Retirement

The following is a selection of articles mainly from January 2005 to the present. To explore this topic in more depth and access earlier columns, please use the search box.

Articles

NZ Herald 5 November 2011

Q&As: Teen busker should be filing a tax return
Reader shows how not to choose a KiwiSaver fund
Voltaire quote last week hit the spot
Researcher reports on surprisingly high chance of ending up in a rest home

NZ Herald 15 October 2011

Q&As: Is it wise not to save because if you do you'll lose some government subsidies - and to spend the money on cars instead?
- Our chances of ending up in a rest home. And could there be insurance to cover the costs?
- Last week's "oily ragger" should do her own thing
- No bargain is quite so good when you consider how much you really had to earn to buy it
- Update on a reader's predictions of NZ's exchange rate and gold and silver prices

NZ Herald 8 October 2011

Q&As: An idea for a woman who doesn't know what to do with all the money her husband is now making
- How much is a tax deduction worth?
- Unfairness in rest home subsidies unavoidable - unless you want to distort your spending
- "Add-back" of gifts to a trust not as extreme as reader thinks

NZ Herald 1 October 2011

Q&As: Are corporate boxes at the rugby tax deductible, and is that fair?
- A quick easy way to see how far a retirement nest egg will stretch
- Does the average retiree get a good deal from NZ Super? Does it even make sense to ask that?
- The best type of fund for a KiwiSaver in his 60s

NZ Herald 24 September 2011

Q&As: Two Q&As on our recent sawmilling picture - and how they got the huge log up there
- Is it still worth it to set up a trust so you are eligible for the rest home subsidy?
- A suggested way to stop people using trusts to get the rest home subsidy - and are trusts fair?
- Angry reader talks quietly
- Couple in their 60s plan trip to Greece courtesy of KiwiSaver

Syndicated column 10 September 2011 - Labour shows up National on retirement savings issue

Come on National, you can do better. In less than a year, the first New Zealanders will gain access to their KiwiSaver money to spend in retirement. They need help with how to handle that money.

NZ Herald 13 August 2011

Q&As: Should reader move to lower-risk KiwiSaver fund? Putting share plunge in perspective
- Don't try to time markets
- Gold fan checks in after gold price soars, but what of his other predictions?
- The one situation in which NZ Super is affected by KiwiSaver savings

NZ Herald 30 July 2011

Q&As: Two questions to ask before trading up to a more expensive house
- A pilot joins the call for annuities for retiring KiwiSavers
- Mercer explains its alternative to conventional annuities
- A KiwiSaver provider gives children a break on fees
- A reader is taken aback over a headline about steady incomes - and I'm taken aback that she cares!

NZ Herald 23 July 2011

Q&As: Calling all KiwiSaver providers: Please let us know if you have plans to offer annuities or similar
- Other payout possibilities for retired KiwiSavers
- Couple who have returned to NZ but still own UK house should sell it, buy here and get on with enjoying life
- Dwindling children's KiwiSaver accounts possible but unlikely

NZ Herald 7 May 2011

Q&As: A house looks ridiculously cheap in 1958, but let's put that into perspective
- Retiree hit by inflation acknowledges that it could have been worse
- Too hard to get by in New Zealand? Fix it or leave, but don't whinge
- A family wants out of its family trust, which is complex, expensive and not benefitting anyone

Syndicated column 23 April 2011 - Savings growth is far from over at 65

I'm a bit hesitant to pass on this information, for fear that some readers might get the wrong message. But here goes. Just promise me you'll read past the first half dozen paragraphs, okay?

NZ Herald 19 March 2011

Q&As: Should it take a bank three weeks to cut its mortgage rates?
- Just how great was one family's "Great Mistake of 2009"?
- Reader tells Mary off for forgetting about the expenses of selling a house
- How couple should invest as they approach retirement

NZ Herald 19 February 2011

Q&As: Repaying debt should be Number One priority - with one important exception
- Money can't buy the most important things in retirement
- Last week's numbers on NZ Super were incomplete - sorry
- Let's demystify share trading, and share holding
- One more advantage of owning shares

NZ Herald 24 April 2010

Q&As: Retiree stuck with a property investment that's gone wrong should sell her house and the rental
71-year-old wants to be in KiwiSaver, while younger New Zealander stays out for the sake of the country
Fees are not the only consideration when choosing a KiwiSaver fund

Syndicated column 27 March 2010 - Wanted: better insurance against outliving our savings

Imagine you're heading into retirement. You'll get NZ Super, but you also have savings in KiwiSaver or elsewhere. You would like to spend that money over the rest of your life and leave the house to the kids. But - not knowing how long you will live - how can you decide how much to spend each year?

