As another financial year ticks over it may be time to take a look at your KiwiSaver returns, or lack thereof, and make some improvements. Studies still show that approximately 80 percent of us don’t know what’s going on with our KiwiSaver...... Read More

When you are busy running your company, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and the long list of things to get done. One week merges into the next and before you know it, it is April already.  This means the close of the financial...... Read More

When you think of all things financial, insurance is probably one of the least exciting of them all (after credit card debt perhaps), but it is more important than you might think. Kiwis are starting to understand insurance better, but it blows my mind...... Read More

A key fundamental in a successful business is strong planning. Business owners need to stop hoping they’ll have a better year in 2018 and instead work on a clear, practical, proven growth plan. Here are some ideas to help you plan for success. •...... Read More

If you’ve been saving for a first home over these last few years then you could be forgiven for thinking your efforts were futile, as the property increases seemed to constantly outrun your saving progress. With the average Auckland home sitting...... Read More

Some say the word “mortgage” comes from the old French “mort gaige”, literally “death pledge”. The pledge ends (dies) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken. A more modern meaning defines mortgage...... Read More

Now that the new government has been established, so ends some of the uncertainty that has haunted the property market over recent times. What remains to be seen is the effect that any new policies concerning housing will have on the market going forward. The...... Read More

About 12 months ago when the Reserve Bank introduced the loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions, I wrote about how hard it would become for first-time buyers who did not have 20 per cent deposit or KiwiSaver funds to purchase their first home. The changes...... Read More

This week I attended a financial advisors conference in Auckland where many speakers presented on a range of topics. One of the speakers was the chief economist from a large bank whom I have heard on many occasions over the years. This guy has a very...... Read More

New Zealanders mostly work in businesses with less than 20 employees. Surprisingly, there are only 5100 or so companies with more than 50 employees. While there are many different forms of entities, including self-employed, companies, trusts and partnerships,...... Read More