What is happening with the outbreak of COVID-19 is most certainly a human tragedy for those impacted by the virus. Its spread beyond China into (in particular) Iran, South Korea and Italy has also seen global investment markets tumble in…
A Decade of NZ Equities
The start of a new decade is always a good time to look back and reflect on what has gone before. From an investment perspective, a decade is also an excellent timeframe to review long term performance of growth assets…
Property investment: residential or commercial?
There is no doubt that New Zealanders love residential property as an investment. The reasons why are easy to note: property is a tangible, easily understood investment – you can see it, touch it, manage it yourself (if you choose). …
KiwiSaver Update
KiwiSaver, which began in 2007, is undoubtedly a NZ retirement success story, having grown to around $50 billion invested in the 12 years since its inception. There are many aspects of KiwiSaver which make it a no-brainer for most people,…
Auckland residential property as an investment
I often end up discussing the merits of residential property as an investment with clients. As I am Auckland based, as are most of my clients, this is usually specifically relating to Auckland residential property. There is no doubt that…
Equities are on sale!
Well, its been a wild ride for equity markets over the last quarter of the year. In fact, a bumpy downhill slide might be a better way of characterising what has happened. All major markets are significantly down over the…
The emotional impact of market downturns
A rocky month of October for equity markets has come as a rude wake up call for many investors who had become comfortable with several years of steadily increasing returns. How you feel about your investments during the bad times…
Musings from the US
I recently returned from a 2 week vacation in the US (it was great to briefly escape the miserable Auckland winter!). While in the States, I couldn’t help make a few very unscientific observations, based purely on what I did…
Questions of legacy
Many of the middle aged and retired clients that I see have an understandable desire to leave a legacy for their children – usually in the form of an inheritance of financial assets and/or property. Often this is a reflection…
Comparing NZ passive funds
For many investors, their preferred investment style is via passive, index tracking funds. Passive funds are typically characterised by low management fees, as the funds automatically hold all of the shares within the particular index they track, and don’t need…