Journal · Page 12
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 · 12 May 2026
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 il…
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
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, t…
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Retirement · 12 May 2026
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 busin…
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Retirement · 19 Feb 2025
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 pr…
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Financial Advice · 11 Jun 2025
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 beneficiarie…
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Retirement · 11 Jan 2025
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. H…
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Retirement · 17 Aug 2025
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 no…
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Business · 22 Apr 2026
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…
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
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 screen…
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Business · 12 Feb 2026
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 ret…
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Health · 24 Jun 2025
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…
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Health · 8 Mar 2025
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 …
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Financial Advice · 5 May 2026
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 bef…
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KiwiSaver · 22 Apr 2026
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…
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KiwiSaver · 1 Jun 2025
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…
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KiwiSaver · 1 Apr 2026
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, w…
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Personal Risk · 7 Jan 2025
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 …
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Personal Risk · 30 Apr 2026
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 asse…
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Personal Risk · 2 Feb 2025
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, th…
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Retirement · 10 Oct 2025
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…
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KiwiSaver · 3 May 2025
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 KiwiSav…
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
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 tim…
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KiwiSaver · 28 Feb 2025
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 ove…
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
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 IR…
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