Nick Crawford: The mistakes people make with a windfall

We've all found ourselves day dreaming about where we'd spend a big Lotto win at one point or another.  Realistically, many of us will come into a major windfall - but it's likely to come in the form of a bonus at work, or an inheritance.  Is it okay to buy a new car and go on holiday? Or should …

Martin Hawes: Are you losing money on ethical investing?

Ethical investing seems to be a hot topic when it comes to choosing an investment fund or KiwiSaver provider.  I've often heard providers boast that their fund is ethical - they avoid weapons manufacturers, focus on renewable and sustainable energy - you won't feel a possible sense of guilt around…

Shane Solly: Spots of recovery in the economy

We've started to see spots of what looks to be recovery in our economy over recent months.  It's not consistent, but it's frequent enough to give us some hope for the year to come.  Westpac is picking a whole lot of OCR hikes from the end of this year, and other forecasts seem to set a similar sc…

Janet Xuccoa: Where do trusts fit in to aged care funding?

Growing older is expensive - much more expensive than most people realise.  When you or a loved one either decides to move into aged care or is forced to do so, the Ministry of Social Development will quickly swoop in to flip through all their finances.  Any assets, gifted funds, trusts, even liv…

Sharon Chandra: You could be essentially married without even realising it

Relationships cost money.  It's not just about date nights at expensive restaurants, fancy shoes, or a new watch for Valentine's Day.  It's moving in together, splitting the power bill, signing on to the rent. At what point in the relationship should you join your finances, and how should you go …

Martin Hawes: When does life insurance stop being worth it?

As you get older, your health becomes more and more of a worry, so life insurance seems like a no-brainer. But is it? Do you really need it after the mortgage is paid and the kids are on their own? And what policies are must-haves, against ones that are just nice to have?  Financial Author Martin…

Todd Charteris: "Let's not let perfect get in the way of better"

Confidence in New Zealand's rural sector has really started recovering over the past year or so.  Stabilising interest rates, great dairy results, and promising meat exports have formed a foundation for what will hopefully be a successful 2026.  Confidence dropped slightly in the last quarter of …

Jannet Xuccoa: When's the right time for a trust?

Often trust have been seen to be province of the uber wealthy. But are they? And often people don't think about this issue until it is too late So when should we think about these issues - our family. inheritances and what's gonna happen to our money when we aren't around to look after it? Managi…

Andrew Bascand: We've seen the bottom of the rate cycle

Last week the Reserve Bank dropped the OCR 25 basis points to 2.25%, but their tone was a bit more hawkish than usual.  Some analysts are thinking it's a signal that rates have gone as low as the RBNZ is willing to drop them - and the new Governor may be wanting to turn a new leaf in 2026.  LISTE…

Lisa Dudson: Is it time to fix long term?

We got another OCR cut this week - now down to 2.25% - the lowest it's been since June of 2022.  That was the last one for the year, so a lot of us mortgage holders are trying to figure out whether things are slowing down, and if it's time to fix for a longer term this time around.  LISTEN ABOVE