kiwisaver

Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to look after your KiwiSaver now that everyone's talking about possible recession. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Those who like to keep a close eye on their KiwiSaver have probably been having heart palpitations lately, with balances going here, there and everywhere.

What's behind it is the sharemarket, as almost all KiwiSaver funds have some amount in shares.

This is great for growing your retirement nest egg in the long term, but it does mean it can go sharply up or down in the short term.

So just last month when the US-China trade war escalated, you might have seen your KiwiSaver take a tumble.

Then this month, the New Zealand sharemarket was giving with one hand and taking with the other. Dividend stocks did well, while the traditional growth stocks didn't.

So it really depended where you were invested, and most KiwiSavers don't have that level of control.

It can all sound complicated, and frankly, a bit risky.

But happily there are some simple rules of thumb to help you figure out how you want to deal with this situation, to look after your KiwiSaver in the long term.

For the latest Cooking the Books podcast, I talked to Paul Gregory, head of investments for Pie Funds and JUNO KiwiSaver Scheme.

We discussed when you should go conservative, the difference between conservative and growth accounts, and what's happening with the KiwiSaver default fund review.

If you have a question about this podcast, or question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

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Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the second episode of our OneRoof-partnered series, looking at ways to save a deposit even when you're not rolling in it. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Getting together a house deposit is arguably the hardest part of becoming a home owner.

Depending on whose figures you use, and where you are in the country, renting can actually be slightly more expensive than owning a home.

That means when you're renting and trying to save, it's an uphill battle.

It's not impossible though, and the payoff is worth it once you get there.

You just need the inside word to reduce the pain of saving up that deposit.

Peter Cordtz works on just that, at the Commission for Financial Capability.

He came on to the latest Cooking the Books podcast, where we discussed the dropping rates of home ownership, how KiwiSaver can boost a deposit, and helpful courses from the Commission.

If you have a question about this podcast, or question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

If you missed the first episode, go back on your app two episodes, for The Life Stages Where Renting Can Be Better Than Buying A House

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Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the KiwiSaver mistakes you can fix in minutes. Hosted by Frances Cook.

What you don't know can definitely hurt you. Particularly when it comes to your money.

Almost all of us have a KiwiSaver, which could be the biggest nest egg for our future.

That's why it's such a problem that some of those KiwiSaver funds are hugely underperforming.

You could be stashing away the exact same money as your friend, and end up with far less when you retire.

When just a few tweaks to how you run your KiwiSaver could give the average person $135,000 more when they retire.

Part of the problem is fees, which if you're not careful can take huge bites out of your money.

But the other issue is simply understanding what on earth your KiwiSaver provider is up to, and whether you're okay with that.

Luckily there's something you can do that only takes 10 minutes, and is getting even easier to do from this year.

For the latest Cooking the Books podcast I talked to the FMA's Gillian Boyes.

We discussed how KiwiSaver statements are becoming more transparent, what you should be looking out for in your statement, and how to fix it.

For the interview, watch the podcast video.



If you have a question about this podcast, or question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to handle the changes to KiwiSaver, and what else might be waiting in the wings. Hosted by Frances Cook.

It’s the time of year when law changes come into force, so you might have seen articles about the minimum wage changing, or tax rates.

All of that is very important, but what’s gone under the radar is some changes to your KiwiSaver, that are actually big news.

You now have more control over how much you put in, the rules for those over 60 have totally changed, and if you want to stop paying into KiwiSaver, you’ll have to jump through more hoops.

These are pretty significant changes, but making the most of them so you get the most money in your back pocket, will depend on your personal situation.

There’s also the possibility of more changes in the future.

For the latest Cooking the Books podcast I talked to Sorted's Tom Hartmann about how each of us can take advantage of the new situation, and what changes are likely to come in the future.

For the interview, listen to the podcast.

If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the good and bad of a capital gains tax on your KiwiSaver. Hosted by Frances Cook.

If you heard howls of outrage and a collective stamping of feet coming from your computer last week, it's not a technical glitch.

You were probably logged in to social media as the announcement was made that the Tax Working Group recommended the Government bring in a capital gains tax.

Basically if you buy something, it increases in value, and then you sell it for a profit, you pay tax on part of that profit.

What that means for property investors has been truly thrashed already, and it's safe to say many of them have made it known that they don't like the idea.

But there were other parts of the report that have been missed, that are very important for the average New Zealander to know about.

For instance, proposed changes to how you KiwiSaver is taxed. Almost all of us have a KiwiSaver fund, certainly more of us than have an investment property, and yet that's barely rated a mention so far.

There are also questions about how it would impact shares investments outside of KiwiSaver.

So I talked to Herald business editor at large Liam Dann about the details of the report.

We discussed who can expect a bigger KiwiSaver and whose might get smaller, the impact on the sharemarket more generally, and how the politics might change which parts of this become reality.

For the interview, listen to the podcast.

If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.