Resources

New Year’s resolutions are a great idea. They’re about tweaking the daily and weekly habits that stop us from being the person we want to be. They’re often about eating, saving or exercising better, but these ones are tough to maintain – chips, trips and Netflix are hard habits to …

A wise man once said: ‘the only constant in life is change’. Of course, a part of change is uncertainty. While you may not be able to prevent yourself from all forms of uncertainty, you can surely prepare well in advance for any kind of financial uncertainty that may occur …

Being able to make decisions about our lives for ourselves is an important part of maintaining independence as we age. Our ability to understand and make informed decisions is called mental capacity. Sometimes, through illness or accident, we can lose mental capacity. If that happens, you might want a family …

Supermarkets are useful one-stop shops for a variety of goods. However, in case you weren’t already aware, the multi-billion-dollar NZ supermarket industry is dominated by two players, so we don’t have much choice when it comes to our weekly shop. The big two are: Woolworths New Zealand (owner of Countdown …

The holiday season can be a stressful and emotional time, so it’s important to keep an eye out for the older people in your life. One in ten people 65 and over will experience some form of elder abuse. Elder abuse can come in many forms, it’s more than physical abuse and …

From March next year, IR and ACC will no longer accept payments by cheque from customers who are able to use alternative payment options. IR received more than 430,000 cheques last financial year, the largest number received by any public sector agency. ACC received approximately 25,000 cheques from business customers. …

People may know that they are entitled to have funds set aside for a pre-paid funeral. What many people may not be aware of are the different options that exist and the amount that each person is allowed to set aside for their funeral which will not be included in …

All of us have experienced loss at some time and as we age it is more likely we will experience the loss of someone close and dear to us. The emotional pain associated with loss makes it a difficult subject to think and talk about. There are strategies however that …

The Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 and its associated regulations enables you to appoint a person or persons you trust to manage your financial and personal care under Enduring Powers of Attorney (“EPAs”). The forms used have changed significantly over the last 10 years with the latest …

As the debate over New Zealand’s End of Life Bill continues, it is a good idea to see what is happening “over the ditch” as Victoria passes its new assisted dying laws. Victoria’s new laws came into effect on 19 June this year. For the first time in over 20 …