borrowed to buy the properties was more than the rent received, and the investors relied on property pric...

Planning for Baby One of life’s great experiences is having a baby. The birth or adoption of a first child in particular is a life-changing event and brings with it a mixture of different emotions. Worries about money can offset the happiness a baby brings, so the loss of income and additional expenses need to be carefully planned. Paid parental leave of up to 14 weeks is available providing certain criteria are met, as...

Giving is Good It feels good to be generous and it’s even better when generosity is rewarded. In recent times, there have been a number of changes and new initiatives that have made it easier and more beneficial for ordinary people to give to others.  In 2007, a number of groups working in the charitable sector got together to form the Generosity Hub. The aim of the Hub is to create better awareness of giving in New Ze...

Financial Advisers Over the next few months, all financial advisers throughout the country will be preparing themselves for the new regulatory regime which will come into force following the introduction of the Financial Advisers Act. The purpose of this Act is ‘to promote the sound and efficient delivery of financial adviser and broking services, and to encourage public confidence in the professionalism and integrity o...

Planning for Christmas Keeping your debt level under control at Christmas time requires a small amount of discipline and a large amount of common sense. Here are a few tips to help keep you afloat as we lead up to the Christmas period:  Set a budget for Christmas and stick to it. Set you budget now before you get caught up in the Christmas frenzy. Decide how much you will spend in total and then check to see how this com...

Low Risk Investments Many investors are understandably reviewing their attitudes towards investment risk and return following the Global Financial Crisis. However, with interest rates low, it is not easy to achieve competitive, low risk, low volatility returns. Traded Endowment Policies (known as TEPs) offer these attributes, yet are not widely known or understood. A TEP is simply an endowment policy that has been sold by...

Making a Will There is a well known saying that there are two certainties in life; death and taxes. Despite the certainty of death, many fail to plan for it by making a will. Lack of time, lack of money, and indecision about who should be the executor or the guardian of young children are the usual excuses. The most expensive part of dying is administration of the estate (typically several thousand dollars) and that becom...

Tax Cut Priorities There is a great opportunity right now for everybody in the work force to improve their financial situation. Unfortunately, the majority of people will miss out on this opportunity through not taking the right action. From 1 October, income tax rates will be cut and Government benefits will be increased. While GST will also be increased, most people in the work force will be better off. For example, som...

Rent or Buy? Property prices have fallen significantly over the last two years making houses much more affordable than they have been for some time. Despite this, buyers are still in short supply. The most logical reason for this is that buyers expect prices to either continue dropping or to at least stay flat for some time. This creates a dilemma for first home buyers and people moving towns; is it better to rent or buy ...