NZ Herald July 11 2009

Q&As: KiwiSaver still great for children, even though the fee subsidy is gone
Now might be an okay time to get into a rental property - for family in the right circumstances
Should young retiree switch some savings into a share fund?
Two Q&As offer advice - on school fees and insurance - to woman with dying husband

NZ Herald March 28 2009

Q&As: History tells us to hang in there with shares.
NZ Super rise on its way.

NZ Herald February 14 2009

Q&As: The possible perils of parents lending a mortgage to adult children.
Tips on mortgage reduction from a mortgage broker.
How mortgage borrowers could unite to force interest rates down.
2 Q&As on what happens to KiwiSaver money in retirement.

NZ Herald December 6 2008

Q&As: Couple can afford to retire youngish, especially if they are willing to eat into their savings.
Cash PIE not always a good substitute for a term deposit - but there's another way to achieve reader's goal using PIE tax advantages.

Syndicated column September 16 2008: Retirement payments likely to make a comeback

Annuities - which are typically monthly payments to retired people, over and above NZ Super - may be on their way back onto the New Zealand scene.

NZ Herald August 23 2008

Q&As: 64-year-old can't believe how good KiwiSaver is for him
KiwiSaver providers give wrong info to a would-be investor
Retired man questions my advice about bonds

NZ Herald August 16 2008

Q&As: Advice on investment during retirement has worked for these readers
KiwiSaver contributions holidays will be easy to take
Reader dislikes last week's answer on KiwiSaver fund performance

NZ Herald April 12 2008

Q&As: Monkey story a great yarn, but it's not about the share market.
Reader's concerns about banks' exposure to foreign exchange risk are unfounded.
61-year-old should think hard before selling her house and enjoying some of the proceeds.
Man about to retire can still get plenty from KiwiSaver.

NZ Herald March 10 2007

Q&As: Many elderly, and others, could benefit from rates postponement schemes.
Why floating interest rates might be better - for home equity release schemes and ordinary mortgages.
A not-so-dumb question about the $50,000 exemption for international tax changes, and a new source of info on the changes.

NZ Herald March 3 2007

Seeking your questions about KiwiSaver
Q&As: Are home equity release (HER) schemes - which lend to retired people with homes but little income - a rip-off?
Sentinel defends its HER schemes, but they are still expensive compared with possible alternatives.

NZ Herald January 13 2007

Q&As: Options for a newly retired couple with $200,000 and no home include part-time work, buying a home with a flat attached, an interest-only mortgage and equity release.
Two Q&As on which investments are affected by the new tax law on international shares, and how it will work for investors.

NZ Herald April 15 2006

Q&As: Attitudes to student loans.
Interest on student loans.
Fear and share investment.
Spending in retirement.

Syndicated column April 11 2006: Another reason to spread your investments

I can think of three good reasons to hold lots of different shares, as opposed to one or just a few. Two reasons are obvious, but one is less so, even though it may be just as important.

NZ Herald April 1 2006

Q&As: Can he retire?, 40-year-old asks.
Couple about to retire wonder if their expenses will drop as they get older.
Student loan interest ends. What happens if you go overseas?

Syndicated column March 28 2006: What we don't know CAN hurt us

One of the first things journalists are taught is to make the first sentence of an article a "grabber", something that will perhaps surprise readers and make them read on.

So this column is officially starting now: Every New Zealander over 65 gets NZ Super, no matter how rich they are.

Holm Truths autumn 05

Moving the goalposts: Working part-time in retirement makes a huge difference to how much you need to save

Also in this issue: From the Mailbox - Is home ownership so great?

NZ Herald March 26 2005

Q&As: Man in mid 50s can afford to drop out - but what about emotionally?
Is reader silly to stick with renting?

NZ Herald February 19 2005

Q&As: Young couple take a break from work.
Some other options for the couple in the column two weeks ago.

NZ Herald January 22 2005

Q&As: Couple "retiring" in their 30s wonder how to invest their savings.
94-year-old share trader doing just fine.
How to run a caravan rental business.

Holm Truths summer 04-05

Scattering the seeds: By diversifying, you reduce risk but not returns

Also in this issue: From the Mailbox - Some people over-save for retirement