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.
The Self-Employed Financial Checklist for NZ 2026: KiwiSaver, ACC and Income Cover in One Plan
Self-employed in NZ? Here is the one-page money plan: contribute $1,042.86 to KiwiSaver by 30 June, set the right ACC cover, and fill the illness gap ACC leaves open.
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KiwiSaver for the Self-Employed in NZ 2026: Get the Full $260.72 Without an Employer
No employer match means no automatic deductions, so the government contribution is entirely on you. Here is exactly what to pay, and when, to claim all $260.72.
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Self-Employed Retirement Planning NZ 2026: Building a Nest Egg Without Employer Contributions
No employer paying into your KiwiSaver? Here is the four-move plan to build a real retirement on your own terms, using KiwiSaver, your business and NZ Super, with 2026 NZ numbers.
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Sold Your Business in NZ: How to Plan the Proceeds for Retirement
A 2026 guide to turning business-sale proceeds into reliable retirement income in NZ — tax, a safe drawdown rate, KiwiSaver, NZ Super and protecting the money in a relationship and your estate.
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What Happens to Your Money in a Separation in NZ: The Full Financial Checklist Beyond KiwiSaver
Separating changes more than your KiwiSaver. Here is the full NZ money checklist - relationship property, joint debt, insurance beneficiaries, wills and cover on one income - and the order to work through it in your first 90 days.
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Sequencing-of-Returns Risk in Retirement (NZ, 2026): Why the First Five Years Decide Everything
Two retirees can earn the exact same average return and end up with wildly different outcomes — purely because of when the bad years land. Here is how sequencing-of-returns risk works, and the practical NZ defences that blunt it.
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Sequencing Risk and Your KiwiSaver in NZ (2026): Why a Crash Near Retirement Hurts Most
A market fall just before or after you retire does far more damage than the same fall at 40. Here is what sequencing risk is, why cash is not the fix, and how glide paths and buckets help protect a balance in the danger zone.
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Buy-Sell Agreement Funding NZ (2026): What Happens to the Business if a Co-Owner Dies?
If a co-owner dies, their shares usually pass to their estate, not to you. Here is how a funded buy-sell agreement lets surviving owners buy the shares cleanly, plus the annual revaluation step most owners skip.
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Simplicity vs Kernel KiwiSaver 2026: Low-Fee Index Funds Compared (NZ)
Simplicity and Kernel are New Zealand's two low-fee index leaders at 0.24% and 0.25% p.a. Here is how their fees, fund range, ethical screening and returns actually compare in 2026.
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Small Business Health Insurance Schemes in NZ: A Guide for Employers (2026)
How a small NZ business sets up a staff health insurance scheme in 2026 — what it costs per head, the FBT rules, group underwriting, the retention case, and what happens to cover when staff leave.
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Southern Cross vs nib in NZ (2026): How the Two Big Health Insurers Actually Differ
An across-the-market NZ comparison of Southern Cross vs nib in 2026: market size, surgical plans, the Affiliated Provider network model, non-Pharmac drug cover, and lifetime premiums.
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Specialist and Diagnostics Cover in NZ Health Insurance (2026): What's Actually Included
What NZ health insurance actually pays for specialist consults, MRI and CT scans and tests in 2026 — the annual limits, the GP referral and prior-approval rules, and what is commonly excluded.
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Supporting Aging Parents in NZ Without Wrecking Your Own Retirement
A practical 2026 guide for the sandwich generation: how the Residential Care Subsidy and asset testing work, why your parents need EPOAs before a crisis, the gifting rules, and how to help without derailing your own retirement.
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How and When to Switch KiwiSaver Funds or Providers in NZ (2026)
Switching KiwiSaver funds or providers is free and keeps every dollar you have saved. Here is when it makes sense, the timing traps to dodge, and how to compare on fees and risk, not just last year's returns.
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Do You Pay Tax When You Switch KiwiSaver Funds or Providers in NZ? (2026)
Switching KiwiSaver funds or providers in NZ does not trigger a capital gains tax bill — New Zealand has no general CGT. Here is how PIE tax is settled on a transfer, what happens to your PIR, and what to check before you move.
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Total Remuneration KiwiSaver in NZ: When Your Employer Match Comes Out of Your Own Pay
On a total-remuneration package, the KiwiSaver employer match is funded from your own total pay, not added on top. Here is how to spot it, what it does to your take-home pay when you lift your rate, and what you can do about it.
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Total vs Partial Disability in Income Protection NZ (2026): How Returning to Work Part-Time Pays
Total disability cover only pays when you cannot work at all. Partial (proportionate) cover pays when you ease back part-time — here is how it is calculated and why it matters.
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TPD Insurance in NZ (2026): Own-Occupation vs Any-Occupation and How Claims Are Decided
Own-occupation vs any-occupation TPD in NZ — which definition is harder to claim under, why one costs more, how a TPD claim is actually assessed, and how the cover fits around ACC and income protection.
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How to Read Your ACC Levy Invoice as a Self-Employed Kiwi (NZ)
Got an ACC invoice and not sure what half of it means? Here is a line-by-line walkthrough of the Work, Earners' and Working Safer levies, the provisional-versus-actual wash-up, and how to check it is right.
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Variable vs Fixed Drawdown in Retirement (NZ, 2026): How to Decide How Much to Take Each Year
Fixed-dollar, fixed-percentage or guardrails? Here is how the main retirement drawdown methods behave in good years and bad ones, and how to set up flexible payments from a KiwiSaver in NZ.
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Voluntary KiwiSaver Contributions in NZ: How Much to Add and When It's Worth It
How to make voluntary KiwiSaver contributions in New Zealand, lump sum versus regular top-ups, the lock-in trade-off, and when extra KiwiSaver beats a separate managed fund.
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What Does a KiwiSaver Review Involve? A Step-by-Step Walkthrough (NZ, 2026)
A plain-English walkthrough of what a KiwiSaver review actually checks in NZ: fund type, contributions, fees, performance and withdrawal timing. Free, 30 minutes, no obligation.
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What Does Your KiwiSaver Fund Actually Hold? (NZ 2026)
Most KiwiSaver money sits in listed shares and bonds traded around the world. Here is what the asset classes mean, how much is NZ versus overseas, and where to find your fund's full holdings list.
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What PIR Should I Be On? KiwiSaver Tax Rates (NZ, 2026)
Your PIR (10.5%, 17.5% or 28%) decides how much tax your KiwiSaver pays. Here are the 2025/26 thresholds, the two-year rule, and what the IRD square-up costs if you get it wrong.
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