If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it's the importance of being prepared for unexpected events. From pandemics to natural disasters, we never know what might be around the corner. As a result, many New Zealanders are taking a closer look at their financial situations and reassessing their financial risk.According to the Financial Services Council's (FSC) 2023 Financial Resilience Index research, 76% of New Zealanders are considering their financial security in the wake of recen ..read more

With daily news stories painting a bleak picture of the economic times to come, you may be thinking it’s time to put your money into something ‘safer’ than the share market. Maybe a term deposit with a bank would be better, you wonder, because at least you wouldn’t have to worry about losing your hard-earned savings and constantly check how they’re performing.If thoughts like these are living in your head, you’re not alone. In fact, they’re perfectly natural concerns shared by many ..read more

While New Zealand feels relatively safe, tucked down at the bottom of the world, we all have to be aware of what’s happening with the rest of the planet. The last three years have taught us that global health challenges certainly know how to find us.     ..read more

The ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ has already lent $22.6 billion and is the fifth highest owner-occupier home lender in New Zealand, after the four main banks. If you’re looking for ways to help your children or grandchildren into their first home, here are the main options ..read more

Life insurance is an important financial product that can help protect your loved ones in case of your unexpected death. However, there may be situations where you are considering cancelling your life insurance policy. Before making such a decision, there are several important things that you need to consider.Evaluate your current needsYour life insurance needs may change over time, and it is important to evaluate your current needs before cancelling your policy. If your dependents no longer rel ..read more

For most people the best answer to investment market dips could be ‘do nothing’. Stop constantly checking on prices and simply let the market ride through its usual ups and downs. Often, the worst thing is to lose your nerve and sell up – it just turns an on-paper loss into a real loss of wealth.Everyone’s situation is different, so getting good professional advice is very important. It gives you access to valuable knowledge and helps you to make better choices.Before you ask an investme ..read more

Most New Zealanders are finding 2022 financially challenging. Interest rates, inflation and basic living costs have shot up – and there’s talk of a recession. Lots of us are looking for ways to spend less. This is when insurance premiums can come in for some serious scrutiny. You’ve been paying them regularly for some time and hardly ever made a claim, right? But before you make the call to cancel any form of insurance cover, we strongly recommend you think about why you got insurance ..read more

Unfortunately, many people’s home loans will soon reach the end of their record-low fixed rate period and receive a significant interest rate increase.In late October, ANZ’s chief executive Antonia Watson said there were dark clouds ahead for the country's economy. She commented that about half the bank's customers with home loans were still on interest rates of 2 or 3 percent, but they would be paying more over the next year or so ..read more

The word ‘refinancing’ is sometimes used to mean restructuring or re-fixing, but they’re actually different things. Restructuring is when you ask your existing lender to change the way your mortgage is set up. For example, you might want to split an existing home loan into an offsetting loan and a fixed rate loan. Re-fixing is when a fixed interest rate term ends and you choose a new one. In the mortgage world, the term refinancing refers to moving to a different lender.  ..read more

With inflation running at a 32-year high in New Zealand, your savings are likely to be shrinking without you even touching them. After years of low inflation, we’re now facing the shock of inflation in the 7% zone. Household spending power has been stripped and Kiwis with money stashed away for emergencies, home deposits and retirement are effectively losing money every day ..read more