Blog
The Importance of Having a Will
I got chatting with the girl washing my hair at the hairdressers this weekend (as you do), and we were talking about her KiwiSaver (as….well, as I do). She seemed pretty onto it all, but then asked, “I don’t need a will, though do I?” My answer was a firm “Yes,...
Why Having a Financial Plan is Important
Have you ever gone to the airport with your bags packed and boarded a plane without having any idea where it is going? As much as we might miss air travel now, it is unlikely we would board without knowing the destination. It is hard even to pack properly without knowing where we are headed, or for how long. The same applies to our finances. We need to know where we are going before making decisions about how we are going to get there.
What is Investment Risk?
When it comes to our money and finances, we often get asked how much risk we want to take, and what “level of risk” we are comfortable with. This is a really difficult question to answer as risk means different things to different people, and what does risk...
Changes in KiwiSaver Annual Statements
This year, there will be a new addition to your KiwiSaver annual statement. For the first time this year, KiwiSaver providers have been required to let members know about two numbers with big long-term significance: How much your KiwiSaver is on track to be worth by...
5 Steps to Building Financial Resilience
1. Assess your current situation Uncertainty can be a major source of anxiety To determine the source of stress and if it's warranted, take stock of your: "Financial self-awareness is positively associated with greater financial satisfaction, and stronger spending and...
Should I invest, delay, or drip feed into the market?
New investors are facing a dilemma. They might have recently come into a large amount of money due to a business sale or inheritance, or perhaps they’ve been sitting on term deposits for months now waiting. They know they want to invest, but they are troubled by the...
When is the best time to be in shares?
I love orchards and fruiting plants. So, I have a habit of visiting plant nurseries and gardening stores just to gather information, even when I’m not sure what I’ll buy. One day I went to a garden centre to look at apple trees. I asked the owner, “So when is...
Don’t change long term plans due to short term “noise”
You are sitting in your nice, new, comfortable home. You purchased it intending to live there indefinitely which, given your health, you figure is several decades. Just as you are taking it all in, you hear a knock at the front door. Opening the door, you see...
8 Tips for Dealing with a Market Shock
Check Your Sources Review the source of your information. Do they have the right agenda, or are they trying to sell advertising space with click bait? We are hearing a lot about "market crashes" and "plummeting markets", but we heard hardly anything about the...
Budgeting the “Barefoot” Way
Budgeting is the core to every financial plan, but we all hate doing it. Being on a "budget" can feel restrictive, and often is often not very successful as a result. I have read a number of books and papers on budgeting over my years as an adviser, but one I...
How much money do you need to be “wealthy”?
In Credit Suisse’s 2018 Global Wealth report, New Zealand was ranked the world’s sixth richest country. Only the US, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway and Australia ranked above us. This works on average wealth per person of course, and there are big differences between...
How we Mitigate Portfolio Related Tax for Clients
New Zealand is considered to have a simpler tax structure than jurisdictions such as the UK, Australia and the USA. As a result, less attention is generally paid to tax as it relates to investment portfolios. However, as advisers there are a number of things we can...