Resources

Many New Zealanders are now working well past 65 years, but even if they are contributing to KiwiSaver, their employers currently have no obligation to match their contributions. Martin Hawes, one of the county’s best-known experts on personal finance, believes this needs to change. “It’s simply outrageous that employers are …

People may know that they are entitled to have funds set aside for a pre-paid funeral which are exempt from the asset test for a residential care subsidy. What many people may not be aware of are the different options that exist and the amount that each person is allowed …

Martin Hawes, one of New Zealand’s best-known experts on personal finance, has just released his latest book Cracking Open the Nest Egg, which aims to help New Zealanders take control of their finances and achieve the kind of retirement they have always wanted. Martin shares with us an edited extract …

Alongside increases to other benefits and payments, 1 April 2022 brings a small rise to the NZ Super pension payment (see the Work and Income website for new rates). Coinciding with increases to the pension rates come increased calls for changes to be made to the scheme, to ensure its …

One topic has dominated our lives recently: COVID-19. We’ve gone from lock downs and social distancing to traffic light systems and self-isolation in a matter of months. The pandemic has affected us all in one or another and it’s safe to say that we will be living with this ‘new …

There are two types of Enduring Powers of Attorney: one in relation to personal care and welfare, and one in relation to property.

Kiwis have always had a love affair with owning their own home. In a Stuff article published last year, Trade Me property sales director Gavin Lloyd says there are two main reasons for that: “the enduring quarter-acre dream and the promise of big returns.” Yet as we get older, home …

For some, older age is an opportunity to cash in their chips and do everything they’ve ever wanted, using all the money they’ve saved in the process. Others, for example, see money as something that transfers across generations, and they will want to leave a little (or a lot) for their whānau to use in the future.

One resource that is particularly is the Four Rules of Thumb, created by the Retirement Income Interest Group of the New Zealand Society of Actuaries. It lays out four rules that can be used to determine how you could spend your retirement savings, accounting for the differences in people’s situations

Solicitor Marcia Read from Gibson Sheat Lawyers provides a legal perspective on assisted dying in New Zealand.