A major change to New Zealand trust law was passed on 30 July 2019. The Trusts Act will have implications for all trusts in New Zealand, and once it comes into force will probably cause many to ask whether trusts are still worthwhile. Let’s take a brief look at what’s changing and …

Raising kids is expensive. It’s even more expensive when they grow up and won’t leave the family home Nowadays, having a grown-up child living at home is reasonably common. In fact, one third of millennials are living with their parents. The rising cost of living, especially relative to incomes, is …

Myths about money are everywhere. Unfortunately, much of what you know about money is probably wrong and holding you back from success in your financial life. We all must be aware of how our thoughts impact our behaviour with money. As we all know, how you think and feel often …

Early retirement is a major lifestyle goal of many people. However, early retirement isn’t always all it’s made out to be, so it pays to be aware of potential issues and how to avoid them. Here are the top four pitfalls of an early retirement: Spending too much during the …

Imagine if what we know now about finances, we knew back in our teen years – how much better off would we all be? When most of us were in high school, we didn’t learn anything about money, budgeting, or investing. However, nowadays, by the time you leave your teenage …

Most financial experts say that you should have at least three to six months of living expenses kept as a readily accessible emergency fund. In spite of this, a recent study completed by BNZ showed that 41% of New Zealanders live from pay day to pay day, that is, basically …

We all know that sinking feeling of knowing you’ve been ripped off. Unfortunately, in the financial world there are quite a few offerings, products, services, and outright rip offs that you should be aware of. Awareness can help you avoid that sinking feeling. While many of these financial offerings are …

Avoiding investment scams is becoming even more important, as recent Australian data shows investment scams have now overtaken romance and dating scams as the most lucrative method of fraud. Historically, investment scams have been common both overseas and in New Zealand. In fact, the 10-year anniversary of when the world’s …

Retirement calculators seem to be popping up everywhere, and people are betting their financial future on them every day. Unfortunately, the calculators are often giving fictitious outputs based on assumptions that have little to no chance of being accurate. Here are six reasons you can’t trust retirement calculators, and what …

Ever wondered how the rich spend their money? Here at Milestone Direct, our advisers see such a wide range of people that we understand the spending habits of a wide range of New Zealanders – including the rich. To help you replicate the habits of the rich, here are seven …