Investment Markets Investment markets move in cycles and it’s difficult to forecast when they’ll rise or fall. Moving your money in and out of the market during a downturn means you could potentially miss out on any positive bounce in a strong market recovery. Market volatility is what generates the return on your investment, and you can therefore use volatility to make money. With experience we find that most events...

When Sharemarkets Fall It’s easy to invest when markets are running smoothly but when they fall your confidence can be sorely tested. More uncertainty in investment markets means more volatility and a need to review your investment strategy. Here's what to do:   Start with the basics. Focus on your goals and objectives. If you have long term investment goals, remind yourself not to get too distracted with short term ch...

Investing in Retirement One of the biggest challenges in retirement is how to invest your money to provide an income while still protecting yourself against the eroding effects of inflation and income tax. Investing in fixed interest gives certainty of income but returns will be low and unable to keep up with inflation. The alternative, investing in growth assets such as shares and property, will give a better return over...

Tips for Home Buyers For first home buyers the next few months are shaping up to a good time to buy and  there are three reasons for this. Firstly, we are seeing a decline in property prices as winter sets in. Some property investors have reacted to the last budget by choosing to sell and this has had an impact at the lower end of the market. Mortgage interest rates are expected to increase over the next few months and ...

Crunch your Credit A line of credit, or revolving credit, is a very useful facility to have as part of your mortgage structure. The way it works is that you are committed to pay back only the interest each month and interest is charged only on the amount borrowed. Repayments of principal can be made at any time without penalty and the more you repay, the less interest you pay. One key advantage of a line of credit is that...

There is a worldwide trend for investors to want to make a positive contribution to the world by investing in companies that are socially and environmentally responsible. If you are passionate about the effects of climate change, the scarcity of food and water, and social or environmental policies in general, then you will no doubt wish to ensure that the companies in which you invest are going about their business in a m...

The end of June is an important date for KiwiSaver members. The financial year for KiwiSaver runs from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 and if you have contributed at least $1,040 to KiwiSaver during that time, you will be eligible for the full amount of Government tax credit to be paid into your KiwiSaver account in July. The maximum value of the tax credit is the lesser of $1,040 or the total of your contributions for the ye...

The latest Government budget had something for everyone but while most households will be a few dollars a week better off, there are some clear winners and losers. In the winners’ corner are businesses, those on high incomes, and savers. The biggest losers are property investors who have built large portfolios financed partly by tax rebates. Owners of investment property have been able to deduct depreciation from their ...