Journal · Page 11
Insurance, KiwiSaver, and money. in plain English.
Short, useful articles from the Smiths advisers, the same notes we share with clients when something changes in the NZ market or a common question comes up.
Financial Advice · 11 Jun 2026
Recovery-Room and Fake-Adviser Scams in NZ: How Investors Get Targeted Twice
Clone firms, impersonated advisers and fake fund-recovery services explained: how NZ scam victims get targeted a second time, the warning si…
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Personal Risk · 13 Oct 2025
Redundancy Cover in NZ 2026: Does It Actually Exist, and What Will It Really Pay?
Standalone redundancy insurance is rare in NZ, and income protection generally excludes redundancy. Here is what redundancy cover actually p…
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Financial Advice · 14 Feb 2025
Made Redundant in NZ: A Financial Survival Plan for 2026
Made redundant in NZ? A clear plan for what to do first: entitlements, Jobseeker Support and stand-downs, pausing or withdrawing KiwiSaver, …
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Financial Advice · 29 Jan 2025
Replacing a Life Insurance Policy in NZ (2026): When Switching Insurers Helps and When It Backfires
A cheaper quote isn't always a better deal. Here is what you can lose when you replace a life, trauma or income-protection policy in NZ — re…
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Retirement · 27 Dec 2025
Residential Care Subsidy in NZ: Asset and Income Thresholds Explained
How the Residential Care Subsidy works in NZ: the 2025/26 asset thresholds, how your home, NZ Super and KiwiSaver are assessed, and the Resi…
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Financial Advice · 12 May 2026
Retirement Calculator NZ Accuracy 2026: Are Free Tools Like Sorted Enough?
Free NZ retirement calculators give you a number in two minutes. But they bake in 2% inflation, a flat 2.5% post-65 return and a drawdown to…
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Retirement · 12 May 2026
The Retirement Income Gap NZ 2026: What NZ Super Leaves You Short Each Week
NZ Super pays a single about $555 a week. A no-frills metro single needs roughly $705. That weekly gap is the retirement income gap, and Kiw…
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Retirement · 18 Jan 2025
Retirement Planning for Contractors in NZ: No Employer Match, No PAYE, No Safety Net
Contractors get no employer KiwiSaver match and no auto-deduction. Here is how to systematise retirement saving on lumpy income and still cl…
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Retirement · 13 Feb 2025
Retirement Planning in Your 50s in NZ: Is It Too Late to Catch Up?
Behind on retirement in your 50s? You still have 10-15 years of compounding before 65. Here are the realistic catch-up levers: contributions…
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Retirement · 17 Jan 2025
Retiring as a Renter in NZ: How Much More You Need When You'll Never Own a Home
Most NZ retirement numbers quietly assume you own your home outright. If you'll rent for life, rent becomes a permanent line for 25 to 30 ye…
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Retirement · 28 Sep 2025
Retiring Before 65 in NZ: How to Bridge the Years Before NZ Super and KiwiSaver Kick In
Stop work before 65 and you can't touch KiwiSaver or NZ Super yet. Here's how the bridge years work, where your income comes from, and how t…
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Retirement · 26 Oct 2025
Retiring Overseas From New Zealand: What Happens to Your NZ Super and KiwiSaver
Planning to retire abroad? Whether you keep NZ Super depends on where you go, and your KiwiSaver options range from transfer to withdraw to …
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Retirement · 18 Apr 2025
Retiring With Debt in NZ: Credit Cards, Car Loans and Buy-Now-Pay-Later at 65
Carrying credit cards, a car loan or buy-now-pay-later into retirement? How consumer debt hits a fixed NZ Super income, whether to clear it …
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Retirement · 12 May 2026
Retiring With a Mortgage or Renting in NZ (2026): How It Changes Your Plan
The standard retirement numbers quietly assume you own your home, mortgage-free. If you'll still be renting or paying a mortgage at 65, your…
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KiwiSaver · 26 Feb 2025
Returning to NZ After Years Abroad: Rebuilding KiwiSaver, Cover and Retirement (2025)
Back in NZ after years away? Here is the order to sort your money: tax residency, KiwiSaver re-enrolment, transferring Australian super, NZ …
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Retirement · 11 May 2025
Reverse Mortgages and Equity Release in NZ (2026): How They Work and What They Really Cost
A reverse mortgage lets you stay in your home and borrow against it, with nothing to repay until you leave. But compounding interest at rate…
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Health · 6 Nov 2025
Reviewing Your Health Insurance Plan in NZ (2026): When to Adjust, Switch or Keep It
With NZ health premiums climbing double digits, an annual review pays off. Here is how to check your excess, non-Pharmac drug caps and modul…
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Financial Advice · 17 May 2026
Reviewing an Old or Inherited Life Insurance Policy in NZ (2026): What to Check Before You Keep It
An old or inherited life insurance policy can quietly stop matching your life. Here is an adviser's audit — sum insured, premium creep, date…
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General Insurance · 24 Apr 2025
Risk-Based Home Insurance Pricing in NZ 2026: What Flood and Earthquake Risk Now Does to Your Premium
Why NZ home insurance premiums increasingly vary by property: how risk-based pricing works, why flood and earthquake exposure pushes premium…
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Financial Advice · 8 Apr 2026
Robo-Advice NZ 2026: What It Can and Can't Do, and Who It Suits
How robo-advice works in NZ, which platforms offer it, how it's regulated, what it can't do, and who it actually suits, an honest 2026 guide…
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Retirement · 12 May 2026
Safe Withdrawal Rates in NZ 2026: The 4%, 6% and Spend-Down Rules Explained
Does the US 4% rule work in New Zealand? The NZ rules of thumb, the 6% rule, divide-by-years, and how NZ Super lets you safely draw more fro…
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Business · 8 Nov 2025
Salary or Dividends? How NZ Owners' Pay Choices Hit KiwiSaver and ACC
Paying yourself in dividends can be tax-smart, but it skips KiwiSaver contributions and shrinks your ACC cover. How NZ company owners' salar…
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Financial Advice · 15 Dec 2025
A Second Opinion on Your Financial Plan NZ: When It's Worth Getting and What to Expect
A second opinion checks your KiwiSaver, insurance and retirement plan against your goals, without locking you into switching anything. Here …
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Retirement · 3 Mar 2026
Section 70 NZ Super and an Overseas Pension: How the Deduction Works (NZ)
If you hold an overseas state pension, Section 70 means it is deducted dollar-for-dollar from your NZ Super. Here is which pensions count, h…
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