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 Something About Mary
Qantas Media Award-winning columnist Mary Holm writes two personal finance columns, one in the NZ Herald, the other in the Christchurch Press, Dominion Post, Gisborne Herald and Waikato Times.
She is a part-time senior lecturer in financial literacy at the
University of Auckland, a member of the Financial Markets Authority board, and a director of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme. She also presents seminars, and frequently discusses personal finance on radio and television.
Mary is the author of "The Complete KiwiSaver" as well as two other best-selling books about KiwiSaver (all published by Random House); "Get Rich Slow" and "Investing Made Simple" (both published by Penguin), and "The REAL Story - Saving and investing now that inflation is under control" and "Snakes and Ladders – A guide to risk for savers and investors" (both published by the Reserve Bank of NZ).
She holds a BA in economic history (Victoria University of Wellington), MA in journalism (University of Michigan) and MBA in finance (University of Chicago, where she was taught by Nobel Laureate Merton Miller and graduated in the top 15%.).
Mary was a member of the Savings Working Group in 2010-11 and the Capital Market Development Taskforce in 2009, and worked for the 1997 Todd report on retirement income. She has been business editor of the Auckland Sun and Auckland Star, and has covered personal finance for the
NZ Listener, Australian Financial Review and Chicago Tribune.
She enjoys movies and plays, walking in wild places, swimming, and meeting with friends.
PLEASE NOTE: The opinions Mary expresses in her writing and on this website are in no way connected with the Financial Markets Authority or the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.
What Readers Say
Mary routinely edits out compliments from letters before running them in her columns.
But here are some recent comments:
- Your page is the first I turn to on a Saturday, (after doing the cryptic crossword).
- I value your judgements and appreciate your sense of humour!
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I always read your page with interest, and sometimes like last week you answer questions I was just about to ask. Why hadn't my Trade Me public offering prospectus arrived yet?....now I know... thanks.
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I am in the midst of reading your book 'Get Rich Slow'. It is a good book for a financial novice like me.
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Great column, thanks.
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Not looking forward to post Christmas withdrawal symptoms when you have your "break" from being the nicest "agony aunt column" around!
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I greatly admire the humour and patience with which you replied to the very rude letter in yesterday's paper. I very much enjoy reading your answers. Keep writing and ignore the odd insult.
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I buy the Herald even though I live in Wellington solely to read your column. Thanks - a small oasis of sense amongst a quagmire of confusion.
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We really do look forward to your column each Saturday, and your general 'positiveness' - please keep up the good work!
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I have got to say that when I read any of your articles your style of writing is both informative and delivered in a way that makes it easy for the reader to understand and relate to; good job!
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I always read your column and have your books. You are always clear and talk a lot of sense.
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I enjoy your column because I find it provides easy to understand financial advice, (from that you will gather I'm not particularly financially literate ).
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Many thanks for your weekly Herald article – often seems the best reason to get a Weekend Herald.
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I read your NZ Herald column regularly online even though I'm in India.
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Am a faithful reader of your column…Thanks for all the advice, common sense and laughs over the years.
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Another great column, Mary, congratulations.
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Please let me add my name to the (long) list of those who enjoy your Herald column.
- I have both your books and love them.
- Congratulations on the significant contribution you make on a weekly basis to improving the financial knowledge of your readers.
- Reading your piece in today's Herald was the first time I have been genuinely impressed by the quality of a newspaper piece in New Zealand. … Those were some of the most informative and concise explanations of potentially confusing topics that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
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By the way, I do so appreciate your Saturday morning column. I'm not at all a financial person, yet it's become one of my must reads on a Saturday morning.
- I read your column with much pleasure.
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