Bite-sized advice: How to avoid ‘snake-oil’ scams


Bite-sized advice: How to avoid ‘snake-oil’ scams

Article written by InvestNow

Who was the first fraudster?

Maybe that snake in the Garden of Eden who sold Eve on the idea of eating the forbidden apple; just one little bite, it’ll be OK.

Good marketing, but bad idea for humanity.

Fraud has always been part of human society  it’s taken on many forms over history, adapting to the technology of the times. […]

By |2022-09-15T11:35:07+12:00November 30th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

KiwiSaver Admin Fees – Outdated and Unfair


Are KiwiSaver admin fees outdated and unfair?

Article written by InvestNow

Kiwis paid over $80m in KiwiSaver admin fees last year, in a negative investment return environment

Last year Kiwis paid over $80 million in KiwiSaver administration fees, in an environment that produced negative investment returns to the amount of -$820.9 million, according to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) 2020 Annual KiwiSaver Report. “We don’t think that’s right”, says Mike Heath, General Manager of InvestNow.

“Some investors paid fees on […]

By |2022-09-15T11:37:13+12:00November 25th, 2020|All, KiwiSaver|0 Comments

The little investment scheme that could – KiwiSaver Milestones


The little investment scheme that could – KiwiSaver Milestones

Article written by InvestNow

KiwiSaver has come a long way since its surprisingly successful debut in 2007.

Officially launched by the Helen Clark-led Labour government in July 2007, KiwiSaver accumulated over $720 million for more than 480,000 members during the first nine months of operation.

The first flood of KiwiSaver members blew Treasury budget projections out of the water, continuing to beat forecasts for years to come.

Aside from those automatically enrolled […]

By |2022-09-15T11:39:36+12:00October 30th, 2020|All, KiwiSaver|0 Comments

Black Holes in the Wholesale Universe – The risks of wholesale funds


Black Holes in the Wholesale Universe – The risks of wholesale funds

Article written by InvestNow

In April this year another obscure subterranean fund surfaced into public view as a likely ponzi scheme.

As further details came to light, it emerged that Penrich Capital, operating from a Christchurch base had sunk investor assets into a Cayman Islands-domiciled fund, allegedly valued at about $400 million.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is currently investigating the firm, […]

By |2022-09-15T11:43:01+12:00September 30th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

Responsible Investing: Explained


Responsible Investing: Explained

Article written by InvestNow

What is ‘Responsible Investing’?

From a Fund Manager perspective, Responsible Investing is essentially a values-based approach to selecting the underlying investments within a managed fund; And from an Investor perspective, Responsible Investing is identifying and selecting managed funds that employ a responsible investing strategy; or selecting companies/shares that meet a responsible investing standard.

Traditional investment – about returns and risk

Traditionally, investment strategies have been primarily focused on return and risk. Fund Managers would […]

By |2022-09-15T11:44:47+12:00August 17th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

Voting Finance – Portfolio Politics, and Why Investors Should Ignore Elections


Voting Finance – Portfolio Politics, and Why Investors Should Ignore Elections

Article written by InvestNow

It must be election year in NZ: Winston Peters is back at the top of the news.

But regardless of the Peters’ show, the Jacinda Ardern-led Labour Party is odds-on to win in a landslide come September 19 – albeit with enough uncertainty and scandal in the air to keep pundits in business.

Will the Greens survive? Can Judith Collins rescue National? And Winston….

For investors, though, the election itself […]

By |2022-09-15T11:46:13+12:00July 30th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

What Tune Will Property Play Post-COVID-19?


What Tune Will Property play Post-COVID-19?

Article written by Mint Asset Management

Listed property was on song in 2019 before losing its mojo this year as the coronavirus struck. But are the real estate blues simply a crisis-triggered reversion to the mean or is something more fundamental at play? Mint Asset Management senior real estate portfolio manager, Carlie Eve, puts property in its place…

Investors having a sizeable allocation of property in their portfolio at the end of last year would have had […]

By |2022-09-15T11:57:58+12:00July 10th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

Zero Minus Zero – Why Investors Are Looking For New Income Equations


Zero Minus Zero – Why Investors Are Looking For New Income Equations

Article written by InvestNow

June 2008 is a watershed nostalgia month for dewy-eyed NZ term deposit (TD) investors. With the global financial crisis (GFC) just three months away from its crescendo, care-free Kiwis were banking one-year term deposit returns of 8.5 per cent or thereabouts.

In that month the Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) held the official cash rate (OCR) at the 21st century high of 8.25 per cent where it […]

By |2022-09-15T11:59:24+12:00June 25th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

The Risk Of Finding Income In A Low-Interest Rate World


The Risk Of Finding Income In A Low-Interest Rate World – Mint Asset Management

Article written by David Boyle – Mint Asset Management

As global interest rates sink to near zero or below, the search for regular income has become increasingly desperate. But, according to Mint Asset Management’s David Boyle, yield-oriented investors must remember that ‘certainty’ can come at a high cost…

In May 2006 the last great wave of NZ finance company collapses began to surge in a swell that would […]

By |2022-09-15T12:00:25+12:00June 24th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments

The Active/Passive Divide – On The Other Side


The Active/Passive Divide – On The Other Side

Article written by InvestNow

Jack Bogle, the founder of passive investment pioneer Vanguard, never got to see the moment his whacky idea formally achieved market dominance – but he was this close.

Bogle died in January 2019 just three months before research house Morningstar clocked US passive share fund assets hitting par with actively-managed counterparts for the first time. At the end of April last year “both passive and active U.S. equity funds had a […]

By |2022-09-15T12:02:18+12:00May 27th, 2020|All, Investing education|0 Comments