Adjusting to Low Interest Rates – The Alternatives

The world is flat – almost completely, if you measure it in money.

Here’s the proof. Interest rates on New Zealand Term Deposits (TDs) are almost the same stretching from 6 months out to 5 years. In fact, currently you’d be more likely to earn less on a 5 year term than a 6 month term. This is what is referred to as an inverted or negative yield curve, as depicted in the below InvestNow Term Deposit rate chart. […]

How Do Income Funds Really Work?

Article by David Boyle, Mint Asset Management

With global bank deposit rates sinking faster than the Titanic, the hunt for returns on savings is becoming a real challenge, especially for those on a fixed income in retirement. This has driven investors to search outside the square for a better return and it’s why income funds are starting to gain popularity against bank deposits, particularly over the past five years or so.

They’re not a proxy for bank Term […]

Flying through turbulence – Market volatility

On September 19 en route from Atlanta to Fort Lauren, Delta Airlines Flight 2352 dropped, unannounced, out of the sky.

According to media reports, the Boeing 757 “plunged” to an altitude of “10,000 feet from 39,000 feet in seven minutes”, allegedly sending passengers into panic mode.

In a breathless post-flight interview, Harris Dewoskin, a Delta 2352 passenger, told press the rapid descent triggered chaos in the cabin.

“Life is fragile. There was a scary 60 to 90 seconds where we really didn’t know […]

Investing for and with your kids – Starting young with good financial habits

Parental money worries are not just confined to the demands of early childhood – prams, cots, car-seats, nappies, childcare and whatnot – but to those future big-ticket expenses that your kids will inevitably encounter. And as most parents do, you’ll feel obliged to help out.

However, many of these potential future costs can be quantified and offset with a well-designed and proactive investment plan.

Some of the obvious post-childhood expenses likely to pop up include: […]

On the way home – How to build a dream house property portfolio

The Kiwi dream of home-ownership remains a potent force in the national psyche and a key driver of real financial decisions.

Admittedly, the New Zealand property market has moved on somewhat since the hallowed era of the ‘quarter acre block’ and the cheap-as-chips suburban bungalow. But if the dream has been down-sized, the real estate reality appears further away than ever for the latest generation of Kiwi house-shoppers.

A long period of rampant house price […]

How to get your assets into gear for retirement

Investing success – It’s all about strategy.

With an aging population and the arguable sustainability of NZ super, saving for retirement is moving from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘must-have’, which of course is a massive source of long-term anxiety and a big driving factor among Kiwi investors.

Whether you’re investing for retirement or for some other purpose, designing fit-for-purpose investment portfolios remains one of the most challenging tasks facing DIY investors.

Investors need structuring principles to guide product choices within their […]

Spreads – Why they’re fair

When shopping around for funds to invest in. You’ll likely get to a point where progressing with a fund choice might come down to fees.

A common mistake we see investors making, when comparing Managed Funds side-by-side, is assuming that funds with buy and sell spreads (fees) are more expensive than funds without them.  In this article we explain why this isn’t true, and in fact, why buy and sell spreads help to stop investors experiencing hidden costs, and create transparency around […]