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.
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 signs, and how to verify before you trust anyone.
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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 pays, for how long, the common exclusions, and the realistic alternatives.
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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, what happens to your insurance, and protecting your mortgage without panic decisions.
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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 — reset stand-downs, fresh underwriting, narrower definitions — and the FMA replacement rules an adviser must follow.
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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 Residential Care Loan alternative.
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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 zero at 90. Here is where they help, where they fall short, and when an independent adviser adds real value.
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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 KiwiSaver is built to close it.
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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 claim the full government contribution.
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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, KiwiSaver fund risk, debt, and delaying retirement, with the trade-offs spelt out.
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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 years. Here is how much extra that means, what support exists, and how to plan for it.
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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 to sequence drawdowns so you don't run out.
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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 leave invested. Here is how the rules work.
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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 before 65, and a plain plan for getting there.
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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 real target is far higher. Here is how much more, and what to do about it.
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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 Super residency, and rebuilding cover that did not travel home with you.
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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 rates well above a normal home loan steadily erodes your equity. Here is the real picture, including the protections and the alternatives.
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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 modules, and when switching is worth the pre-existing risk.
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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, dated definitions, ownership and exclusions — and when replacing it is smart versus risky.
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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 premiums up, what insurance retreat means, and how to manage cover and cost.
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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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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 from your savings.
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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' salary-vs-dividend choices quietly affect their protection.
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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 is when it is worth getting and what a good one looks at.
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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, how the deduction works, what changed in 2020, and a worked example.
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