If you are self-employed, ten-to-one you see freedom and money as tools to achieve your goals. That freedom you enjoy as someone who is self-employed extends to your participation in retirement schemes like KiwiSaver and that means you have to make some conscious decisions that an employed person might not ordinarily need to think about.
Being a Single parent can be a burden and blessing, and it times can feel like you’re carrying the world on your shoulders...
Most single parents agree that raising their kids alone can be challenging and amazing.
So, question; If your kids depend on you and only you what would happen to them if you weren’t around for them tomorrow? For most single parents that’s a scary question to be asked.
Yes, it’s that time of year again! Where most of us look to the future and the things we want to achieve for 2017.
If you’re looking for a resolution for 2017, it could be to be “a better financial position than 2016”. Here’s some ideas to ponder over the holidays:
We know how exciting it is to go travelling but before you start your trip, make sure to do your research so you can travel smart and safely.
Most travel insurance providers in New Zealand offer a selection of policies that allow you to choose a policy suited to your needs.
It’s that time of year again! We’ll soon be seeing cars and camper vans packed with bags, cricket wickets and rugby balls and of course the kids...
While most Kiwis have the “She’ll be right” attitude and believe that nothing will go wrong, reality can be a pain in your pocket!
It is common for parents to add their children to their health insurance policies. If you already have health insurance, your children are most likely eligible to be covered under your plan until they reach age 21 depending on the insurer.
Your people. A growing business validates all the hard work and planning you put in place to get to that point. Customers are coming to you, you’re developing new offers that are resonating with your market, and you’re bringing on new staff.
If you’re looking to buy your first home in the near future, KiwiSaver could help you get there quicker than expected...
We are now back in our offices and operating after the recent earthquakes and our team are standing by to help our clients. Here's what you need to know:
Clients with earthquake damaged land or property or contents need to lodge a claim with EQC first on 0800 326 243 or online.
What if you bought a product which contained features that you never used – were they still worth something?
Most of us will never reach the top speed our cars are capable of. Most people never take their four-wheel drive vehicles off-road. Half of my friends don’t use half of the features of their smartphones. And on and on. Were those things worthless?
We’re about to come in to the traditional spring selling season, and a great time of year for property owners to evaluate their investment and their financial situation and think about their set up.
Think your kids have a good understanding of money? Maybe not!
A Westpac NZ Kids and Money Report shows around 53% of country kids have a good understanding of money (vs 41% of city kids) with 37% having a poor to average understanding of the value of money.
During our recent client survey you told us that your preferred method of contact is using email and we have listened.
Your feedback and the reduction in postal services to 3-day a week deliveries means that when we need to contact you, our preferred method will now be via email. This allows us to deliver important information quickly and directly to you along with links to any other relevant details on our website.
A piece of legislation called the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Financing Terrorism Act (phew!) places greater demands on banks, finance companies, insurers and financial advisers to increase customer due diligence and monitoring of suspicious transactions.
With the Reserve Bank changes potentially making it harder for first home buyers to get in to the property market, here’s some tips to help your children into their own home and avoid them living with you in your retirement.
Insurance companies ask a range of questions on policy application forms to obtain all of the information they might need. You must provide all the information you are asked for. But your duty to give information is not limited to the questions on the application form. Legally, you must tell your insurer about anything that could affect its decision to insure you or the terms and conditions you will be offered.
We're always keen to find out from our clients what we are doing well and what we need to improve on.
We want to provide you with services that meet your needs and the ongoing support that you require to meet your changing circumstances over the years ahead. Our relationship with you is a partnership and if there's something we can do better, we'd love to hear from you.
Britain’s decision to exit the European Union (“Brexit”), followed swiftly by UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s resignation, creates considerable economic and political uncertainty. It will be some time before we know all the answers. The negative market reaction to the narrow victory (52% vs 48%) for the “Leave” camp has been exacerbated by markets going into the referendum expecting exactly the opposite outcome, a narrow “Remain” victory.
Are your carpets considered to be part of your house contents or part of the house? Could be either as it turns out so it pays to read and understand your insurance policy wording.
With a large increase in motorists during public holidays, we'd like to take this opportunity to encourage you to be extra careful on the roads.
Each year our insurers see an increase in claims for collisions over public holidays. In fact, over the last five years claims over the Easter holiday period have spiked by around 10% compared to the weekly average for the rest of the year. Last year was particularly bad with Easter collision claims about 19% higher than the weekly average.
