I’ve just been to a one day seminar about property investment and it was interesting to see the positivity in the room compared to when I went to a similar event a year ago. Most people I speak to whether it be real estate agents, property investors or just people with a good understanding of
Recently, BusinessDesk received an email from a reader seeking financial advice. It turns out her stepfather had some questionable suggestions for her and her husband. The reader and their husband earn around $150,000 pre-tax, have a huge mortgage of $600,000 and currently cannot contribute more than 3% to their KiwiSaver. According to her stepfather, they should
"Years ago we met Lisa via a video conference over Money Management. I learnt a thing or two. Nowadays, we are debt free, but the economics are still tricky to balance with the devaluation of the $ (CPI increases). A salary increase would be the bonus too. I discovered I didn't need a phone
This is one of the case studies in my new book, written by Gillian. Budgeting When I was at stay-at-home mum I decided that my job (besides raising kids!) was to be in charge of saving our family money while my husband focused on earning. I started by setting up a basic savings account and typed up
Buying a home is time consuming, emotional, stressful and exciting all at the same time. The more clarity you have around what you want the easier and more enjoyable the process will be. A really effective way to get clarity is by using some lists so everything is not a muddle in your head. If
In the midst of a global pandemic, the future is unknown. Of course, we will get through it and no doubt in a few years it will become far from our minds. However, until then, the course may be a little bumpy and we still need to move forward and make decisions. Fear-based financial decisions
Given our turbulent times many people are both looking at stretching their dollars further by buying second hand and having a clean out of their stuff. I would imagine online platforms like Trade Me and Facebook Market Place have had high transactions of late. Just about every Kiwi has bought or sold something on Trade
Gosh what low interest rates we have at the moment. By far the lowest we have seen in our lifetime. Banks are run off their feet with people either buying property or refinancing and restructuring their mortgages. My mortgage advisor colleagues are saying that this is one of the busiest times they can ever recall.
What have you learnt during these challenging times? Covid-19 has had a serious impact on many people and we have been inundated with the consequences. Mostly the negative ones. It is usually more helpful to consider what positive things could come of out this, so let’s consider those: More Technology Savvy The surveys I’ve seen
When it makes sense for you personally. It can be so confusing to decide which is the best time to buy an investment property as there are many mixed messages everywhere. I’m not convinced that relying on economic forecasting will ever do more than provide a very limited guide. The only way to really establish
