How to Improve Your Odds of Getting Your Bank to Say Yes Raising Bread and Honey Undoubtedly a Kiwi dream is to own a place of our own. Whether it’s a free-standing house, an apartment, or a tiny home, having a roof over our heads that we can call our own, is something most New Zealanders strive for. Homeownership infuses us with feelings of security…
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Inflation: Slowly Deflating Your Worries (and Interest Rates!)
Inflation: Slowly Deflating Your Worries (and Interest Rates!) Kia ora everyone! Let’s talk about inflation, that pesky buzzword that’s been clinging to our wallets like gum to a shoe. We all know the feeling – groceries costing a bit more, that dream vacation seeming further away. But here’s the good news about inflation While still a concern, is showing signs of simmering down. As the…
Why Emotions Have No Place in Investing
Why Emotions Have No Place in Investing Investing may appear straightforward, yet emotions – powerful and unpredictable – often hijack this space, leading to decisions fuelled by fear, greed, and hope rather than logic and strategy. While emotions serve us well in navigating daily life, in the realm of investing, they can become our worst enemies. My clients are mostly not what’s known as ‘sophisticated…
How Will The New Debt-To-Income Ratios Work?
How Will The New Debt To Income Ratios Work? What is Debt To Income Ration (DTI)? We’re about to get very familiar with a new acronym in lending – DTI’s. Those jumble of letters represent the debt-to-income ratio Banks will use when assessing a borrowers application for finance. This creature is the new macro prudential tool of the Reserve Bank. The Central Bank has long…
Reasons To Be Optimistic About The Markets In 2024
Reasons To Be Optimistic About The Markets In 2024 A year ago, I wrote on the topics below with the same optimism I’ve written about in this article. Suffice to say, it seems I was a little early in my optimism for 2023! To be honest, everything we thought would play out, did play out, it just went a little slower than expected. These key…
How to Choose a Financial Adviser
How to Choose a Financial Adviser Every now and then I will field a phone call asking if we charge a fee for our service, or whether we receive our remuneration through commissions. The person asking this is usually under the impression that a fee model means a completely unbiased approach, imagining that if commissions are in the mix a conflict of interest will impact…
When Will The High Cost of Living End?
When Will The High Cost of Living End? Last month we addressed the high costs of rent and mortgage payments, food, transport and petrol expenses we are all grappling with and made a couple of suggestions as to how to manage the expense of breathing. This month, we’ll look at what has caused these costs to rise. This in turn will help us make a…
Is a Recession a Bad Time to Invest?
Is a Recession a Bad Time to Invest? Is there light at the end of the tunnel during a recession? In the wake of Covid-19 and the responses of governments worldwide, investors have been concerned about inflation and higher interest rates. Higher interest rates make it more expensive to borrow money, reducing the amount people are willing to pay for assets, such as shares, bonds…
Handling the Cost of Living
Handling the Cost of Living It’s no secret money doesn’t grow on trees. Many New Zealanders are currently struggling to deal with the high costs of living. Food, petrol and electricity are but some of life’s essentials that have increased in cost enormously in the past couple of years. If you’re a tenant living in rented accommodation it’s likely you’ve experienced an increase in your…
Mastering the Art of Negotiation: How a Mortgage Broker Can Help You Get the Best Deal
Mastering the Art of Negotiation: How a Mortgage Broker Can Help You Get the Best Deal The process of buying a home or investment property can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially when it comes to securing a mortgage, that’s where a mortgage broker can help. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or an experienced property investor, negotiating the best mortgage terms is crucial to…