Mortgages

Housing is one of the largest expenses faced by most households. To assist with this challenging time, the ‘Big Four’ banks (ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, and ASB), as well as some smaller banks and lenders, have announced that customers affected by Covid-19 can apply to go on a mortgage repayment holiday for three to six months. However, this “holiday” might not be as good as it first sounds.... Read more Read more

A reserve mortgage is a loan that can enable an ‘asset rich, cash poor’ older homeowner to access the value held in their property by taking out a loan secured against their home. There are usually no regular repayments on the loan. This means the homeowner will receive capital – i.e., money – and in exchange, they delay payment of the loan until they die, sell the home, or move out of the... Read more Read more

Taking on debt has a bunch of negative associations. However, debt can be a helpful way to increase your earning potential, grow passive income, or otherwise invest in a financially stable future. Sometimes, it’s necessary to protect your health or wellbeing. When managed responsibly, good debt – including most student loans and mortgages – can be a clever thing to take on. In contrast... Read more Read more

Inflation is the steady increase in average prices throughout any economy. It means that money is steadily losing its value in real terms. Inflation in most developed countries, including NZ, has been at low levels for many years, though many leading financial minds now believe inflation could come back with a vengeance. Inflation, the thief in your wallet As inflation means... Read more Read more

Mortgage cash back is an incentive that banks use to entice new business. It is now common across major New Zealand banks, and is an upfront cash payment made to you for your business. The payment could be for new lending – such as if you’re a first home buyer or property investor purchasing another property – or existing lending should you decide to switch your existing mortgage between banks... Read more Read more

Self-insurance is a term used to describe when a person or company sets aside funds to meet contingency or emergency needs such as; injury, loss, or any other event such as, a person’s home being knocked down by an earthquake. If such an event happens, you spend the saved sum to help sort out the situation. But if the event doesn’t occur, you get to keep the money you may have otherwise paid... Read more Read more

Perhaps your sum is from; an inheritance, a lottery win, the sale of a business or property, an insurance pay-out, or just a stroke of luck. Whatever the case, you’ll soon start thinking about what to do with the funds. Any extra cash is always an opportunity to improve your financial situation, but many people waste such windfalls because they don't have a specific plan of what to do... Read more Read more

Before the epidemic struck, in most parts of NZ, home prices had been booming for some time. Reasons for this included record low mortgage rates, building and land restrictions, high immigration, and high levels of employment. The property market is about to undergo a rapid change due to the flow on effect from the virus-related economic slowdown. It is a near certainty there will be a... Read more Read more

Buying a house, especially when you’re younger is still an incredibly smart financial decision in the majority of cases. Home ownership is accepted as the cornerstone of wealth for most New Zealanders, with a debt-free home by retirement being the most common life goal. On the flipside, society is changing and there have never been more choices for Kiwis to build wealth too. So, here... Read more Read more

When you’re house hunting, the amount you can afford to spend is all-important. After all, you don’t want to end up house poor, or worse-still, unable to maintain your mortgage repayments should your situation change, or mortgage rates substantially increase. In general, we’ll hardly ever encourage anyone to spend more on a home – in fact, the opposite is much more likely the case!... Read more Read more

In its May Financial Stability Report, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand revealed the results of stress tests designed to assess the vulnerability of households to service their mortgages if rates rise. Its findings show a high number of owner-occupier households would be under financial stress if rates jump, which could collapse the housing market as defaults rise and demand weakens... Read more Read more

In a word, yes, NZ interest rates are likely to fall further. Here’s why: NZ’s term deposit rate is much higher than in similar developed countries, including Australia, the UK, and Sweden. The Deputy of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) recently cited this as a reason the RBNZ had to do more to bring the interest rates down. The RBNZ is NZ’s central bank. Central bankers... Read more Read more